New guide strengthens ethical and professional policing across Australia and New Zealand

ANZPAA has released the Australia New Zealand Guide for the Ethical and Professional Conduct of Police (the Guide) – a new resource designed to support ethical, professional and values-based policing across Australia and New Zealand. Building on the established Australia New Zealand Police Integrity Principles, it provides practical guidance to support police employees in exercising professional judgement and demonstrating behaviours that strengthen organisational integrity and community confidence. 

Why the Guide was developed

There is growing recognition that policing is becoming more complex, interconnected and subject to greater public scrutiny. Recent policing reform reviews, including the United Kingdom's Police Leadership Commission report exploring ‘Police leadership for the future’, have identified ethical leadership as a strategic priority. They highlight the importance of supporting police employees to navigate increasing expectations and challenges while maintaining impartiality, professionalism and public trust.
Policing is also more collaborative than ever, with crime and victimisation frequently crossing jurisdictional boundaries. This requires police employees to work together across states, territories and countries, and necessitates a shared understanding of the professional and ethical standards that underpin decision-making and conduct.

However, this Guide is not intended to replace jurisdictional legislation, codes of conduct, policies or procedures. Instead, it complements existing frameworks by illustrating how values can be applied in everyday decision-making. It encourages employees to consider the broader impact of their decisions and behaviour, recognising that individual conduct – both on and off duty – can impact a policing organisation's reputation, legitimacy and public confidence in policing. 

A collaborative effort

To ensure this shared value set was truly representative of policing across Australia and New Zealand, ANZPAA consulted extensively with policing jurisdictions. The development process involved scoping discussions and consultation meetings with Working Group and Focus Group representatives from each jurisdiction, ensuring the content reflected diverse operating environments while capturing the enduring values and expectations that remain relevant to employees now and into the future.

Translating values to ethical and professional conduct

The Guide articulates six interconnected values:

1. Integrity, which involves doing the right thing – even when it’s difficult or unseen.
2. Respect, which involves recognising the inherent dignity and rights of every person and valuing the diversity of perspectives and experiences they bring.
3. Compassion, which involves responding to people with understanding – balancing enforcement with care and proportionality.
4. Responsibility, which involves taking ownership of duties and outcomes, ensuring they are performed with competence, care, and sound judgement.
5. Service, which reflects a commitment to the wellbeing, safety, and interests of the community, placing these considerations at the centre of every decision and action.
6. Courage, which involves taking action and making decisions that align with professional and organisational values in the face of uncertainty, pressure, or challenge.

These values represent the ethical foundation, or the why, for policing. They guide employees to do what is right, not simply because it is required, but because it aligns with the community’s expectations.

Each value is accompanied by practical behavioural expectations that represent the professional dimension, or the how – outlining how these values can be and should be applied through everyday policing activities, interactions and decisions. Scenario-based examples have also been included throughout to demonstrate “what good looks like” in practice. Showcasing expected behaviours and their positive impacts reflects a positive ethics approach, complementing traditional approaches that focus on preventing misconduct and responding to breaches of standards.

The Guide also incorporates decision-making tools readily used across many jurisdictions (the SELF Test and TENR Principles). These are complemented by a structured decision-making approach that support employees to sequentially assess situations, consider legal and ethical responsibilities, evaluate options and reflect on outcomes.  Together, the Guide and its tools are designed to support informed decision-making in complex or uncertain situations while reinforcing professionalism and accountability.

Benefits for agencies and communities

• supporting training and development, by providing positive ethics examples and decision-making tools that can be incorporated into scenario-based learning.
• supporting recruitment and onboarding materials, by communicating a consistent set of expectations to prospective and new employees. 
• strengthening public confidence, by providing an accessible articulation of the values and standards the community can expect from police employees across the region.

Download the Guide and learn more about the shared values and professional expectations across Australia and New Zealand.

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