Fifteen graduates are a step closer to joining the New Zealand Police after completing the Pre-Police Prep Course at Unitec.
Semester One graduates celebrated with family and friends at their Graduation Celebration at Unitec on Wednesday, which was also attended by our kaimahi and police representatives.
The course is based on a long-standing relationship between our division and police which started in 2003. Since then, more than one thousand recruits from diverse backgrounds have come through the programme.
It was originally targeted to Pacific and Māori learners but now accepts applicants from all communities.
Its delivery runs over 14-weeks (two nights a week at the Mt Albert campus) and provides a bridging opportunity for potential recruits building their capabilities to engage with the selection process.
It is fully funded by the New Zealand Police and concentrates on areas such as fitness, problem-solving and communication skills.
It begins with an online psychometric test and a physical appraisal test (PAT) which consists of a 2.4km run, push up test, vertical jump test, and grip strength test.
All candidates re-sit both tests at the conclusion of the course to determine if they are ready to go to the next stage in recruitment.
“The course aims to help them pass these tests and ideally move onto Police College,” says Senior Lecturer in Community Studies, Rob Gambolati, who is one of the coordinators on the course.
Head of School, Healthcare & Social Practice, Linda Aumua says the programme supports police to achieve their recruitment targets.
“It’s a partnership and a team effort between New Zealand Police and Unitec that has spanned 22 years,” she says.
“It is acknowledged as one of the most successful Pre-Police Prep Courses in New Zealand.”
Mr Gambolati says the Unitec Pre-Police Prep Course has been hugely successful.
“The programme has contributed to many people getting into the Police College,” he says.
“We are aiming to get up to 25 candidates for the Semester Two class which starts at the end of July.”
The Government announced in its 2024 Budget, a target of 500 extra officers in two years.
There is an Information Evening for the Semester Two intake on Wednesday, 2 July at 6:30pm in the Red Lecture Theatre followed by a mock testing day on Saturday, 5 July at Mt Smart Stadium athletics track.
Watch Tagata Pasifika’s story on the Unitec Pre-Police Prep Course when it celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxkC8lqPXy4