Police Wellness Requires Better Record-Keeping: Why Tracking Officer Injuries Matters

NZ Police officer injury, police pursuit injury data, Tyre Deflation Device (TDD) safety, police wellness New Zealand, PTSD in police officers, Official Information Act NZ, frontline trauma support, Blue Hope Foundation, police health and safety systems

Are Police Workers Being Left Behind by the Systems Designed to Protect Them?

Frontline police officers face daily exposure to high-risk incidents—vehicle pursuits, violent arrests, and unpredictable emergencies. Often, it’s these very moments that lead to long-term physical or mental harm.

At the Blue Hope Foundation, we specialise in supporting police workers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other service-related injuries. These aren't just isolated mental health issues—they are occupational injuries sustained while keeping the public safe.

But to support wellness, we first need to understand the risks. That starts with accurate, accessible incident and injury data. And right now, that data is missing.

Why We Filed an Official Information Act (OIA) Request to NZ Police

To better understand pursuit-related trauma and injury, we submitted an OIA request to the New Zealand Police asking for:

• The number of crashes during police pursuits

• Deployment frequency and outcomes of Tyre Deflation Devices (TDDs)

• Officer injuries linked to these events

These questions matter—not just for policy, but for officer wellness, ACC claims, and long-term recovery planning.

The Police Response: Refusal to Provide Injury and Pursuit Data

Police declined our request under section 18(f) (information would require substantial collation) and section 18(g) (information not held in a usable format) of the OIA.

This means the data either:

• Does not exist in a form that supports learning; or

• Cannot be retrieved without disproportionate effort

From a wellness and safety perspective, this is concerning. If the Police can’t track when and how their staff are harmed, how can they learn from it?

The Chief Ombudsman Agreed With Our Concern

We appealed the decision to the Chief Ombudsman, who upheld the legal grounds for refusal but formally agreed that our broader concern about Police record-keeping was valid.

He referred the matter to the Chief Archivist under section 28(6) of the OIA and the Public Records Act 2005. His office noted that it was a legitimate question whether NZ Police should have anticipated the need to keep detailed records on high-risk incidents such as pursuits and TDD deployments.

This action confirms a systemic issue: New Zealand Police may lack the internal infrastructure to capture and learn from frontline harm.

Why This Matters: Police Trauma, PTSD, and the Need for Systemic Support

The absence of data doesn’t just impact reporting—it directly affects:

• Officer mental health

• ACC injury claims

• Post-incident rehabilitation

• Operational safety improvements

We have supported officers seriously injured while deploying TDDs. Some underwent surgery. Others developed chronic PTSD. Many are still waiting for support, not because they’re invisible, but because the system never recorded their trauma in a way that enables follow-up or care.

Tracking Harm Is the Foundation of Police Wellness

The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) both require organisations to prevent harm, support recovery, and ensure equity.

Without reliable injury tracking systems, the Police service risks:

• Breaching its legal duty of care

• Losing valuable operational insights

• Failing its own workforce in their time of need

This isn’t a compliance issue—it’s a wellness issue. Police wellness begins with learning from harm.

What the Blue Hope Foundation Is Calling For

We respectfully recommend:

1. A centralised, transparent incident and injury tracking system within NZ Police

2. An independent audit by the Chief Archivist into record-keeping obligations under the Public Records Act

3. Stronger coordination between NZ Police, ACC, and WorkSafe to identify and address systemic barriers to recovery

4. Policy reform ensuring that all high-risk events—especially those involving pursuits or TDDs—trigger follow-up, review, and support pathways

   
   

Supporting Those Who Protect Us

Wellness doesn’t begin with counselling—it begins with recognition. Recognition that harm occurred. That it was preventable. That someone is responsible for making sure it doesn't happen again.

At the Blue Hope Foundation, we believe every police worker deserves:

• A safe working environment

• Timely support for mental and physical injury

• A system that remembers their service, not erases it

Our vision is zero police suicides in New Zealand. And that starts with systemic change, founded on recorded, respected, and responded-to harm.

About the Blue Hope Foundation

The Blue Hope Foundation is New Zealand’s leading charity supporting current and former police workers and their families affected by psychological injury. We provide lived-experience advocacy, help navigate ACC mental injury claims, and campaign for structural reform in health and safety, disability rights, and trauma care.

📍 Learn more at www.bluehope.co.nz