By Angela Singer
If trends in the United States and Britain are replicated here, the recession will bring an increase in crime, especially in rural areas, and place even bigger demands on our police.
During difficult times, faith-based communities can play a key role in supporting police officers. In 2005, a group of New Zealand Christian police staff expressed their concern that no uniquely Christian support was available in their workplace.
In response, the Police Christian Support Network was created and for the past four years has helped staff nurture their faith and work through faith-based, work-related issues. The Network is officially recognised by the NZ Police but does not receive financial support.
To date, the Network has worked mostly at a local level to connect Christian staff, offering support and organising activities that are often social. This year, for the first time, Network members will gather together for a national event, the Police Christian Support Network National Conference, to be held from 16-18 October at Wanganui Central Baptist Church.
Networks chairperson Inspector Fiona Prestidge, Area Commander of New Plymouth Police, is the wife of the Rev Paul Prestige, minister of St James’ Presbyterian Church, New Plymouth. Interestingly, Fiona is not the only police officer in the St James’ congregation; Constable Andrew Wong Too, Section Constable of New Plymouth Police, and Detective Constable Drew Bennett of Stratford Police also attend St James’ and the Police Christian Support Network.
Fiona says her work colleagues have always known about her faith because she is married to a minister and because she talks about “ordinary stuff such as going to church”. Both Christians and non-Christians have often expressed surprise, she says, that she is a cop married to a minister, but this itself surprises her. “I see no disconnect at all. To me our jobs share a lot in common – we’re both leaders in the community.”
When she was a “frontline cop,” Fiona says her faith presented more of a challenge for her colleagues. “Not that I was hassled for it, but often it would be that colleagues simply had no understanding of faith things so it tended to be a conversation stopper”. Despite this, Fiona says she feels “very comfortable talking about Christian things with colleagues, although the reality is that it is usually
just a passing reference rather than a significant conversation”.
In her early years of policing, Fiona felt some pressure around being identified as a Christian but after 24 years in the police and moving up the ranks, she feels she has “matured both in my faith and my confidence as a police officer and I don’t feel peer pressure now”.
As a member of the Network’s conference organising team, Fiona hopes that those attending take away “encouragement to be proud and confident of being a Christian in police. I’d love to see the conference be a catalyst for the Network to develop further, with more pockets of Christians meeting in police stations up and down the country”.
The conference was the idea of Kelly Scarrow, who is the wife of a police officer. Two years ago Kelly’s husband attended Police College and brought home Police Christian Support Network newsletters. She says: “I read testimonies from around the country that are amazing. There are instances where a Christian cop was able to get a difficult offender to talk after colleagues had given up, just because the offender was treated with Christian compassion, dignity and respect. That is not to say Christian cops are not tough and just, but they have the ability to see the broken, sick, often rejected or abused person behind the unlawful behaviour. Because of this they go the extra mile. Reading these testimonies it struck me how important the role our police play is, and how many Christian police must feel isolated and unsupported in this daunting task.”
Kelly says she contacted Fiona, and explained that she felt prompted by God to coordinate a national conference. “The Network’s executive committee then met, prayed and here we are.”
Fiona’s appreciation of the Network and what it can offer is shared by her colleague Constable Andrew Wong Too. He finds the Network’s email newsletter very encouraging. “Being a relatively new cop, I enjoy reading the stories of those who have been through the challenges and have great stories to tell.”
As someone new-ish to police culture, Andrew says he hasn’t felt pressured at work over his faith. “I don't think people say, ‘there’s Andrew the Christian’. The pressure would only come if I was doing things people thought a Christian shouldn't do! Some give you a bit of stick for going to church instead of going to sleep after a busy Saturday night, but I've found it to be pretty light-hearted”.
Andrew says that living out his faith helps him to stay positive. “It would be easy to become cynical in this job and begin to give up on people. The challenge is to stay hopeful with the person you continually deal with for domestic violence yet balance that with the reality that a lifetime of behaviour is extremely hard to change. That's why I have to have faith in the love of Christ”.
Detective Constable Drew Bennett has also found that his faith has had a huge impact on his work as a detective. “I like to think it comes through in the empathy I have for all those I deal with, whether they be a victim or an offender”.
Drew says that during his time at Police College, a trainer had a significant impact on him and he still remembers the advice he was given. “He was a Christian and he spoke to our class about how to deal with people. He said that even if someone has done the worst thing, try to imagine they are your brother, cousin, friend and imagine how you would want them to be dealt with. That’s how I operate”.
Having grown up in the church, with both his parents ministering in the Salvation Army, Drew has no problem discussing his faith with his colleagues. “I’ve had some interesting conversations with colleagues on different issues that have arisen and I bring the slant of my faith to that conversation.”
For example, Drew says his faith helps him to feel compassion for offenders who have committed terrible crimes and he has had many debates with colleagues about this. “I generally find out that offenders were victims when they were young and never had a chance, and knowing that doesn’t make it right but it does help me to understand.”
Drew says he became involved in the Police Christian Support Network through talking with Fiona at church. “Fiona offered to put me onto the Network knowing that it would be something I would be interested in. For me the Network is more social. I have good mates who are Christians and cops.”