Auckland man earns long service award

Caryn Wilkinson Reporter from Community News

Peter Cooke has worked in the same job for 49 years.

The 73-year-old is the longest serving staff member at Mount Eden's Community Corrections service in Auckland.

The probation officer has been recognised with a long service and good conduct award.

It all started in 1971 when Cooke joined the probation service after gaining his law degree at Auckland University.

The probation service "seemed a good place to start and much more exciting than being a lawyer," he said.

"(I) stayed because I still have some of the idealism left and the criminal justice system is still an exciting place to work in."

In 1971 the Probation Service, as it was known, was a division of the Department of Justice.

This changed with the establishment of the Department of Corrections in 1996.

In Auckland, there was a main office in High St with reporting centres in the suburbs, Cooke said.

"I looked after Henderson and you were at the reporting centres at night on your own.

"In addition, probation officers collected fines and reparation as part of a special condition of probation, and a cash box with a float of money accompanied us."

Cooke was the sole charge district probation officer at Kaikohe.

He recalls travelling on his own to do home visits for most of the rural caseload.

Cooke has seen many changes over the years.

People under probation orders were now much more difficult to manage and more unpredictable, he said.

Before the 2002 Sentencing Act, there was a national Parole Board for those sentenced over 7 years Imprisonment and a District Prisons Board for each prison deciding release for those serving under 7 year sentences, Cooke said.

"They also decided on back end Home Detention before Home Detention became a separate sentence. "