16 Aug 2018

Police call centre staff work while ill for fear of punishment

From Morning Report, 7:11 am on 16 August 2018

Police staff who handle emergency calls and send officers to jobs are so scared of being punished for taking sick leave they're working despite being ill or in extreme pain. The police use a formula called the Bradford Factor, which allows managers to monitor absenteeism and both staff and the union have told RNZ it's being used to penalise. One emergency dispatcher was in so much pain they were not able to sit up while issuing instructions to officers. RNZ reporter Charlie Dreaver has more details.