Last updated 17:09, June 14 2018
JARRED WILLIAMSON/STUFF
Inspector Naila Hassan said she didn't tell anyone about her religion in an effort to fit in.
Inspector Naila Hassan said she didn't tell anyone about her religion in an effort to fit in.
Imagine spending the first two decades of your career hiding a part of who you are.
That was the reality for Inspector Naila Hassan as one of New Zealand's top-ranked Muslim police officers.
At first it was about "fitting in" and being like everybody else, Hassan said.
"It took me more than 20 years in police before I told anyone I was a Muslim – which is a fairly long time."
As area commander for Counties Manukau West, Hassan's role involves overseeing policing in the south Auckland suburbs of Māngere, Ōtāhuhu and Papatoetoe.
Hassan was challenged to open up about her religion when she became a leader.
But it wasn't until a moment in 2012 that she realised the importance of police diversity.
Hassan had just been promoted to the rank of inspector – one of the first Muslim women to do so in New Zealand.
"Our MPES [Māori, Pacific, ethnic service] team at headquarters wanted to celebrate it, to have community leaders come together to celebrate it," she said.
"But I actually turned that down. I didn't want to be seen to be drawing attention to myself."
Hassan has worked across numerous roles in her policing career, including CIB, prosecutions and as an area commander in the Waikato.
A short time later she was taken aside by Deputy Commissioner Mike Clement, who was then a superintendent as Auckland City police commander.
"He told me it's no longer about Naila, that it's about me role modelling who I am in the New Zealand police."
Hassan said it was crucial for police to connect with and to reflect increasingly diverse communities.
Since she arrived at Ōtāhuhu Station last year, a number of doors in the south Auckland community had opened – none more so than within the Muslim community.
Hassan and other staff regularly meet with leaders, along with other ethnic communities.
"We need to reflect our communities, better engage with them and they will have better trust and confidence in us."
Several changes to police values have been brought about by Commissioner Mike Bush.
In late 2014 "valuing diversity and empathy" was added to the existing police value system.
Hassan said it was not only diversity of ethnicity, but also in diversity of thought that was being encouraged.
"We're now encouraging recruits to think differently . . . we want to be innovative and to think differently to what we've done in the past."
Hassan said diverse thinking could also come through age, gender and life experience, too.
The inspector was involved in Counties Manukau police being a part of Ramadan and hosting an Iftar dinner at its headquarters.
She said it was great to have others to support and observe Ramadan alongside her.
"Usually you'd be on your own and you don't talk about it," she said.
"In recent years I wouldn't say I was doing it, I'd find a way for no one to know."