There seems to be a brighter future ahead for some Year 13 students at Rotorua Boys High School and Rotorua Girls High School. These students will be given the opportunity to take their first step into a future in the Police Force as the two schools gear up to refresh the school curriculum by adding in Police Studies.
Both Rotorua Boys’ and Rotorua Girls’ have teamed up with NZ Police and Unitec to insure this course will be used as a tool to prepare the students for entry to the Royal New Zealand Police College on completion.
Rotorua Boys’ High School Principal, Chris Grinter says, “This will provide a significant career pathway that previously have been closed to schools. These students will end up with a wonderful qualification and on the pathway to being a police officer within a few months of leaving school.”
Police Studies will teach the students the ins and outs of what it means to police here in New Zealand. It will cover the context of policing, relevant legislation, policies, strategies, procedures and ethics.
This will be a full year course that will incorporate the required 12 week RNZPC course, enabling them to fast tract their application process in to the Police Force. However, this course does not guarantee these students a place on completion as they will need to meet the other remaining requirements.
“Being able to engage local Police hopefuls at school level is great news for the area and for Police,” says Rotorua Police Area Commander, Inspector Anaru Pewhairangi.
He says, their aim at NZ Police is to be thoughtful of the communities they serve. He adds that this is a chance to target youth strategically, Māori and women to join the Police Force.
“This course will give us a chance to work directly with these young people and help them understand what NZ Police is trying to achieve, and help promote trust and confidence in the Police.”