CAT/OP/NZL/1/Add.1 people being imprisoned. However, this reduction has been less pronounced for serious offending which has a more significant effect on the prison population. 38. There is limited potential for further reductions in the prison population by the introduction of additional non-custodial measures as these tend to be used for less serious offending, for which there is already a wide range of sentencing options. Measures to address over-representation of Māori in the criminal justice system are discussed at paragraphs 60 to 59 of this response. Staff and prisoner safety 39. The Subcommittee expressed concern about safety of prison staff and prisoners. The safety of staff and prisoners is of paramount importance. Corrections have programmes and initiatives in place to create a safe environment for everyone. 40. Corrections have dedicated considerable resources over the past 18 months to investigating and addressing prison violence. Departmental research has shown that the total number of serious prisoner-on-staff assaults is relatively stable, averaging around 7 per annum for the last decade. Although rates of staff assaults are comparatively low by international standards, Corrections promotes a culture in which violent or anti-social behaviour is challenged and changed. To this end, Corrections last year set up an expert advisory panel on staff safety to inform the development of a Staff Safety Plan. Members include experts from the public and private sectors. The advisory group consulted with a diverse range of interested parties, including many justice-related non-government organisations and the Office of the Ombudsman. The resulting three year staff safety plan — Keeping Each Other Safe — contains concrete actions to take place in year one, including: (a) Setting up staff safety forums to ensure staff is listened to by managers when they raise safety concerns; (b) Incorporating new course content on staff safety into the initial training for Corrections officers, which has recently been extended from 6 to 9 weeks; (c) Improving the reporting of ‘near miss’ incidents so that there is a clear focus on stopping violence before it escalates. 41. Under the strategy, Corrections has also developed a set of resources promoting a culture change in the way prisoners and staff relate to one another. These focus on: staff and prisoners treating each other with respect, staff communicating clearly with prisoners, prisoners communicating when something is not right, and violence by those at prison is unacceptable. Posters outlining these expectations are displayed in all prisons, with additional information provided through booklets and DVDs. 42. Several other initiatives are also expected to have a positive impact on prison culture. These are: (a) Right Track, a more active management approach to daily interactions with offenders, which is about supporting them to make progress against their offender plans and make positive life choices; (b) Tactical communication, a set of principles and tactics that will enable Corrections Officers to use ‘presence and words’ to generate compliance and de-escalate difficult prisoners. The skills taught through tactical communications are designed to redirect the behaviour of hostile prisoners and diffuse potentially dangerous situations. All Corrections Officers are trained in the use of tactical communications and take competency-based assessments every two years: (c) Improvements to the selection process used to recruit Corrections Officers. 9