Criminal Investigation Branch

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Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) - New Zealand Police

The CIB is a main branch of the New Zealand Police dedicated to investigating and solving serious crime and targeting organized and repeat offenders. It has detectives stationed across the country and is based in Wellington. The CIB has existed since 1886.

What the CIB does
- Investigates serious crimes such as homicides, aggravated violence, sexual offences, drug offences, crimes against society, and fraud.
- Works with Organized Crime Squads to target high-level drug offending and other organized crime.
- Uses proactive, long-term investigations to disrupt criminal networks and bring offenders to justice.

Joining and training
- Officers come from the Uniform Branch and must complete five CIB training modules.
- They undergo a live-in, three-and-a-half-week CIB Selection and Induction Course at the Royal New Zealand Police College to become Constable on Trial (minimum six months).
- During this period they complete four CIB modules.
- After at least 24 months as Constable on Trial, officers can apply to become Detective Constable. This requires completing six more CIB modules, a Workplace Assessment Book, a three-hour prerequisite exam based on the CIB modules, and a three-week CIB Detective Qualifying Course.
- They become eligible to be a Detective after finishing these steps.

How investigations work
- Detectives conduct lengthy, thorough inquiries, interview witnesses, and gather evidence.
- For complex cases, a Crown Solicitor prosecutes in the High Court. Detectives handle witness and expert forensic preparation for depositions and trials.

Tools and methods
- Modern policing tools are used to organize and analyze cases, including:
- Criminal Investigation Database
- Intelligence-led policing
- Crime mapping
- Link charting to map relationships between criminals and activities

Special programmes and units
- Undercover Programme: undercover officers detect serious crime, often gang-related, by taking on new identities for weeks or months.
- Witness Protection: protects witnesses who testify against serious criminals.
- Threat Assessment Unit: investigates threats to police staff, judges, court staff, and other officials, including counter-terrorist threats.
- Police Negotiation Team (PNT): a nationwide, part-time volunteer group that handles crisis negotiations for armed incidents, barricaded suspects, suicides, kidnappings, and other emergencies; PNT teams may also assist overseas when needed.