Hundreds of new Corrections Officers being recruited

News Release

For Immediate Release 08 Sept 2016

Hundreds of new Corrections Officers being recruited

The Department of Corrections has embarked on a major recruitment drive and aims to employ around 600 new Corrections Officers by September 2017, with at least 500 of them coming from New Zealand.

The new recruits are needed because the prison population is expected to reach 10,000 by 2017. This increase is due to more people being held in prison on remand than previously. Legislative changes have also meant prisoners serve more of their sentence in prison, and there has been an increase in prisoners serving longer sentences for more serious crimes. Corrections also needs officers for Mt Eden Corrections Facility after resuming management of the prison in July 2015.

Corrections Officers play a key frontline role in prisons.

“Working on the frontline at Corrections means working face to face with prisoners every day,” says Corrections Programme Manager Recruitment Andy Langley, who has been seconded from his role as Prison Director of Manawatu Prison for the recruitment role.

“Getting the right people is important to us. We are looking for people who enjoy being a role model and demonstrate the highest levels of integrity and credibility at all times. It’s a team environment so they need to look after each other as safety comes first.

“Our focus on reducing re-offending means we are looking for people who have great communication skills, are calm under pressure and genuinely believe people can change.

“We are very keen to hire from a range of backgrounds, particularly from the Maori and Pasifika communities, so we have a more diverse workforce that can represent and attend to the needs of prisoners.

“We operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to reduce re-offending and keep the public safe. While it can be a challenging role, the rewards can be life-changing and that’s why the average length of time someone stays on our frontline is eight years.”

“Our people tell us their career at Corrections gives them the chance to work with a team of people who want to change lives. Recruits will get both career and personal growth, job security, a competitive salary, health checks and other benefits.”

Due to the large number of recruits being sought, Corrections is advertising in Australia and the UK for people interested in a career as a Corrections Officer.

“In those countries, we expect there to be a number of New Zealanders who are interested in returning home for a career change,” says Mr Langley. “There may also be people currently working in the corrections environment who may be interested in moving to New Zealand.”

Corrections has approval from Immigration NZ to recruit up 100 people from the UK with at least two years’ experience in custodial, security, defence or police backgrounds. This is to ensure we have a blend of experienced staff alongside new recruits.

New recruits will go through an extensive 16 week programme that combines workplace and classroom based learning. Recruits with previous experience may be able to take advantage of a fast-track process.

For more information, visit http://frontlinejobs.corrections.govt.nz/

ENDS





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