The Voice of Police
VOLUME 44 • NUMBER 11 • decEMber 2011
Association honours officers for bravery
n Full coverage of the annual conference
n The turnaround in Otara
n Consequences of an open coroner’s court
PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
The Voice of Police
VOLUME 44 • NUMBER 11 • decEMber 2011
NZ Police Association Police News is the magazine of
the New Zealand Police Association and incorporates the
New Zealand Police Journal first published in 1937.
December 2011, Vol. 44, No.11
ISSN 1175-9445
Deadline for next issue Friday, January 11, 2012.
306
CHRISTCHURCH OFFICERS HONOURED
Published by the New Zealand Police Association
P.O. Box 12344, Willbank House, 57 Willis Street, Wellington.
Phone: (04) 496 6800, Facsmile: (04) 471 1309
Editor: Ellen Brook
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.policeassn.org.nz
Printed by City Print Communications, Wellington.
Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the
Association.
COPYRIGHT: NZPA Police News must not be reproduced in
part or as a whole without the formal consent of the copyright
holder – the New Zealand Police Association.
Contents
310
Chief CORONER’S advice
314
TURNAROUND IN OTARA
Cover photo: New Zealand Police Association Bravery
Awards. This year’s recipients, former constable Marty Stiles
and Constable Mike Wardle, with Constable Mitch Alatalo,
left, and Senior Constable Bruce Lamb. The four officers
were reunited for the awards ceremony at this year’s annual
Police Association Conference in Wellington. Read their story
on page 306.
302
December 2011
From the President
303
Election result
303
Police Association Annual Conference 2011
304-315
Policing in tough economic times
304
Judith Collins and Phil Goff address conference
305
Police Association Bravery Awards
306
Commissioner Peter Marshall addresses conference 309
Consequences of an open Coroner’s Court
310
Authorised officers debate
310
International delegates: the view from abroad
311
UK pay and conditions under attack 312
Firearms rollout
313
Resourcing Excellence: Turnaround in Otara
314
Day in the Life of a Section Sergeant
316
Association subscription increase
317
Brainteaser318
New footwear trial
318
EQC levy to increase insurance premiums
318
Women officers in the 21st century 319
Reunion for MOT women
319
Police quake photographs – Beyond the Cordon 320
Catering for the quake: recognition for cafe staff
320
Sports News
321
Police Home Loan Package 323
Keen on Wine/Copper’s Crossword
324
View from the Bottom (Iam Keen)
325
Holiday Home availability
325
Letters to the Editor
326
Memorial Wall
326
Useful information and contacts
327
Member discounts
328
Those wishing not to receive a personal copy
of Police News should contact the Editor
([email protected]) to be removed
from the distribution list.
New Zealand Police Association
“In an ironic piece of retro, it
could be John Banks again!”
Spectre of austerity looms
over hard-won gains
The election is done and dusted,
National has a majority with Act NZ
and Peter Dunne, and by the time you
read this, we may have a new minister.
In an ironic piece of retro, it could be
John Banks again!
Whoever it is, we got a hint of what
might be ahead in the week before the
election when news sneaked out early
that the January and February wings
had been deferred.
The week before that, we had been
beaten up about not dealing with a
supposed $80K fraud that had been
pushed down the priority list by a
homicide.
We’ve made some serious advances
in Police over the past 10 years.
Better cars, better stations and better
strategies; run-down drug squads,
Comms centres and CAT teams finally
resourced properly. It took a lot of
pain and operational failure to get here
and the gains are fragile.
How fragile will quickly become clear
if the unassigned and un-investigated
file issue starts to reappear.
Our Association conference heard from
a community worker and colleagues
from Otara NPT and CIB about what
was achieved with extra staff well
utilised. Delegates from around the
country salivated at the thought of
what their districts could achieve with
a similar injection.
We can just hope that new austerity
measures likely to be now visited on
the whole public sector
don’t see us going
in the opposite
direction. We can
but wait and see.
Three more years for John Key government
New Zealand will be led by John Key
and the National Party for another
three years, after voters returned his
government to power with record
levels of support on November 26.
At the time of writing, the exact makeup
of the new Government was still being
negotiated. However, it was clear
that National’s 60 seats, plus Act NZ’s
John Banks and UnitedFuture’s Peter
Dunne, gave it a slim but solid majority
in a Parliament of 121 seats. Whether
National also secured the support of the
Maori Party remained to be seen, with
Mr Key’s determination to proceed with
asset sales being a likely hurdle.
The opposition parties now face
important choices as they position
themselves for their next shot at
power in three years. The Maori Party
will be wary of appearing too close
to National, after seeing many of its
former supporters switch votes to
Hone Harawira’s Mana Party.
The Green Party returned a record
result, and will now have 13 MPs
in Parliament. They face difficult
decisions as to how best to work with
the Government to advance their core
environmental policies, while being
opposed to much of National’s social
and economic agenda, such as asset
sales and public sector cut-backs.
NZ First surprised many with a result
fuelled largely by the controversy over
the John Key-John Banks “tea tape”,
which played into Winston Peters’
hands and gave him a chance to
remind the public, right on the eve of
the election, that he remains a political
force.
Mr Peters is arguably New Zealand’s
most effective opposition politician,
and he will ensure ministers in the new
Government never get too comfortable.
The challenge for NZ First - if it is to
be a long-term feature of the political
landscape - is to convince the public it
has appeal and credibility beyond its
leader.
The big shock of the night was
Labour’s record low support, as it bled
votes to NZ First in the final week of
the campaign.
It is a pattern of New Zealand politics
that “third parties”, such as the Greens
and NZ First, do well in second-term
elections as voters who don’t want to
endorse the government aren’t ready
to go back to the party they threw out
three years ago. National suffered the
same fate in 2002.
Even so, Labour’s low result now
makes the party’s choice of its next
leader crucial if it is to position itself as
a viable alternative come 2014.
The management, directors and staff of
the Police Association and its subsidiaries,
extend to all readers, members, retired
members and their families, their best
wishes for a safe and prosperous
Christmas and New Year.
Be careful out there…
December 2011
303
PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
Policing in tough economic times
Police must be cautious about becoming victims of their own success, Police Association President
Greg O’Connor warned delegates at the Association’s conference.
Because crime rates were falling and fear
of crime was easing there was a danger
that reinvestment in policing could be
downgraded.
It was understandable in a tight fiscal
environment that politicians wouldn’t be
making expensive promises, he said, but the
arguments would now become about how to
keep paying for the services we already have.
“There is a direct correlation between Police
resourcing and Police ability to respond,
prevent and reduce crime,” Mr O’Connor said
in his opening speech to the 76th Annual
Conference in Wellington.
After benefiting from relative prosperity in the
public sector for much of the past decade,
Police were now at a crossroads, he told
delegates. The financial squeeze was coming
on again with economic concerns dominating
public and political debate.
Police were already making internal budget
cuts to make ends meet, and “we know there
will be increasing pressure to cut more”.
As an example of how things could go
wrong when budgets were cut he reminded
the conference of the consequences of
budget cuts in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Then, cuts to the vehicle fleet led to severe
shortages of working cars which cost $20
million to fix. Cancelled recruit wings led to
an Auckland staffing crisis and “unassigned
files” controversy, and urgent UK recruiting,
but the problem wasn’t really fixed until police
numbers were boosted between 2005-2008,
and in particular in Counties-Manukau since
2008. CIB resources were run down, leading
to a staff retention crisis in Auckland and
issues such as un-investigated child abuse
files, which are only now being addressed.
Mr O’Connor reminded delegates that “understaffing of Comms Centres led directly to
a series of 111 failures” culminating in the
disappearance of Iraena Asher. It cost $45
million to fix the Comms Centres problem.
He also pointed to cutting of drug and
organised crime squads to focus scarce staff
on volume crime, allowing organised crime
and methamphetamine to entrench. “We
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December 2011
Stand and deliver: Association President Greg O’Connor and Police Minister Hon Judith Collins
at the start of the conference.
are now spending a lot of money and effort
playing catch-up.”
Mr O’Connor said policing was about
prioritisation, but if we “ask New Zealanders
what they want from Police, having someone
turn up when you have a prowler outside
your window at 3am will always top the list.
We can always do a whole lot more: but
every new team that is set up needs to be
resourced with staff from somewhere.
“Unless you believe there is fat in the Police,
‘reprioritisation’ actually means stopping
doing something,” he pointed out.
Speaking to the theme of this year’s
conference – Resourcing Excellence – Mr
O’Connor said that Policing Excellence had
been a laudable catchcry of the current Police
administration, but it needed to be backed
with resources.
If there was not continued investment, he
warned, damage would be done not only
to service delivery and crime statistics, but
to morale, engagement and organisational
reputation. “Let’s not forget why we got extra
staff and extra funding. We got it because
Police was in crisis from budget cuts.”
MINISTER PRAISES POLICE ASSOCIATION
Police are very fortunate to have an association so committed to its members, says Police
Minister Hon Judith Collins.
Speaking to delegates at the Police Association Annual Conference, she said the Association
was dedicated to professional development, rigorous standards of conduct, welfare and safety.
“Like the people it serves, the Association focuses on results rather than ideology,” she said.
It had also been a pleasure, during her time as minister, to deal with Association President
Greg O’Connor and the executive, she said.
“Almost without exception, there has been a willingness to work constructively on issues that
are important to the Police and the public. That doesn’t mean we agree on every issue, but
where there are differences, we work to resolve them in the spirit of co-operation.”
New Zealand Police Association
Finest in
the world
If there was ever any question that New
Zealand Police were the finest in the world
then the response to the earthquake should
have dispelled any doubt, Police Minister
Hon Judith Collins told the conference.
“At the best of times we expect a lot from
our police, but when disaster hits we expect
something close to super human,” she said.
“We expect police to be at the frontline
saving lives and keeping people safe in
the midst of incredible devastation. We
expect them to help the hundreds of people
who have lost friends, family homes or
possessions and we expect them to provide
reassurance to thousands, at a time when
nothing can be taken for granted. Our police
delivered all of those things.”
The minister also praised the response of
Australian police to the crisis. “I have never
been so happy to see so many Australians
at once,” she quipped for the benefit of the
Australian observers at the conference.
“If it weren’t for Policing Excellence… I do
not believe for a moment that I would have
been successful in holding your budget.”
– Police Minister Hon Judith Collins
She went on to tell them that the bonds that
had been built up over the years really came
into play, “the way the Australian counterparts
seamlessly came in and did everything that
they were asked to do without a complaint,
all volunteers . . . thank you so much”, before
adding: “It was very nice that you let us win
the Rugby World Cup too.”
Looking ahead, she told delegates that in
the area of funding for law and order, there
was a possibility of shifting resourcing from
Corrections to Police, on the basis that
the prison population was dropping and
Corrections had “a bit of money that we
might be able to filch across”.
She also linked the conference’s theme of
‘Resourcing Excellence’ to holding the budget
and avoiding cuts. From the Government’s
point of view, resourcing excellence was
about using resources more effectively,
including through the Policing Excellence
programme, to “reduce crime through
increased focus on prevention, ensure greater
responsiveness, relieve pressure on our
justice system and improve the experience of
those who have been victims of crime”.
She told the delegates: “I cannot emphasise
how important it is for Policing Excellence
to deliver these results . . . if it weren’t for
Policing Excellence. . . I do not believe for a
moment that I would have been successful
in holding your budget. So it’s up to you to
help make that happen.”
Keen to highlight the drop in the crime
rate - 7 per cent less recorded crime per
head of population in the last fiscal year to
June 2011 - she said National had made
law and order one of its top priorities,
including reform of the criminal justice
system. The Government also wanted to
pass the Sentencing (Aggravating Factors)
Amendment Bill, which would make assaults
on police and Corrections officers an
aggravating factor in sentencing.
Getting tough on the causes of crime
Tackling the causes of crime is the best
investment a country can make in the area of
law and order, according to Labour’s Phil Goff.
Speaking at the Police Association’s annual
conference ahead of the election, Mr Goff
told members that any discussions on how to
prevent crime usually ended up talking about
“the 5 per cent”– at-risk children who had
been given a rotten start in life.
As a former Minister of Justice, he emphasised
that he had been tough on crime and that
during Labour’s tenure the government
increased sentences for the worst offenders
and gave courts more tools to deal with such
offenders. And Labour had increased sworn
officers by more than 1000. But now, he said,
he wanted to bring that tough stance to bear
on the causes of offending.
Mr Goff said Police Association members were
well placed to know what was going on at the
grassroots level. They would be aware of “the
kid who isn’t in school when he should be, the
kid whose father beats up mum or is a gang
member”.
“ For the most vulnerable children, we’ll make sure that the
services they start out life with are followed by continuing that
support … where they grow up as well adjusted young people.
Instead of on a path to your door and to the criminal justice
system”
– Phil Goff
He cited the tragedy of children living in homes
where drug and/or alcohol addiction was
part of their daily lives, where there wasn’t a
regular income, where people weren’t working
and where there wasn’t money to pay bills and
feed everyone properly.
A priority for a Labour government would be
its Agenda for Children, launched last month
by the Labour Party. Income support was
not enough by itself to help lift families out
of poverty, he said. “We need much more
than that. It’s about breaking the cycle of
inter-generational dependency, giving kids
the health care, the decent housing, the
educational opportunities. It’s about motivating
them to take advantage of these opportunities.
We want our children to be aspirational.”
However, he said, children from the “5 per
cent” category needed even more intensive,
on-going support to make a difference.
“ For the most vulnerable children, we’ll make
sure that the services they start out life with
are followed by continuing that support …
where they grow up as well adjusted young
people. Instead of on a path to your door and
to the criminal justice system”
It wasn’t hard to identify the families that
needed help and the earlier problems were
tackled, the better. Labour wanted all parents
to register their children with a Well Child
provider before birth so at-risk families and
children could be tracked.
They would get intensive support for the first
18 months of their lives, and ongoing support
through free early childhood education until
they were three.
December 2011
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PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
Christchurch officers honoured
When Constable Mike Wardle was confronted point-blank with the barrel of loaded gun during a
routine inquiry, all his training kicked in as he faced off the armed offender who had just shot two of
his colleagues.
“We did everything right that day,” he says
of the event.
Constable Wardle was speaking after
receiving a New Zealand Police Association
Bravery Award along with his colleague
former constable Marty Stiles.
The two officers were involved in an incident
in the Christchurch suburb of Phillipstown in
July last year, during which Senior Constable
Bruce Lamb was shot in the face, his police
dog, Gage, was killed and his colleague,
Constable Mitch Alatalo, was shot in the leg.
Constables Alatalo and Wardle were
conducting a routine search under the
Misuse of Drugs Act, during which the
aggressive manner of one of the occupants
led them to call for backup. Constable Stiles
and dog handler Senior Constable Lamb,
and his dog Gage, responded.
The occupant refused to come out of his
room. When Senior Constable Lamb opened
the door, the man opened fire with a rifle,
shooting him through the face. His next shot
killed police dog Gage. The gunman then
came to the doorway and opened fire again,
this time hitting Constable Alatalo as the
officer retreated, escaping from the house
through a window.
While under fire, Constable Stiles grabbed
his fallen colleague, Senior Constable Lamb,
by the belt and dragged him back down the
hallway towards safety. At the same time,
Constable Wardle (then acting as Sergeant),
confronted the gunman with a Taser. As
he did so, the gunman aimed at Constable
Wardle and pulled the trigger, but the
firearm jammed. The officer fired the Taser,
but it failed to incapacitate the offender.
To buy enough time for Constable Stiles
to evacuate the wounded Bruce Lamb,
Constable Wardle reloaded the Taser and
continued to challenge the offender, who
briefly retreated before again following the
officers out of the house and down the drive
while pointing his rifle at them. Constable
Wardle provided cover for his colleagues
while they retreated.
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December 2011
On camera: Former Constable Marty Stiles and Constable Mike Wardle after receiving their
awards.
up of police and representatives of the
wider community. Senior Constable Lamb
and Constable Alatalo were present for the
ceremony along with the families of the
award recipients.
Sir Brian Lochore: Sir Brian, who presented
the Bravery Awards, told the conference
that a goal for the police was to gain and
keep the respect of the people. The Bravery
Awards went some way to reminding people
of the difficult situations police officers will
find themselves in and the lengths they will
go to to protect life and property.
Following the officers’ retreat, further
armed police arrived. The offender rearmed
himself with a higher powered rifle, and was
ultimately arrested by the Armed Offenders
Squad.
The awards, which are the highest honour
the Police Association can bestow on
members for bravery, were presented
to the two men during the Association’s
annual conference by rugby legend Sir
Brian Lochore. Sir Brian is a member of
the Bravery Awards selection panel made
Marty Stiles said that after he dragged Bruce
Lamb and Gage out of the house and away
from danger, he sent a silent prayer to God
that no one else would be hurt, and now
says: “I honour God for being faithful and
protecting us . . . Things worked out a lot
better than they could have been.
“I’m glad it was an extraordinary incident,
not an everyday incident.”
Of the award, he said it didn’t feel like a
brave day at the time, but it was nice to
be recognised. He also thought of his
Christchurch colleagues who worked during
and after the earthquakes, and of the acts of
heroism he had seen there on a daily basis.
Marty and his family are now living in
Australia. Of his time with the Police in
New Zealand, he said: “I’m always so proud
to say I have been a member of the New
Zealand Police because of the honour and
integrity of the force.”
Mike Wardle said he had gone over and over
that day in his mind. “I can still see him
pointing the gun at me. . . I thought [after his
New Zealand Police Association
Taser failed], if he comes down the hallway,
I’m dead.”
But Constable Wardle emphasised that,
under pressure, it was his training that came
to the fore. His decision to face off the
gunman was “just a reaction . . . we had a
job to do”.
He said the officers had all received great
support from Police, including counselling.
He admitted that the incident had made him
more wary, but “I love my job”.
“I will stay on the front line as long as I can.
It’s what I was made to do.”
Presenting the awards, Sir Brian told the
conference that a goal for the police was
to gain and keep the respect of the people.
The Bravery Awards went some way to
reminding people of the difficult situations
police officers will find themselves in and
the lengths they will go to to protect life and
property.
As Association President Greg O’Connor
reminded those at the conference: “While
members of the public can run away from
danger, police must run towards it. The duty
to act, to prevent harm to others, is one of
the defining characteristics of policing.”
Because policing was a dangerous business,
bravery was sometimes taken for granted,
he said. “Acts of ‘everyday heroism’ can
be too easily dismissed as simply being the
actions of a police officer doing his or her
job. Sometimes, faced with the need for
decisive action, it can even seem there is
a fear of criticism: criticism for acting too
soon; for acting alone; for going too far; or
for not going far enough.”
A culture of inquiry and risk-aversion could
make police wary of taking action, but
officers should not become tentative. “A
tentative Police is an ineffective Police.
That is why we believe it is so important to
celebrate and honour the most outstanding
acts of police bravery. The New Zealand
Police Association Bravery Award is unique
in that it represents recognition of a member
by his or her peers and colleagues.
“It represents acknowledgment that,
even though police set incredibly high
expectations of themselves and their
colleagues, sometimes an action goes
far beyond all reasonable expectations of
courage,” Mr O’Connor said.
Last month, Christopher Graham Smith, 36,
was sentenced to 14 years jail for attempted
Comrades: Mitch Alatalo, Marty Stiles, Mike Wardle and Bruce Lamb.
Second year of awards
The NZ Police Association Bravery Awards
were established to honour outstanding
acts of bravery of Police, on or off duty.
The award represents peer recognition of
outstanding bravery.
The design of the award is based on the
sternpost of a Maori waka, traditionally
carved to provide guardianship of a
journey. The cast bronze sternpost
incorporates a Police chevron, and
represents the strength, resolve and
community guardianship of Police. The
sternpost is topped by a flame of pounamu,
representing valour and the high value in
which the recipient is held.
This is the second year the awards have
been presented. Nominations were received
from area committees. A panel comprising
Police Association President Greg
O’Connor, Association Region 6 Director
Craig Prior, Superintendent Grant O’Fee,
Dame Margaret Bazley and Sir Brian
Lochore then selected the recipients.
murder of a police officer, wounding another
officer and killing a police dog. He had
pleaded guilty to the charges and also
admitted cultivating cannabis, three unlawful
firearms charges, one charge of unlawfully
having a knife and two charges of using a
firearm against officers who approached him
after the shootings. Crown prosecutor Brent
Stanaway told the court: “It is at the top end
of the scale of violent offending, short of an
actual death.”
Third bravery award
presented in secret
Because of the nature of policing, there will
be times when the identity of a NZ Police
Association Bravery Award recipient will remain
secret. This year, a third bravery award was
presented at a private ceremony just before the
conference. Police Association President Greg
O’Connor, who was at the ceremony, said:
“The officer demonstrated the highest levels of
courage, by placing themselves in harm’s way
when the lives of colleagues were at imminent
threat. By drawing the attention of an armed
offender, that officer likely saved the lives of two
colleagues, while placing their own life at risk.”
The officer wrote to the Association in
acknowledgement of the award. Here is an
edited extract with identifying details removed:
“That day is one that I will never forget.
The support I have received from the Police
Association and the Police organisation makes
me very proud to be serving member. I am
very humbled to have received the award,
especially at the ceremony where I could share
this proud moment with my family and work
colleagues, who have also been affected by
this incident. I would like to thank all those
involved, especially those who took the time
out to spend the day with us. To have the likes
of Sir Brian Lochore, Deputy Commissioner
Viv Rickard, and Greg, made for a memorable
day. We have a tough job to do and have
to make tough decisions, but I took an oath
when I joined the Police and making the tough
decisions is part of the job. This award is
something I will cherish and I know that my
wife and son are very proud of a husband and
father who is a serving member of the New
Zealand Police.”
December 2011
307
PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
Official citation of the awards for Constables Stiles and Wardle
This was read by Sir Brian
Lochore at the presentation
NZ Police Association Bravery Award
Citations
Constable Mike WARDLE
Constable Marty STILES
Christchurch, 13 July 2010
On 13 July, 2010, Constable Mitch Alatalo
and Constable Mike Wardle (at that time
as Acting Sergeant) were making routine
enquiries at an address in Christchurch. As
they were speaking to one of the occupants
at the front door, they detected a strong
smell of cannabis. As a result they invoked
the provisions of the Misuse of Drugs Act to
search the property.
The occupant who was being spoken to
became obstructive and was arrested
by Constable Wardle for possession of
cannabis. Constable Alatalo conducted an
initial search by walking through the flat,
verbally identifying himself as Police and
asking any other occupants to come out.
The flat’s other occupant was in a bedroom
with the door closed and shouted at
Constable Alatalo telling him to “f… off”. In
light of his aggressive demeanour, Constable
Alatalo returned to the doorway of the flat
and took custody of the first occupant,
taking him to the Police car before returning
to the flat. Constable Wardle went to the
Police car to arm himself with a Taser and
call for backup.
Constable Martin Stiles and dog handler
Senior Constable Bruce Lamb responded
to the call for backup. They and Constable
Wardle returned to the flat, with a Taser and
Police dog Gage.
The four police officers went into the flat
and stood in the hallway outside the closed
bedroom door. They again verbally identified
themselves as Police, and knocked on the
door. Senior Constable Lamb, accompanied
by Gage, then opened the door.
As soon as he did so, the occupant
immediately opened fire with a .22 rifle.
Senior Constable Lamb was hit in the face
by one bullet and fell to the ground with his
jaw broken into 15 pieces. The offender
closed in and was preparing to shoot him
again when the Police dog Gage intervened
and was shot instead.
Senior Constable Lamb yelled that he had
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December 2011
He’s our hero:
After the award
presentation
ceremony, Constable
Mike Wardle posed
for photos with his
family. One of his
children was heard
to say: “I didn’t
realise my dad was a
hero!”
been shot as he and police dog Gage fell to
the ground. As Senior Constable Lamb and
Gage tried to crawl backwards Constable
Stiles grabbed Senior Constable Lamb by
his belt and dragged him down the hallway
and away from immediate danger. Senior
Constable Lamb was himself holding on
to Gage, so Constable Stiles was in effect
dragging both.
As he was doing so, the offender moved to
the doorway of his bedroom and opened fire
again, firing four shots at Constable Alatalo
as he ran to exit the address through a
bathroom window. Constable Alatalo was
hit in the leg as he escaped.
Constable Stiles displayed extraordinary
bravery, by dragging a seriously wounded
colleague to safety while the officers were
under fire. In doing so he put his own life
at serious risk. It is this act of extraordinary
bravery for which Constable Marty Stiles is
being honoured with a New Zealand Police
Association Bravery Award.
After shooting at Constable Alatalo, the
offender then aimed the rifle at Constable
Wardle and walked towards him. Constable
Wardle stood his ground and fired the Taser
at him as the offender pulled the trigger
on the rifle. The rifle jammed; otherwise
Constable Wardle would likely have been
shot at close range.
The Taser shot failed to incapacitate the
offender, so Constable Wardle reloaded the
device with a second cartridge. As he did
so, the offender, his rifle jammed but still
aimed at Constable Wardle, retreated to
his bedroom once more, yelling abuse, and
closed the door.
Thanks to Constable Wardle’s actions, the
offender briefly retreated, buying sufficient
time for the four officers (two of whom had
been shot) to exit the property and begin to
retreat from it. As they did so, the offender
followed, again pointing a rifle at them.
Constable Wardle maintained a position
between the offender and the other officers,
again to provide some cover for them as
they retreated.
Constable Wardle displayed extraordinary
bravery, by standing his ground and
engaging with a Taser an offender who was
armed with a rifle and who had already shot
two police, in order to cover the retreat of
his colleagues, two of whom were wounded.
In doing so he placed his own life at serious
risk. It is this act of extraordinary bravery
for which Constable Mike Wardle is being
honoured with a New Zealand Police
Association Bravery Award.
Following the officers’ retreat, further police
arrived. The offender retreated once again
and armed police were able to establish
a cordon. The offender had by this time
rearmed himself with a higher powered rifle.
Constables Wardle and Stiles remained
involved in the incident, including Constable
Stiles entering into dialogue with the
offender for 15 minutes in an attempt to
reassure him and ‘talk him down’ from
further violence. It is likely Constable
Stiles’ dialogue with the offender helped
dissuade him from shooting at Armed
Offenders Squad members when he had a
clear opportunity to do so. Ultimately AOS
members were able to rush and arrest the
offender without further significant injury.
New Zealand Police Association
Police will front with confidence, Commissioner tells conference
review due shortly; an Independent Police
Conduct Authority report coming through in
terms of Operation Hope and a Performance
Improvement Framework (PIF) kicking off in
March. “One could argue that it’s going to be
a perfect storm; I’m suggesting that we have
the confidence and we bring it on.” He said
Police were adopting an up-front, confident
approach.
“I’m in a hurry,” Commissioner Peter Marshall
told delegates at the annual conference.
He said his self-initiated three-year tenure
– instead of the usual five - gave him the
incentive to get things going to achieve what
he wanted in that period.
He said that when he first arrived back from
the Solomon Islands he was somewhat
bewildered by the structure of the Police
Executive. After a reshuffle, District
Commanders are now left to get on with
running their districts and the Executive is
down from 29 people to 14. “It’s my absolute
belief that PNHQ is there to service the
Districts, not the other way round,” he said.
Police culture
For the second year in a row, NZ Police
was voted the most reputable government
organisation in the country and held 77 per
cent of the public’s trust and confidence in
the 2011 survey of citizens’ satisfaction. “We
have got to be very careful in ensuring that
reputation stands,” Commissioner Marshall
said.
With nearly 12,000 personnel, police would
make mistakes from time to time. But if
mistakes were made, Police would front up
and sort it out rather than allow a vacuum
to emerge that may encourage misinformed
commentary from people with particular
agendas.
The Commissioner wanted officers to have
confidence that they had authority to make
decisions in the field. “I will back any police
officer’s decision, albeit it turns out to be the
wrong one, if they made it in good faith and
believing that they were doing the right thing.”
He advised the conference that NZ Police
had avoided the 6 per cent cut suffered by
most government departments last Budget
on the basis they would produce significant
results with Policing Excellence. “I’ve been
given a target of 13 per cent crime reduction
in the next four years … 19 per cent drop in
prosecutions… And a 4 per cent redeployment
of Police personnel into the prevention area.”
Crime prevention and the justice pipeline
Per portion of population, New Zealand’s
prison population is not far behind the United
States and UK. Commissioner Marshall said
one of the tools to decrease the flow through
the justice pipeline was alternate resolutions.
A 19 per cent increase in alternate resolutions
would see a drop of 31,000 cases over four
years. He said many people were first-timers
A man in a hurry: Police Commissioner
Peter Marshall addresses delegates at the
conference.
and could actually just do with a bit of a
warning. It was not desirable to have officers
sitting typing a prosecution file, then court
staff, prosecutors and District Court judges
with the possibility of a defended hearing, all
for a minor matter attracting little sanction.
SMART mobile policing
There are going to be 1000 SMART devices for
traffic policing by the end of this year. Work will
soon be under way for other SMART devices
to be used for the likes of disorderly behaviour,
fighting, wilful damage and whatever else can
be dealt with by the constable on the street,
without them having to prepare a prosecution
file.
Neighbourhood Policing Teams
Thirty Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPT)
will be in place by the end of the year.
Commissioner Marshall said research showed
10 per cent of offenders committed 50 per
cent of the crime, with 6 per cent of victims
suffering 54 per cent of the crime. “There’s
got to be shift from our reactive policing mode
to a preventative approach.”
Police budget
Commissioner Marshall said that Police
Minister Judith Collins had “made no bones
about the budget”. “We are in tight times”
and would need to cover incremental wage
increases. There could be no expectation of
an increase to the Police baseline, and with
73 per cent of the Police budget made up of
HR, with 27 per cent being operational, “there
was not a lot of wiggle room”. Police had
to work smarter and “rostering to demand”
would be hugely important. “We don’t want
police officers deployed at times that don’t
make sense.”
Reviews and reports
Police have a Commission of Inquiry review
coming; an Office of the Auditor General
Firearms
The Commissioner said that by June 2011, all
frontline vehicles, including the Road Policing
units, would have a Glock, a Bushmaster, a
Taser and ballistic armour in their vehicles. “I
am not going to go down the path of general
arming of the NZ Police,” he said. Greater
firearms accessibility was a good halfway
house. He acknowledged the Association’s
view, but believed that by implementing a
policy where access to Tasers and firearms
was freer and less bureaucratic, there was no
reason for absolute arming in the foreseeable
future.
Staff rotation
Using the term “refreshment and rejuvenation”
in relation to staff rotation, Commissioner
Marshall said District Commanders, Area
Commanders and OC Stations should be
refreshed and rejuvenated by a rotation of
duties after a reasonable period of time. Even
Assistant Commissioners would be subject to
rotation of duties. “It makes no sense to me
to have a person in that position for a 10-year
period.” However, he said, he was not going
to be unreasonable where Area Commanders
and OC Stations were locked into geographical
locations and rotation would mean great
upheaval.
Women in policing
Out of the 17 to 18 per cent of female
constabulary staff, Commissioner Marshall
said that only about 8 per cent were
commissioned officers. “We’ve extraordinary
women across all ranks but I’m interested
in getting police women into the senior
Executive.” He said work was being done to
develop and identify women who wanted to
come through the ranks.
Association acknowledged
Commissioner Marshall noted how the
Association has pushed hard on things
like the meth problem, gangs and matters
leading to Operation Hope. He acknowledged
the relationship Police have with the Police
Association as extremely important.
December 2011
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The Voice of Police
Dealing with consequences of an open Coroner’s Court
Chief Coroner Neil MacLean addresses the conference
Letieza Ord, of Ord Legal, also spoke to the
conference and agreed there were difficulties
for police officers under the Coroners Act.
“There have been some disasters where
police have been hung out to dry,” she said.
How do we protect police officers from the
“media dogs”?
That was one of the questions put to
Chief Coroner Neil MacLean at the Police
Association Annual Conference last month,
expressing some of the frustration members
feel since changes to the law have made
the Coroner’s Court more open. As a
result, police officers giving evidence have
sometimes become the target of criticism,
even, in some cases, from the coroner.
Among the most vulnerable are officers
appearing as witnesses in “police-involved
deaths”. Police Association President Greg
O’Connor said that because the hearings
were in public, there was no protection for
officers called to give evidence.
Judge MacLean told the conference that it
was true that in high profile cases, police
officers have felt vulnerable, but the coroner
had to do his or her job without fear or
favour. Under the act, the overriding factor
was that the coroner had to be neutral and
not be seen to be protecting any particular
person in the courtroom. “We operate in
public, which has benefits and pitfalls, but
the starting point is openness . . suppression
[of names or evidence] should be the
exception not the rule.”
He suggested that police could have their
own lawyer in court to make a case for
suppression, but the reaction might well be,
It was a good idea, therefore, to identify cases
that would have a media profile and get legal
advice beforehand. Lawyers could protect
officers, prevent names being published
and make sure that the questions being
asked were fair and that the evidence being
presented was expert.
Under scrutiny: At the conference, Chief
Coroner Neil MacLean had to deal with
questions about protection for police
witnesses in open court.
why should that person be treated differently
to other witnesses?
The response from one delegate was to
point out that a police-officer involved death
was an exceptional circumstance and for
the officer it would be the most traumatic
experience of their life.
As far as his ability to direct coroners
went, the Chief Coroner said each was an
individual judicial officer. The approach to
matters of evidence could vary from coroner
to coroner, but at the heart of the system
was the neutrality and openness of the
court.
Ms Ord said there was already provision in
the act for a coroner to suppress evidence.
She also suggested that the Chief Coroner
can formulate practice notes for all coroners,
and this is already part of the act.
Mr O’Connor said delegates must let the
Association know as soon as possible about
cases that were coming up. “Once allegations
are out there, they can’t be put back in the
box,” he said.
If you are called to give evidence in
a coronial inquiry and were closely
involved in the death, please contact
your local Association Field Officer
as soon as possible. It is important
that we can assess whether you
require representation at the hearing
at an early stage.
Association sounds cautionary note on Authorised Officer expansion
Responses to financial pressures must not
lose sight of the potential long term impacts,
Police Association President Greg O’Connor
told delegates at Annual Conference. “Let’s
not make decisions now which create new
crises in two, five or 10 years’ time,” he said.
For example, Mr O’Connor said, there was
a drive to expand the use of Authorised
Officers (AOs) – Police employees with limited
statutory police powers – with suggestions
that up to 1000 constables could be replaced
with AOs.
While consultants could make seemingly
compelling cases about how an AO could
do the same job for less money, they were
overlooking the fact the generalist constable
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December 2011
was the backbone of Police flexibility, he
said.
“Without a large pool of constables, we
could not redeploy in response to a crisis or
large-scale emergency like the Canterbury
earthquakes, or quickly move over 100 staff
to Auckland for the Rugby World Cup finals.”
“Let’s not make decisions now
which create new crises in two,
five or 10 years’ time.”
Policing was about being able to respond to
the unexpected. “In an emergency, a fully
sworn Youth Aid officer, or Scene of Crime
officer or even a police launch crew can arm
themselves and stand on a cordon, or help
with crowd control. An Authorised Officer
doing the same day job cannot.”
Mr O’Connor said there may be a place
for AOs in policing, but “we need to be
very careful that we are not seduced by
the promise of savings, and find ourselves
increasingly reliant on the ‘second tier’, to
the detriment of overall police capability”.
Police Commissioner Peter Marshall told the
conference that AOs would not be placed
in roles that were fundamental for sworn
officers, but rather they would take on watch
house, custody and transportation duties.
“I’d rather have them [AOs] there and have
personnel out on the front line.”
New Zealand Police Association
The view
from abroad
International guests at the
conference shared some of their
thoughts with delegates.
Australia
Pat Gooley, vice-president of the Police
Association of New South Wales, said the
last time he had been in New Zealand was
when he and executive member Tony Bear
joined the more than 300 Australian police
officers who helped with the aftermath of the
February 22 earthquake in Christchurch. He
told delegates it was the highlight of their
careers and they realised that: “Coppers are
the same everywhere; they do it for the right
reasons; they do it hard; they sacrifice a lot.
And for the locals, to be able to throw yourself
into helping your community when you don’t
know what’s going on at home, or you know
you’re screwed at home, is a great thing.”
Speaking of communities, Colin Johnston
of the Western Australian Police Union, said
it had been good to hear of the initiatives
made in New Zealand in community policing,
because their commissioner had pulled them
out of that area, saying it wasn’t a policing
role. But he warned his Kiwi counterparts: “I
hope you have documented it well, because
it’s very hard to keep resources like that if you
don’t have the stats to back it up.”
Some of the Australian delegates were
happy to boast that the global financial
crisis (GFC) hitting Europe had not affected
their organisations and, unlike many other
police employee organisations around the
world, they reported pay rises for members
and increased staffing levels. Andy Dunn,
secretary the Police Association of South
Australia, said it was politics, not the GFC,
that the unions had to be wary of in Australia.
Pat Gooley confirmed that in New South
Wales the bargaining power of the public
sector unions had certainly been eroded.
The state wasn’t well off financially, either,
but it certainly wasn’t in a “black hole”, he
said, alluding to the GFC-imposed restraints
in other countries. “All around the world
governments are using the GFC to hack into
people’s wages and conditions, but it’s been
proved in New South Wales that there’s no
need to do that.” A worse problem was the
government’s recent scrapping of members’
extra death and disability cover.
Observing: From left, Samoan visitors Lorraine Lees and Sapani Leleimalefaga, from the
Samoan Police Association; Claus Redder Madsen, secretary of the Police Union of Denmark;
and Calum Steele, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation.
Representing the Queensland Police Union of
Employees, Darren Lees said it was the first
year that the union had not entered into an
enterprise bargaining agreement, after the
government forced it into arbitration. The
outcome was a pay rise, but the increase
would have to be absorbed in the budget,
with resulting staff cuts.
The Australians also praised the New Zealand
Police Association for its Bravery Award
programme. Darren Lees said it was one of
the most moving things he had seen during
the conference.
Samoa
It was “breath-taking” to see how stable and
organised the New Zealand Police Association
was compared with its sister organisation
in Samoa, Lorraine Lees, secretary of the
Samoan Police Association, told delegates.
She said there were valuable lessons to be
learned from the conference. “We started
in the 1960s, but we have never been a
stable organisation. Two years ago we got a
new police commissioner and here we are.”
Even though Samoa gained independence in
1962, it still relied quite heavily on Australia
and New Zealand, she said. There are 580
members in the Samoan police force made
up of support staff and police officers.
South Africa
Policing in South Africa continues to be a
very dangerous job, Mpho Kwinika, president
of the South African Police Union (SAPU),
told delegates. More than 68 officers have
died on duty since 2008. Officers never got
any appreciation from those they served,
either. It was necessary for police to “carry
as much powers as they can, and as much
force as they can”, he said. The police were
fully armed with rifles, shotguns, pistols: “We
choose what type of weapon depending on
the skills of the officer.”
Thandi Shgimange, the first vice-president
of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights
Union (POPCRU), backed up Mr Kwinika’s
comments. Her organisation was formed
when it became clear that police officers were
not even welcome in their own communities,
such as the black townships where they
were expected to enforce unjust laws. The
membership of POPCRU is now 160,000
made up of police, correctional and traffic
officers and civilians in the South African
Police Service and correctional centres.
Denmark
Claus Redder Madsen, secretary of the Police
Union of Denmark, told the conference that
his members found it essential to be an
armed police force, despite being close to
its Scandinavian neighbour Norway, one of
the five unarmed forces around the world,
including New Zealand. (The others are
Ireland, Iceland and the United Kingdom.) He
reported that the Norwegian police had voted
against general arming, but that was before
the shootings at Utoya in July. Last month
the issue was raised again, but a decision has
been postponed for one year to give members
time to consider the debate.
Mr Madsen also presented a frightening array
of statistics related to the GFC: a 20 per cent
pay cut for police in Ireland and the closure
of the police academy; a public sector pay
freeze in England; recruitment problems in
Poland, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Latvia, where
policing is considered low-status work. In
Denmark, there had been no wage cuts,
but police numbers had been reduced, from
11,000 to 10,600.
For the view from Scotland, see
comments from Scottish Police
Federation General Secretary Calum
Steele overleaf.
December 2011
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PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
UK police pay, conditions, and rights under attack
“Let me start by managing your
expectations. Developments are normally
positive things, but I’ve not got a lot that’ll
make you smile.” That was Scottish Police
Federation General Secretary Calum Steele’s
opening warning as he presented an update
on Policing Developments in the UK and
Ireland to the Police Association’s Annual
Conference in Wellington last month.
Mr Steele’s presentation described
the police cuts that had already been
implemented in Ireland, and were being
implemented in England and Wales.
Scotland, because its devolved government
administration gives it independence on
justice and policing, has so far escaped the
knife.
The Conservative-Liberal Democrats
coalition government elected in the UK
in May 2010 faced a worsening financial
situation. The first response “whenever a
new government comes in, is just to blame
the old one”, Mr Steele told delegates. “But
blaming the old one only takes you so far,
so to avoid making difficult decisions you set
up a review, or in the case of the UK policing
environment, you set up three.”
In the UK, the three reviews have been the
Hutton Review, the Neyroud Review, and the
Winsor Review. These reviews have called
for immediate spending cuts in many areas
of public spending, and long-term public
sector restructuring. Police face 20 per cent
budget cuts, which means about 32,000
police are expected to lose their jobs.
Baubles of office: Whoever
is wearing this necklace
is the person we’ve got to
listen to, Samoan Police
Association President Sapani
Leleimalefaga told Police
Association President Greg
O’Connor when he presented
him with a traditional
Samoan necklace during the
conference. Mr O’Connor
wore the necklace throughout
the rest of the conference.
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December 2011
Key issues in the Hutton recommendations
include reduced superannuation across
the public sector, including police. The
Winsor Review called for freezing pay
increments, cutting overtime, and
cutting superannuation contributions and
entitlements. If fully implemented, the
combined recommendations are estimated
to cost each officer about £3000-£6000
($6200-$12,500) a year.
Och, naw, ye should’na
have: Calum Steele
is delighted with his
gift from the Police
Association, given to
him at the conference. It
reads: “In appreciation
for an insightful
presentation on English
and Scottish Policing to
the NZ Police Association
Annual Conference.”
To soften the blow, the Winsor Review
suggested such morale boosters as medals
for Special Constables, who are unpaid
volunteers.
In Ireland, police numbers are being cut
by more than 10 per cent. Those police
who remain have been handed 5-10
per cent pay cuts, tax increases, and
reduced superannuation contributions
and entitlements. The cuts are already
generating financial stress as officers
struggle to cope with the cost of living.
However, it’s not simply a case of balancing
the books, Mr Steele cautioned. More
concerning has been the attack on collective
bargaining rights in both Ireland, where they
“have simply been ignored”, and the UK.
Part two of the Winsor Review, due to
report early next year, is expected not only
to propose further pay and career path
restructuring, but also a new pay review
body. Under this proposal, the unions
and employers would be limited to making
submissions to a standalone board, which
would determine pay and conditions. There
would be no negotiation.
Similar attempts to remove police rights to
collective bargaining are also under way in
some parts of the United States, also in the
guise of moves to curb public spending.
New Zealand Police Association
Firearms rollout
not ‘pseudo
arming’
The rollout of firearms to all frontline
vehicles is not “pseudo arming” of police,
Superintendent Barry Taylor, National
Manager: Operations, told the Police
Association Annual Conference last month.
In his own contribution to the conference,
Commissioner Peter Marshall also
reaffirmed his opposition to general arming.
The rollout will, however, ensure firearms
are available to those who need them most,
Mr Taylor said. This means frontline units,
including GDB (General Duties Branch), STU
(Strategic Traffic Unit), and Highway Patrol
are being equipped with at least one Taser,
Glock, and Bushmaster rifle, along with two
sets of Hard Armour Plate (HAP) body armour.
A system of safety seals would be used on
individual firearms, so officers could have
confidence that a weapon would be ready
for use. All vehicles will be fitted with alarms
and safes. “We want to avoid carting them
[firearms] in and out of police stations,” Mr
Taylor said.
Superintendent Taylor emphasised that it
was not “firearms for everyone”, but no
district would have fewer firearms, and in
most cases they would have more. By June
2012, 63 per cent of response vehicles will
carry firearms, compared with 10 per cent
now, he said. Firearm, Taser and body
armour stocks were being expanded to allow
the rollout.
By the numbers: Superintendent Barry Taylor, National Manager: Operations, told the
conference that by June 2012, 63 per cent of response vehicles will carry firearms, compared
with 10 per cent now.
A system of safety seals would
be used on individual firearms, so
officers could have confidence that
a weapon would be ready for use
Tactical decision-making
With firearms in the vehicle and backed by
appropriate policies, Mr Taylor said officers
would be able to make their own decisions
about the necessary course of action. The
policy will include a requirement that, at any
incident where a firearm is carried, a Taser
must also be carried so as to preserve the
option of a less-lethal response. Taser and
firearm training is to be aligned to support
the policy, to cover lethal and non-lethal
options, though details of of the modified
training, including use of simulators, had yet
to be confirmed.
Additional focus was also being placed on
Command Capability Development project,
Mellow in yellow: South African Policing Union members who
attended the powhiri. From left, Tumi Modgodiseng, Kgaogelo
Magagula, Oscar Skommere and Mpho Kwinika.
and the TEN-R (Threat-Exposure-NecessityResponse) risk assessment tool, to ensure
staff are well-equipped to make sound
tactical decisions under pressure.
Responding to questions from delegates,
Superintendent Taylor said the potential
for acquiring ballistic helmets had been
discussed, however they were not being
considered at present and were not part of
the firearms and Taser project.
Uniforms on track
Superintendent Taylor also briefed
Conference on progress with safety
footwear, and the new Authorised Officer
and corporate Police employee uniforms.
Footwear was undergoing a further trial,
with rollout to the frontline expected by
June 2012. The Authorised Officer uniform
would be available for order from this month
(December) and the corporate uniform from
early next year.
Hitting the right note: Police College Kaiwawao (mediator) Kim
Ratapu welcomed guests and led the Police College Kapa Haka group
at the powhiri to welcome international guests.
December 2011
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PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
Resourcing Excellence
Turnaround in Otara
The extra staff poured into CountiesManukau, combined with smart policing, are
starting to turn around Otara’s reputation
as a high-crime neighbourhood, Police and
community presenters told the Association’s
Annual Conference last month.
Otara Community Board member and active
community leader Poutua Papalii has grown
up and lived in Otara since the 1960s. He
has witnessed the changing character of the
area over the last 40-plus years, including
the development of its popular perception as
a high-crime area.
Things are now improving, thanks in large
part to the smart deployment of 300 extra
police over the last three years. In 2008,
the only time you would see police in Otara
was when they were chasing or arresting
someone, Mr Papalii said. As a result, the
community did not know how to relate to
police officers, or have any confidence in
how to go about asking for help and advice.
Since the extra resources have been put
into Otara, the everyday police presence
has increased. Importantly, and largely
due to the NPT working with community
leaders like Mr Papalii, it has been a positive
presence where officers are engaging with
community members as citizens rather than
only as victims or offenders.
Out with the old: Community leader Poutua Papalii, left, and Constable Aron Singh get to work on
helping revitalising a rundown part of the Otara that was dominated by the Killer Beez gang.
No-go zone: The Everitt Road shops, where parents were afraid to send their children to the
dairy.
Chasing tails
Constable Aron Singh has also witnessed
the turnaround. “When I started in 2008 on
response in South Auckland, there were not
enough units to respond to P1s (Priority One
emergency calls). We had a Sergeant and
two I-Cars (Incident Cars) chasing their tails.”
on Police’s ability to get on top of crime.
“When you are rushing from one job to the
next, you don’t have time to lock people up
because you’re needed on the street. You
don’t have time to take proper statements
at the time of the incident, and that creates
problems for CIB investigations later on.”
As a result, units would constantly arrive late
to jobs, leaving the community dissatisfied,
and sometimes placing staff at risk. “We
would have two officers turn up to a disorder
involving twenty to thirty people armed with
bats and other weapons,” Constable Singh
said.
Nuisance crime
Before the extra resources were brought in,
“nuisance” serious crime would constantly
tie up scarce CIB resources. “Things like
gang-related serious violence and robberies
would mean staff had to be pulled off other
files to investigate,” Mr Glossop said. These
spontaneous but serious matters meant other
files constantly had to be parked instead of
being progressed in a timely fashion.
Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Glossop
of Counties Manukau CIB has also seen
the change, from both response and CIB
perspectives. He pointed out the stress on
GDB response units had knock-on effects
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December 2011
Police were clearly under-resourced, but
at the same time, they knew that simply
increasing numbers and doing the same
things would never allow them to get on
top of the problem. There would always be
more jobs than they could deal with.
Quick wins
With extra resources, Counties Manukau
police were able to trial new approaches.
‘Quick wins’ were possible because –
without reducing existing sections – police
were able to set up new teams to open up a
second front on crime in the District. These
included a Major Crime Team to provide an
initial CIB response to the serious “nuisance”
crime which would otherwise have forced a
whole CIB squad to drop their existing files
to investigate.
Public Safety Teams (PSTs) were also set
up, which were able to respond to the jobs
I-Cars couldn’t attend. Combined with
New Zealand Police Association
Reclaimed land: Police and volunteers worked together to clean up rubbish, remove tagging, repaint and create the mural, below, with the positive
message of “Back to Learning”. Constable Singh told the conference that by building trust and understanding their concerns, police had been able
to work with the community to take the Otara streets back from the gangs.
re-rostering, the PSTs meant the ‘sergeant
plus two or three (I-Cars)’ shifts instead had
as many as ‘four plus eight’ units available.
That meant minor disorders were dealt with
before they escalated into serious P1s which
would have demanded I-Cars drop other
jobs to respond. PSTs were also able to
engage in hot-spot policing and self-initiated
arrests to remove offenders from the street.
This in turn led to a major and immediate
reduction in the “nuisance” serious crime.
With quick wins under their belt, CountiesManukau police were able to take the next
step by setting up Neighbourhood Policing
Teams (NPTs).
Neighbourhood Policing
Constable Singh works on the Otara NPT
and has recently been Acting Sergeant on
the team. They have focused on getting
into the community to get alongside the
‘good people’ who suffer at the hands of
the small but intimidating criminal element.
By building trust and understanding their
concerns, they have been able to get the
community working with Police to take the
Otara streets back from the gangs.
A good example has been the Everitt Road
shops. These used to be covered in gang
tags and dominated by the Killer Beez gang,
to the point where locals were afraid to
allow their children to go to the local dairy.
Working with the community and supported
with materials donated by Bunnings, the
NPT has cleaned up the shops and cleared
the gangs out. Local youths who used to
be responsible for much of the graffiti have
instead been engaged in painting murals
on the walls. The result: kids seeing for the
first time how good their community can
look, and community pride instead of fear.
“There was initially a feeling it
would be a bit ‘tree-huggy’, but
it’s not like that. They are solving
crime by targeting problems, and
delivering excellent intelligence
because the community is now
engaged and responsive.”
Detective Senior Sergeant Glossop
Detective Senior Sergeant Glossop admits
some of the ‘old hands’ had to eat humble
pie after seeing the value of NPTs. “There
was initially a feeling it would be a bit
‘tree-huggy’, but it’s not like that. They are
solving crime by targeting problems, and
delivering excellent intelligence because the
community is now engaged and responsive,”
Mr Glossop said.
No silver bullet
However, the extra resources have not been
a “silver bullet”, community leader Poutua
Papalii cautioned. In 2008, the big crime
issues in Otara were youth crime, alcohol,
gangs, and domestic violence. Three years
on, while big improvements have been
made, those are still serious issues in the
community. The more important change,
however, has been in the Police relationship
with and presence within the community.
Considerable focus has been put on building
Neighbourhood Support Groups. “The
community is reporting more, trusting more,
and helping more. The people now have a
greater belief that Police are there to help
them,” Mr Papalii said. As a result, the
confidence of the community has been lifted
– not only in Police, but also in themselves.
Mr Glossop agreed that success in Otara is
not just down to the extra resources. While
you need to be able to maintain the core
and build around that to get onto the front
foot, smart policing and leadership which
“stepped up” have also been crucial to the
“excellent recipe” developed in Counties
Manukau over the last few years.
“Where we were just mowing lawns, now
we’re using Round Up,” Detective Senior
Sergeant Glossop said. “But we could not
have done it without the staff.”
Following the presentation on the
Otara success story, Conference
passed the following motion: “That this
conference recognises and endorses
the increase in staff numbers in
Counties Manukau, and the strategic
use of these staff to improve policing
in Counties Manukau. This conference
encourages Government and Police
to make the same investment in all
other Police Districts to enable them to
make the same improvements to their
communities.”
December 2011
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PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
A day in the life of a...
SECTION SERGEANT
The work of a section sergeant is dynamic, reactive and unpredictable. Three officers tell
Sophie Erasmuson about their jobs, in which they never quite know what they willl be doing from
one day to the next.
IAN ROSE – Auckland Central
A typical day for Sergeant Ian Rose of
Auckland Central begins with a detailed
hand-over from the night before, and
organising the section tasks for the day.
His team is small; just six members who
work on a five-day roster with each officer
working seven early shifts, and six late shifts
every five weeks. The team focuses purely
on reactive incidents ranging from serious
assaults, to domestic violence, disorderly
behaviour and traffic incidents and mainly in
the central city.
“The challenges facing Auckland Central
are mainly caused by people who travel into
Auckland on Wednesday, Thursday and
Friday nights to consume large amounts of
alcohol,” Mr Rose says. “Intoxication leads
to major disorder ranging from assaults, to
disorderly behaviour which, due to the huge
number of people entering the city, is always
a challenge to keep on top of. The nature of
our work is always unpredictable.”
He has worked as a section sergeant for
seven years in Auckland Central and has seen
a lot of change in both resources and the
nature of crime in the area over that period.
“When I first started working in Auckland
Central there were a lot of assaults
occurring, then the liquor ban came in
which was really good for controlling these
incidents. Over the years, alcohol has once
again become the source of major incidents
in the city.”
Although frontline policing is always a
challenge, a highlight of his job is seeing
young constables straight out of Police
College grow and become excellent police
officers.
“You can see them move on to their desired
field in the police which is a really satisfying
position to be in.”
316
December 2011
Smashing: A section sergeant and his or her team will be called out to attend traffic incidents.
KRISTINA ECKHOLD – Hastings
Returning to frontline section work after 14
years as a detective in Hawke’s Bay has
been both rewarding and challenging for
Sergeant Kristina Eckhold.
She joined the police 17 years ago, working
on section for four years as a constable,
before moving on to becoming a detective
for 13 years. She has recently returned
to managing a section of seven young
constables in the Hastings area, a challenge
she says she is glad she has taken up.
“You deal with so many horrendous and
serious crimes on such a regular basis as
a detective, you become used to the nature
of those types of crimes, and it becomes
routine after so many years. I was looking
for a new challenge. It’s the instant decision
making that happens on section that I am
enjoying. It’s a completely different way of
thinking,” she says.
Ms Eckhold’s day begins with planning
based on the number of staff she has
rostered on that day, and incidents that have
happened in the previous shift. The section
works on a six-day roster with Ms Eckhold
receiving an intelligence summary based on
what has been happening in the city over
the past four days while the team has been
on leave.
The report contains information such
as statistics on crime in certain parts of
Hastings, and increases in particular types of
crimes such as rural burglaries or accidents
on a particular strip of road.
“I use the intelligence reports to assign
constables who are not attending reactive
incidents to patrol areas of concern in
an effort to prevent further crime. This is
the fun part of policing as it is generally
positive work that involves talking to people
and making the public feel safer through
prevention,” she says.
Of the changes in frontline policing 14
years on, and the nature of the crimes that
sections are dealing with, Ms Eckhold says
she had noticed an increase in violence.
“The main thing, which is very evident,
is how much more violent crime has
become. Fourteen years ago, you would go
New Zealand Police Association
to assaults where people were using their
fists; you are now constantly aware that the
person may have a knife. This means you
are continually thinking about how your staff
should react to a situation which may seem
routine, but which could quickly turn very
dangerous.”
Ms Eckhold says there is a lot of
comradeship on section. “It’s a real close
bond that you have with your section. When
you are working as a detective you have one
partner, whereas on section you are working
with eight young people who are so willing
to learn. It’s the supervisory part of the job
which is the great part, they come to you
with questions and guidance and it is your
responsibility to help them.”
MATTHEW ALLEY – Howick
(Manukau East)
Working on section in Manukau East holds
its own special challenges for Sergeant
Matthew Alley. His section is based in
Howick, one of the four police districts in the
greater Manukau area.
The day begins at 6am with Mr Alley
checking emails and looking into overnight
incidents. The nature of section works
means that witness statements might need
to be taken by the team working the next
day.
On the spot: Crowd control, day and night, falls to the members of the section sergeant’s team.
His team works an eight-week roster where
constables are rotated between reactive
policing work and preventive patrolling work.
Intelligence reports are provided to Mr Alley
and constables are assigned to problem
areas in Howick so they can decide where to
spend their time and what people or areas to
look out for.
Mr Alley began working on section in April
this year, after spending seven years as a
detective. “One of the differences between
detective work and section work is that
with detective work you are not a slave to
the radio as such, you have more time to
plan your work. At the same time, what I
really enjoy about section work is that it
is unpredictable. No one day is ever the
same,” said Mr Alley.
Manukau has been the subject of much
media attention over recent years and Mr
Alley says changes to resourcing have
changed section policing in the area.
“It has been an interesting time in Manukau.
For so long we were making do with not
enough, and the extra staff has made a big
difference. There are still massive issues
with drugs and alcohol in the region which
are causing problems.”
A greater emphasis has been placed on
community policing and crime prevention in
the greater Manukau area. “Seven years ago
when I first joined the police, the frontline
was quite different. The emphasis now is on
prevention and tackling crime at the source
of the problem, and that is definitely making
a difference,” he says.
ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTIONS INCREASE
Subscriptions for the Association are fixed
from time to time by Conference (Rule 92).
The last increase in subscriptions was in
October 2010 to account for the imposed
2.5% increase in GST. This increase had no
impact on Association revenue streams.
Prior to the GST-related increase, the last
real increase in subscriptions was almost
four years ago in February 2008 and before
that in January 2007 and November 2001.
Since February 2008, members have had
cumulative general increases of about 7.5%.
In addition members will have received CSI
increases of varying amounts.
The principle source of revenue for the
Association is our subscriptions. In previous
years membership growth has offset
increases in our operating costs.
Taking all these factors into consideration Conference agreed we increase our subscriptions
by 1.3%, this increase to be effective from the Police Pay on 7 December. The impact of these
increases on members is outlined in the table below.
New
Constabulary Members
Was
Subscription
Full Time (4 days – 32 hours plus weekly)
3-4 days (24 – 72 hours weekly)
Up to 3 days (up to 24 hours weekly)
$18.40
$14.72
$11.04
$18.64
$14.91
$11.18
New
Police Employee (non-constabulary) Members
Was
Subscription
Full Time (4 days – 32 hours plus weekly)
3-4 days (24 – 72 hours weekly)
Up to 3 days (up to 24 hours weekly)
$11.24
$9.00
$6.75
$11.39
$9.12
$6.84
These new subscriptions remain very competitive with other unions and representative
organisations.
Members will not need to do anything as the new subscriptions will be automatically deducted
through the Police payroll system.
December 2011
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PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
Far left is the Stealth
Force 80 full leather
V3; Left is the Stealth
Force 80 composite
and leather footwear.
Try our 5 minute quiz
Okay, morning or afternoon tea break has
arrived. You have your cuppa in hand and you
and your colleagues could do with a quick brain
workout. So appoint your quizmaster and have
a go at these questions. The answers are under
the quiz (upside down, no peeking!).
1. How long did Hosni Mubarak rule Egypt
before being deposed in a popular
uprising this year?
2. Who has been New Zealand’s longest
serving prime minister?
3. Who wrote the opera Don Giovanni, and
what is the equivalent term in Spanish
for Don Giovanni?
4. Is an ugli a type of boot, a native of
Greenland, or a fruit?
5. In golf, what is the definition of a
bogey?
6. The container ship Rena ran aground
on the Astrolabe reef in the Bay of
Plenty. Where does the name of the
reef come from?
7. What social networking tool would
you be using if you saw a “fail whale”
message?
8. Who wrote Moby Dick?
9. A person who lives most of his life in
heroic daydreams is said to be what
sort of character, based on a novel by
James Thurber?
10. What was the last name of Judas, one
of the 12 disciples?
Scoring: 0-2 – Hmmn, room for significant
improvement (perhaps next month). 3-5 Not
bad, better luck next time. 6-7 – Good effort.
8 – Very good. 9 – Excellent. 10 – Wipe your
nose, take a bow and go to the top of the class
Einstein.
Answers: 1. 30 years; 2. Richard Seddon,
13 years; 3. Mozart, Don Juan; 4. A fruit from the citrus family, created by hybridising
a grapefruit, orange and tangerine; 5. A hole
played one stroke over par; 6. It was named
by Jules Dumont d’Urville after his ship
Astrolabe nearly ran aground there in 1827;
7. Twitter – it’s an error message when the
system is clogged with tweets (it shows eight
orange birds using a net to hoist a whale from
the ocean); 8. Herman Melville; 9. Walter Mitty;
10. Iscariot.
318
December 2011
SAFETY FOOTWEAR – finding the best fit for Police
The recent safety footwear trial
saw 120 staff in Counties
Manukau and Taumarunui
trialling different types of
safety boots or a safety
shoe. The overall results
of the trial were that
the boots/shoes were
durable, but not flexible or
comfortable enough for the
Police working environment,
particularly when driving.
“A great deal of thanks is due
the triallists, particularly the
ones who continued to wear
the boots when they found
them uncomfortable” said
Police Association President,
Greg O’Connor.
Due to the feedback received from the
triallists, Police have decided against
rolling out this safety footwear to staff.
Instead, a new trial began at the start
of December for one month. In
this trial, 66 existing triallists (the
others will be on leave during the
trial period) and 20 staff from
Northland and 20 from Southland
will be trialling safety boots from
Magnum. Magnum boots were
not previously considered as an
option because they did not have
safety soles. However, Magnum are
now able to place these soles into the
safety boots.
The same 8-inch boot is being
trialled, in both full leather and a
leather composite version.
A 5-inch boot and a shoe are no
longer part of the trial, as very few
staff wanted these options from
the first trial.
The trial will be evaluated in the New Year
and if the results are positive, plans for
ordering the boots will be on track for the
original February 2012 date.
Rise in EQC levy will increase premiums
The Government has increased Earthquake
Commission (EQC) levies from 5 cents to 15
cents per $100 of insurance cover, with an
annual cap $172.50 per home and $34.50 per
contents policy (including GST). The increase is
effective from February 1 next year.
Finance Minister Bill English said the rise
would help rebuild the commission’s Natural
Disaster Fund and more realistically reflect
EQC’s operating costs.
The levy contributes to EQC’s earthquake
insurance, which covers the first $100,000 of
house damage, the first $20,000 of contents
damage and damage to land, which is not
covered by commercial insurers.
The EQC levy is collected in insurance
company premiums for home and contents
insurance. Members with this cover through
Police Fire and General Insurance will see an
increase in their premiums from the deduction
date of February 15, 2012. The Government
has said the increase will add about $2.65 a
week to most home insurance premiums.
For further information see: www.billenglish.
co.nz/archives/750-EQC-levies-rise-torealistically-reflect-costs.html
What you have to do
Members will receive a personal email or letter
in the second half of January 2012, outlining
individual premium changes.
Members who pay premiums through the
Police payroll system
The new amount will be automatically
deducted in the Police pay of February 15,
2012.
Members who pay premiums through
the Police & Families Credit Union
account
The new amount will be automatically
deducted from your Credit Union account on
February 15, 2012. You will need sufficient
funds in your account to cover the new
premium and automatic payments going into
this account may need to be adjusted to cover
the increase.
New Zealand Police Association
Women officers in the 21st century
By Sophie Erasmuson
Detective Sergeant Marcia Murray
has been elected as one of the two
New Zealand Police Association
(NZPA) representatives on the Police
Federation of Australia Women’s
Advisory Committee (PFAWAC).
Nominations for two roles, one
permanent and one rotational, went
to the Police Association Board in late
October. The Board took factors into
account such as the nominees’ role
in the Association, the potential they
had in terms of future roles within the
Association, their ability to represent
the Association internationally and the
credibility they had among their peers
in terms of their policing experience.
As part of the Association’s
commitment to encouraging
more women to become involved
with their Association, the newly
elected permanent representative
Marcia Murray and first rotation
representative Senior Constable Teresa
McCabe will meet twice annually
with their Australian colleagues.
The first meeting will be at the
PFAWAC Conference in November.
The conference will look at issues that
face women police officers in New
Zealand and Australia and what can
be done to address these issues.
Current Police HR statistics show
that women are a minority group in
the Police, with the group making
up 17.6 per cent of all constabulary
officers. Police Commissioner
Peter Marshall told delegates at the
Association’s annual conference that
only 8 per cent of those constables
go on to Commissioned Officer
positions.
Detective Sergeant Marcia Murray, right, and Senior Sergeant Lucille Hayes have the floor at
the conference.
Current Police HR statistics show
that women are a minority group
in the Police, with the group
making up 17.6 per cent of all
constabulary officers.
Although many of the issues
confronting members affect people
in the same way, there are issues that
affect members on a demographic
basis which need to be addressed. Ms
Murray says, “Women face a number
of issues not only in the Police but in
the workforce generally. The PFAWAC
conference is an opportunity for police
women to come together and address
issues from an Australasian perspective,
and more importantly to share ideas
and initiatives to address the issues
faced by women.”
When asked about Ms Murray’s
permanent appointment Association
President, Greg O’Connor said,
“Marcia is an experienced Detective
Sergeant who has an innate and
personal knowledge of the factors
which can inhibit women from putting
themselves forward for selection to
higher positions in the association. By
her example, mentoring, and advice,
we hope Marcia will be instrumental in
ensuring women are well-represented
within the Association,” he said.
Reunion for MOT women
Calling all former Ministry of Transport women who
worked as traffic officers, parking meter officers, traffic
education instructors or road traffic instructors – a
reunion is being held at the Royal New Zealand Police
College, June 29, 30, and July 1, 2012.
Contact details for women who worked in these roles
and who resigned or retired before the MOT/ Police
merger in 1992 are being sought.
To proceed with the organising of the reunion, information
and expressions of interest are needed by the end of
December 2011.
Any memorabilia and photographs for use during the reunion
would be greatly appreciated and will be returned at the end
of the event.
Please email Glenda Donnell at [email protected]
December 2011
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PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
Police forensic
photographers
capture death
and destruction
For Christchurch Police forensic
photographer Phil Little, photographing
gruesome and distressing events is simply
a part of the job. Constable Little was one
of seven Christchurch photographers and
14 out-of-district police photographers in
Christchurch after the February 22 quake
to assist the Urban Search and Rescue
(USAR) and Disaster Victim Identification
(DVI) teams. Photographs taken by the
officers have now been reproduced in
a book, Christchurch 22.2: Beyond the
Cordon.
Constable Little, who has been a police
photographer for six years, said he
and the team were sent to some of the
hardest-hit buildings, such as the CTV
and PGC buildings, the day after the
quake.
Their role was primarily photographing
the DVI team’s recovery of bodies, which
were then taken to makeshift morgues.
They also photographed the destruction
and “history” that was unfolding around
them. They photographed the work of overseas
search and rescue teams who gave their
time to the recovery operation.
In the thick of it: The photos in
Beyond the Cordon cover the days and
weeks after the February 22 quake,
showing the devastation and the
work of police and search and rescue
teams in the worst affected areas.
Left, thick smoke from a fire that
followed the quake remained a hazard
at the CTV site for several days.
They also took aerial photos and videos
to document the extent of the damage
in the greater Christchurch area.
Mr Little described discussions about
a book as an afterthought in the weeks
following the quake.
“The idea of a book came a few weeks
after the quake. We felt that the photos
we had taken represented a unique
police view of the events due to where
the photographs were taken in the
red zone and where people lost their
lives, and their purpose in terms of
rescue and recovery”, Mr Little said.
The 208-page, hard-cover book has
256 colour pictures accompanied with
captions and brief comments from the
photographers.
Mr Little said response to the
book had been very positive and it had
been a top-seller over the past months.
Christchurch 22.2: Beyond the
Cordon (Hatchette NZ, RRP
$49.99) is available in book stores.
Proceeds will be donated to the
Christchurch Family Help Trust.
Catering for the quake: recognition for cafe staff
In October, the NZ Police
Association’s Board of Directors
travelled to Christchurch to present
a plaque to the cafeteria workers at
Christchurch Central Police station
to acknowledge their dedication and
hard work during the February 22
earthquake. Association President,
Greg O’Connor said it was important
that the Board meet in Christchurch
from time to time, as the long-lasting
effects of the quake would continue
to impact on decision-making in the
future.
On behalf of the Board, Mr O’Connor
presented cafeteria staff at the station
with the plaque of appreciation
on behalf of members for their
dedication and courage at the time of
the quake. He said the catering staff
had done a fantastic job, “at a time
320
December 2011
Flower power:
Cafe staff at the
Christchurch
Central Police
Station; from left,
Linda Wilson,
Trish McLachlan,
Jeanette Barrott,
Naomi Topp,
Kate Christie and
Bev Broomhall.
where very few other people were keen
on going in the building”.
aftershocks despite having no direct
escape routes and being underground.
“The catering staff were producing
food for people and keeping a sense of
normality at a time where eating was
not a priority for staff,” he said.
“There will be a Christchurch factor
in every level of decision-making for
some time to come. Therefore it is vital
that decision-makers have a thorough
understanding of the extent of the
physical damage and the stress people are
under in Canterbury”, Mr O’Connor said.
Mr O’Connor also spoke of the bravery
of watch house staff in Christchurch
who continued to work through
Police Council of Sport
To contact the Police Council of Sport, call Sharon Gold at the RNZPC. Ph: (04) 238-3139 (Ext: 43139)
Runaway success
Senior Sergeant Brendon Keenan led from the start in this year’s
160-kilometre Round the Mountain race in Taranaki and crossed the
finish line in a record-breaking 15 hours 58 minutes 16 seconds - a
remarkable achievement considering he had taken up running only 20
months ago.
The 37-year-old practice leader at the Police College says he became
hooked on running after completing a half-marathon. “I’m an all or
nothing type person and once I found running, I got into it,” he told the
Taranaki Daily News after his win.
He told Police News he hadn’t expected to break any records when he
took on the legendary endurance race, so it was a real bonus on top of
the win. He topped the previous record of 16hr 16min 41 sec set last
year by Bryan McCorkindale of Christchurch.
Mr Keenan won a $1000 sports grant for his efforts and says he will
definitely be back next year.
He runs to and from work every day, clocking up 180km in a week. He
definitely gets a “runner’s high” and says he feels well suited to the
endurance side of running.
He’s also done the Tarawera 100-kilometre run and the Auckland
marathon this year, but the Round the Mountain race was his biggest
challenge.
“There was a bit of pressure on me to stay in front,” he says. “I had an
upset stomach early on but that cleared once I had some solid food. The
only thing I lost was a toenail… I didn’t realise that till the end.”
Next on the running agenda is the Tarawera 100k ultra marathon from
Rotorua to Kawerau in March.
OFF THE BEATEN
TRACK: Constables
Debbie Harries, right,
from Howick Police,
and Constable Sharon
Macpherson, from
Nelson Police, walked
the Tongariro Crossing
on November 19. The
two women, who met at
Police College, completed
the crossing in eight
hours, climbing to 1900
metres. “We experienced
all weathers, including
being snowed on for a few
minutes,” says Debbie. “We
feel very proud of the fact
that we completed it given
that we are two fulltime
working mums.”
He made it: Senior Sergeant Brendon Keenan seconds from the finish
line and about to claim his Round the Mountain win.
Photo: Taranaki Daily News/Fairfax Media
Tag football tournament
A one-day police tag football tournament,
organised by Constable Richard Kata, is being
held in Auckland on January 21. The closing
date for registrations is December 31. Mr
Kata said there had been a lot in interest in
holding a tag tournament and the Navy would
also be entering teams in the event, which will
be held at the College Rifles Park, 33 Haast
St, Remuera. The entry fee for each team is
$100 and there will be prizes and trophies at
the end of the day.
The Police & Services One Day Tag Football
Tournament 2012: for more information and a
registration form contact:
Richard Kata, ph 027 455 774,
email [email protected]
Visit www.policeassn.org.nz for updated contact details for the Police Council of Sport management committee,
District Sports Officers and the latest schedule of events.
December 2011
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PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
Being part of equestrian history
Constable Kieryn Walton,
of Taumarunui, was part
of an equestrian team that
made history in September
when they became the first
New Zealand dressage team
to qualify for an Olympic
Games.
Constable Walton, on
Saranceni, was the travelling
reserve with the team of
five who went to Sydney to
compete in a qualifying leg
for the 2012 Games.
Dressage to thrill: Constable Kieryn Walton and Saranceni in
As well as competing in some action.
She switched from eventing to dressage in
events in Sydney, Constable
2000 and won the National Amateur Rider
Walton’s role was to be on standby in case
title in 2001. The trip to Sydney was her first
of accident or injury to other team members.
selection for a national dressage team.
An avid and experienced self-taught
There are still hurdles to cross on the road
horsewoman, Constable Walton, 41, had a
to the Olympics. Each rider has to get
successful eventing career before she went
individual qualifying marks to meet national
through Police College training in 2007. She
and international criteria, she says. That
says she had always wanted to be a police
process continues up till just a few weeks
officer, but the old height restriction had
out from the Games.
proved a barrier when she was younger.
The Sydney riders are not necessarily the
Now she is part of the team at the
combinations that will go to the Games, but
Taumarunui Police Station, where working
Constable Walton is ready for the call. And
shifts allows her plenty of time for her
she says her colleagues at Taumarunui have
sport and caring for her 11 horses, five of
been really supportive of her, which has
which she uses in competitions, including
helped her pursue her sporting interest.
Saranceni.
SOUTH ISLAND POLICE GOLF CHAMPS
Overall Gross
Overall Nett
Burglaries Trophy
Left Hander’s
Vet’s Nett
SENIOR
Gross Winner
Gross Runner Up
Gross 2nd R/Up
Nett Winner
Nett Runner Up
Nett 2nd R/Up
INT. A
Gross Winner
Gross Runner Up
Gross 2nd R/Up
Nett Winner
Nett Runner Up
Nett 2nd R/Up
INT. B
Gross Winner
Gross Runner Up
Gross 2nd R/Up
Nett Winner
Nett Runner Up
Nett 2nd R/Up
JUNIOR
Gross Winner
Gross Runner Up
Gross 2nd R/Up
Nett Winner
Nett Runner Up
Nett 2nd R/Up
322
December 2011
Geoff Rudduck
Chris Ellis
Vinnie Munro
Bryan Price
Roy Powell
314
277
63 Nett
286
291
Richard Morgan
Keith Shipston
Bob Burns
Allan Trow
Peter Crins
Grant Alabaster
320
321
328
293 c/b
293
296
Craig Barker
George Rutledge
Peter Waldron
Kevin Hawkins
Bryan Gillespie
Grant Russell
342
343
351
290 c/b
290
293
Kevin Hooper
Murray Dylan
Jock Glennie
Vinnie Munro
Arnold Hooykaas
Chris Moore
357
366
369
288
292 c/b
292
John Hodgen
Bryan Price
Roy Powell
Peter Jackson
Kirsten Price
Preston Shaw
373
374
375
283
288
292
From the
aquathon to
the tug of war
The Australasian Police and Emergency
Services Games, to be held in Lower
Hutt from March 2-9, 2012, are
designed to cater for athletes of all
abilities.
Forty-one sports will be on offer,
ranging from angling to an aquathon,
swimming, track and field to tug of war.
While there are medals to be won for
the top performers, and some elite
competition is expected, the focus for
most people who enter is participation,
says Games director Alison Murray.
Entrants in individual events will
compete in age groups, and in many
team sports mixed and social divisions
will be available.
“We have included as many sports as
possible in the 2012 schedule, which is
a mixture of individual and team sports.
The key thing is that the Games will be
enjoyable for athletes of all levels.
“The sporting timetable has been
designed to allow Games participants
to get involved in multiple sports” she
said.
Peter Crins
The full list of sports is:
Angling, Aquathon, Basketball, Cricket
(Indoor), Cricket (T20), Cross Country
(Running), Cycling (Road Race), Cycling
(Time Trial), Darts, Duathlon, Golf,
Hockey, Lawn Bowls, Longest Day,
Mountain Bike (X-Country), Mountain
Bike (Downhill), Netball, 10km Road
Race (Run), Indoor Rowing, Rugby 7’s,
Shooting (Large Bore), Shooting (Small
Bore), Shooting (Trap), Shooting (Skeet),
Shooting (Pistol), Soccer (Field), Soccer
(Indoor), Softball, Squash, Stair Race,
Swimming (Open Water), Swimming
(Pool), Tennis, Tenpin Bowling, Touch
Football, Track and Field, Triathlon, Tug
of War, Volleyball (Beach), Waka Ama.
For more information visit:
www.apandesgames.com
Overall winner Geoff Rudduck
New Zealand Police Association
Police Home Loan Package
Avoiding a budget blow-out this Christmas
Enjoy the Christmas season– but don’t let
the festivities create a financial hangover
that can last well into the New Year. Here
are some suggestions to help you have a
great Christmas without blowing your
budget out of the water.
Christmas gifts
Spend less and make your gift-giving
more meaningful this Christmas:
• Make a list – having a list of what you will
get for everyone before you go
shopping – and sticking to it - helps you
avoid impulse buys where your budget
can go out the window.
• Set a limit – figure out what you can
afford to spend on gifts and still stay
within your budget. Make everyone
aware of your limit so you set
expectations – you may well find that
other family members are actually
relieved as it means they can put a limit
on their spending too.
• ‘Secret Santa’ – instead of everyone
buying presents for everyone else in the
family, put all the names into a hat and
have everyone draw out one person to
buy for. Everyone will only have one
present to buy, and they’ll get one good
present instead of lots of little ones.
• Get creative – it really is the thought that
counts. A fishing trip with your kids can
mean much more to them than any toy.
Use you talents and skills - a gift of
baking, preserves, food or plants you’ve
grown in your garden, or a voucher for
babysitting adds a personal touch that
makes it special.
• Shop around and bargain – there are
often lots of sales and bargains to be had
over Christmas as retailers are keen to
move stock. Compare prices before you
buy and don’t be afraid to ask the
salesperson if they can give you a better
price – after all you have nothing to lose!
Christmas dinner and festivities
If you’re having Christmas dinner or
celebrations at your place, you don’t have
to prepare – and pay for – everything
yourself. Ask everyone to look after one
thing each – e.g. vegetables, dessert,
decorations, etc. Having everyone
contribute will make it a more communal
celebration – and ease the pressure on
you.
Money management
• Have a budget – know what you can
afford to spend and stick to your budget.
If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it.
Christmas isn’t about spending money.
It’s about spending time with family and
friends.
• Don’t load up the plastic – avoid putting
gifts and other Christmas expenses on
your credit card unless you plan to pay it
off straight away. It only delays the
problem – and extra interest payments
can make the real cost much higher.
• Put money aside during the year –
although it may be too late to do it for
this Christmas, it can be a good idea in
future to put a little money aside each
week for a ‘Christmas fund’, to ease the
pressure on your day to day finances.
Save money on your home loan
Of course, one of the best ways of
providing for Christmas spending is to save
money from somewhere else. For most
people, home loan repayments are usually
one of the major outgoings, so it’s also a
good time to review your mortgage.
The big question for homeowners is
whether they should continue to take
advantage of current low floating interest
rates, or look to fix some or all of their
home loan. Unlike many other banks, at
ANZ there’s no fee to fix your home loan
interest rate. That could save you
thousands of dollars over the term of your
loan, and gives you the flexibility to switch
from floating to fixed when you want to.
And don’t forget that with the Police Home
Loan Package, you can also take advantage
of discounted home loan interest rates
whether you choose to fix or float.
If you’d like more information about the
Police Home Loans package, you can visit
the Police Association website, or email us:
[email protected] or come
into any branch.
Special offer
Six months free
Home Insurance
Buying a new home or refinancing can
be an expensive process, even with
today’s lower interest rates. We aim
to make it easier on Police Welfare
Fund members’ pockets. So for the
time being those drawing down a new
Police Home Loan will be eligible for six
months free home insurance through the
Welfare Fund’s Police Fire & General
Insurance*.
Members eligible for the free cover
should contact our Member Services
Team on 0800 500 122. You will need a
copy of your loan document from
The National Bank or ANZ.
Police Home Loan Package
ANZ or The National Bank – it’s your
choice
Whether you’re refinancing, buying your
first home, selling, investing in property,
building or looking for ways to manage
your current home loan – a Police Home
Loan through The National Bank or ANZ
may be able to help.
The Police Welfare Fund Home Loan
package provides attractive benefits to
Police Welfare Fund members and their
immediate family, like:
•No Home Loan application fee
•A contribution of $500 towards legal fees
For borrowing 80% or lower of a property’s
value:
•Discounted floating rates
•0.50% pa off the standard National Bank
or ANZ Flexible Home Loan interest rates
•0.25% off the standard fixed interest rates
Our Police Home Loan package is highly
competitive and flexible.
For more information or to apply for the Police
Home Loan Package visit
www.policeassn.org.nz
We’d like to wish all Police Welfare Fund
members and their families a very happy
holiday season and all the best for 2012.
This material is provided as a complimentary service of ANZ National Bank Limited. It is prepared based on information and
sources ANZ believes to be reliable. Its content is for information only, is subject to change and is not a substitute for commercial
judgement or professional advice, which should be sought prior to acting in reliance on it. To the extent permitted by law ANZ
disclaims liability or responsibility to any person for any direct or indirect loss or damage that may result from any act or omissions
by any person in relation to the material. Package details are subject to change. Interest rate subject to change. Lending criteria,
terms, conditions and fees apply. For borrowing 85% or more of a property’s value, a low equity premium on a graduated scale will
apply. ANZ National Bank Limited.
The National Bank and ANZ’s lending criteria, terms, conditions and fees apply. A low
equity premium may apply where a loan amounts to over 85% of the property’s value.
A registered valuer’s report will also be required for lending over 80% of the property’s
value. Eligibilty to apply for a Police Home Loan package is at the discretion of the
Police Welfare Fund Limited and applicants must be current members of the Fund.
This home loan package is not available for low documentation home loans or loans
approved through a broker. For a copy of The National Bank or ANZ Disclosure
Statement and full details (including terms and conditions) contact any branch of The
National Bank of New Zealand (part of ANZ Bank Limited) nor the ANZ.
*Police Fire & General Insurance will be subject to the standard underwriting
terms and conditions and is provided through the Police Welfare Fund not by
The National Bank or ANZ. Members are eligible for one period of six months free
Police Fire & General Home Insurance premium only, per member, regardless of the
term of Police Home Loan taken. Police Fire & General Insurance is underwritten by
Lumley General Insurance (NZ) Limited.
11-2011
December 2011
323
PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
Guest column by Luke McMahon
Summer’s finally arrived, and for me there is
no better summer wine than a nicely chilled
riesling.
But, like any grape variety, there are both good
and bad examples on the market, so it‘s useful to have an idea of what
to look for in a riesling. If you dismissed the variety after being served
an uninteresting, slightly sweet white, you’d be missing out.
The best New Zealand rieslings come from regions where cool nights
help the grapes retain the acidity critical to the variety. Central Otago,
Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson, and even Martinborough produce fine
examples of the three main styles of riesling made in New Zealand.
The most common style is usually simply labelled ‘riesling’. These
follow the original German style, preserving some unfermented sugar
in the grape juice, but also retaining a balancing crisp acidity. So,
while the wine may be ‘off dry’ or sweeter, the wine never tastes
cloying. Instead, it should be crisp and refreshing, reasonably fullbodied, with apple or crisp stone-fruit and citrus notes, and a subtle
mineral quality something like damp river stones. The best may have
notes of honey, beeswax or ginger. With rich flavours, body and high
acidity, good rieslings deliver a long luscious finish that will have you
reaching for more.
Because not all the sugar has been fermented, rieslings of this style
typically have lower alcohol than most (dry) wines. It’s not uncommon to
find examples with less than 10% alcohol by volume (abv). Combined
with its sheer mouth-watering deliciousness, this makes riesling
excellent for a lazy summer lunch or afternoon cheeseboard – a sharp
blue, perhaps with some dried figs or apricots. Its acidity and residual
sugar also make it a great accompaniment for Thai and similar food.
The benchmark for this style is set by the Mosel region in Germany.
Closer to home, Marlborough winemakers Framingham produce an
excellent Classic Riesling (12% abv) for about $25.
Spätlese is a subcategory of the Mosel style. Marlborough’s Fromm
make an excellent Spätlese Riesling (7% abv), which retails for
about $28. Forrest Estate’s The Doctors’ Riesling is also excellent,
but usually slightly less intense, at $22 (8.5% abv). Framingham’s
Spätlese is their classy Select Riesling (8.5% abv), at about $38.
The second main New Zealand style is dry riesling. This is less
common, so to distinguish it on retail shelves, it is often labelled
‘dry riesling.’ In this style, virtually all the sugar has been fermented
into alcohol, and the aromas while young tend to be more citric and
sometimes floral. Often dry riesling is not released until a few years
after bottling, to allow some age characteristics to develop.
Riesling ages well, developing complexity to rival fine reds. A quality
riesling can go 10 or 20 years, in the right conditions. Flavours
mingle and become more complex, and the wine develops subtle
kerosene-like aromas, which are highly valued by riesling fans.
Spätlese literally means ‘late harvest’, but most New Zealand wine
labelled ‘late harvest riesling’ is instead sticky ‘dessert wine’. This is
the third main style, and is sometimes labelled ‘noble’ or ‘botrytised
riesling,’ after the ‘noble rot’ botrytis. This sucks water from the
infected grapes, leaving concentrated sugars behind. This style is
unmistakably sweet, with complex characters of honey, candied
orange or grapefruit marmalade, but they still retain a cleansing
mouth-watering
acidity. They make
excellent dessert
or cheeseboard
wines, but are
also dangerously
addictive – one
small glass is
seldom enough!
Just as well this
style is sold in halfsized bottles.
1234567
89
Clues:
Across:
1. Remark (7)
Down
1. Pursue (5)
5. Form of identification (5)
2. Following a homicide (6,7)
8. Confirm (5)
3. Result from (9)
9. Type of gem (7)
4. A plan to succeed (6)
10. Before (3)
5. Attempt (3)
11. Set time for Prosecution (5, 4)
6. Over indulgences (13)
13. Manila folder for creature (6)
7. Aides (7)
14. Wall paintings? (6)
12. Washer of money? (9)
16. Asked for (9)
13. Spray can (7)
17. Part of a play (3)
15. Give evidence (6)
19. School subject or part of forensics? (7)
18. Tries out (5)
21. Speeds (5)
20. Neither (3)
23. Pushes through (7)
324
December 2011
101112
1314
15
161718
192021
2223
Answers: Across: 1. Comment. 5. Teeth. 8. Agree. 9. Crystal. 10. Eve. 11. Trial date. 13. Animal. 14. Murals. 16. Requested.
17. Act. 19. Science. 21. Races. 22. Layers. 23. Thrusts. 22. Layers. 2. Thrusts. Down 1. Chase. 2. Murder inquiry. 3. Eventuate.
4. Tactic. 5. Try. 6. Extravagances. 7. Helpers. 12. Launderer. 13. Aerosol. 15. Attest. 18. Tests. 20. Nor.
22. Tiers of hens? (6)
New Zealand Police Association
doing it in the office, right under the boss’s nose. Years of training
kicked in and I immediately contacted my source.
My investigations have led me to the Youth Aid and Education
section under the auspices of Sergeant Simon King. It appears
that a disagreement in the office about preferred methods of lawn
maintenance has led to each staff member being dispatched their
own personal tray and seed mix. The rest is up to the individual staff
member and the race is on to grow the best miniature lawn.
Virtual Reality
As the Government plots its new seating arrangements, the Police
Human Resources unit is doing some chair-shuffling of its own.
Apparently HR is destined for a makeover, enabling staff to operate in
a “virtual” work environment. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean painting
themselves blue and talking Na’vi, but it does mean more work on
computers, with remote access to the workload. I’ve no doubt this is
the way many offices are headed, but fingers crossed that we’ll retain
a decent staff presence on site. Sometimes the only way to get a
thing actioned is to deal with a real person. In person.
This much we know: we’ll be getting three new HR managers in the
Upper North, Middle Earth and South. The managers will then make
their assessment of staff requirements in each of their respective
areas. I’m pleased to see that Headquarters are taking their time on
this one. Getting the structure right will make or break the revamp,
and advance warning of the rollout might allay the fears of staff who
are justifiably worried about their jobs and workplaces.
Greening the Team.
I didn’t want to believe it when I heard that Officers of Her Majesty’s
Service were taking part in a secret grass-growing operation in
(ironically) the Big Smoke. Not only that, but they were said to be
They must have pretty exciting conversations in the Youth Aid and
Education section, and now the place will be even livelier as they roll
out the deck chairs and settle down to watch the grass grow. Armed
with nail clippers and Barbie picnic sets, the tension will be palpable
and the temptation to partake in a bit of skullduggery will be strong. My
source tells me, in fact, that they have recently seen a bloke in the lift
with a small jar containing what looked suspiciously like grass grub.
One of our best
Last month my missus had the pleasure of attending a celebrity gala
dinner in Wellington in honour of one of our own good ol’ boys, Dean
Gifford. Dean has a brain tumor that doesn’t seem to want to go away.
Both Dean and his wife Penny (also a police officer) are a credit to our
organisation. Dean has undertaken extensive charity work since he was
first diagnosed in 2006, supporting Wellington Hospital Children’s Ward
and arranging tonnes of necessary supplies for delivery to the Solomon
Islands. Dean’s generosity has touched many lives.
Apparently Dean has said that his illness is “just another adventure in
life”. What a guy.
All the best to Dean and family. From all of us, keep the faith, go
strong.
See ya.
DecemberJanuary
February
PAIHIA............................................ 6-10...............................................................2-8...........................................................................26
STANMORE BAY.............................. 16,18-19,21,29-30.........................................30............................................................................2,6-8,19-20,25,29
AUCKLAND..................................... 15...................................................................23-26.......................................................................26
WAIHEKE ISLAND...................................................................................................30-21.......................................................................1-2,6-8,12,26-27
WHANGAMATA.......................................................................................................8..............................................................................12
MT MAUNGANUI............................. 16...................................................................................................................................................2,9,26
OHOPE............................................ 9,14-15..........................................................2-3,8,23-25..............................................................3,26-29
ROTORUA....................................... 15,17,21-23...................................................22,27-31..................................................................1-2,13-14,17,19,27-29
TAUPO............................................ 11,14,18.........................................................31............................................................................1,12-115,19,23,
TURANGI......................................... 12-15,18-21,24-25........................................31............................................................................1-26-9,13-14,20-24,26-29
NAPIER........................................... 12...................................................................30-31.......................................................................7-9,12-115
PARAPARAUMU............................... 13,15,20.........................................................................................................................................1,12-14
GREYTOWN..................................... 9-10,12-15,20................................................31............................................................................1,6-7,13-16,19-23,26-29
WELLINGTON.................................. 18-19,21........................................................30-31.......................................................................1,5-8,10,14,19,26,
NELSON.......................................... 9,19,-23.........................................................................................................................................6,12,26
HANMER SPRINGS.......................... 24-25.............................................................................................................................................19,21-22,29
CHRISTCHURCH.............................. 22...................................................................2-8,10-22,30-31......................................................7-9,14-15,17-21,23,27-29
AKAROA.......................................... 11-12,15,24-25..............................................30-31.......................................................................1-2,6-9,12-16,21-22,26-29
TEKAPO.......................................... 11-17,20........................................................30............................................................................6,14,16
WANAKA......................................... 8,12,13,22-25................................................16-17.......................................................................8,21-24
CROMWELL.................................... 14-16,19-25...................................................30-31.......................................................................22-23
QUEENSTOWN.......................................................................................................................................................................................19
TE ANAU......................................... 7-9,11-14.......................................................30-31.......................................................................6,8-9,16,24
DUNEDIN........................................ 17-18,22,24-25,26-31...................................1,30-31....................................................................1-2,13-14,22-23,25,27-29
Whitianga..................................... 18-21.............................................................................................................................................8-9,12,15-16,19,23,27-29
December 2011
325
PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
Write it here! Letters to the Editor are welcome.
Signed letters are preferred, but in all cases the writer’s name and address must be supplied. Names will be published unless there is a good
reason for anonymity. The editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or decline letters without explanation. Email to: [email protected] or
write it to the Editor at PO Box 12344, Wellington. Letters under 400 words are preferred.
Life savers
This year, almost 100 lives have been saved
on the roads. The road toll is shaping up
to be one of the lowest we have ever had
and is now nearly 100 lower than at this
time last year (at the time of writing) - an
astounding statistic and this is no accident.
This has come about as a result of several
interrelated factors, but it is obvious to me
that our consistent and intense pressure
on keeping speeds down has been really
significant.
The introduction of lowered speed
tolerances at holiday weekends created the
focus we needed on reducing speed; one
outcome is the saving of so many lives. This
huge reduction in the sorrow and suffering
that crashes cause throughout the whole
community is something we can all be
proud of.
I am writing to Police News because I know
this goes to your homes and I wanted to
share my appreciation with you and your
families.
As we look towards the Christmas holiday
period, I would like to personally thank
you all for your commitment and support.
We have shown that by working together
we can make a real difference. Thank you
again, and I wish you and your families a
safe and happy holiday period.
PAULA ROSE
National Manager- Road Policing
The importance of a proper loo
It is early November and it has been a long
time since I wrote about being passionate
not disengaged; it has also been nine
months since Christchurch’s tragic event
where we appeared in Police News working
from our temporary station – the garage.
We are still in the garage and it is now like
home, we are quite happy there. We only
have one problem - basic hygiene. We live
with portaloos, no running water other
than a garden tap where brown water flows
and no shower or kitchen facilities.
We were told months ago we were getting a
temporary station. We even saw plans, then
it was going to cost too much. We said “the
garage is okay, just get us a flushing toilet
and shower”. What we got were more plans
for a smaller temporary station.
Recently, we had some great news.
Engineers say our historic station, built in
1880, can be saved.
Guess what we have now? Plans for a
revamped station to comply with modern
policing, soft and hard interview rooms the works. Our station has 12 staff, nine
(six Lyttelton, three Sumner) GDB, but the
plans don’t include a general duties muster
room or locker room.
Guess what we don’t have? Flushing
toilets, a shower or running water.
What happens when someone gets covered
in an offender’s blood or bodily fluids or
gets some cross contamination from OC
spray? Should we be jumping in the sea?
Who will suffer when some unscrupulous
offender decides to sabotage the portaloo
with acid on the seat or similar?
Our sergeant and inspector have been
working hard for us, but seem to be
bashing their heads against something now
uncommon in Lyttelton - a brick wall.
The funny part is we were told that shower
/toilet porta-coms were hard to source; I
saw six on the news at a hotel the day of
the gas leak in the North Island.
By the time you read this, Murphy dictates
the problem will be sorted and this letter
won’t mean anything; let’s hope so.
Memorial wall
Our sympathies to all our members’ families for
those who have passed away in recent months…
We remember…
Who passed away…
HOSKING, Peter Roy
31-Jul-11Retired memberChristchurch
GALLAGHER, Elinor
16-Aug-11SpouseChristchurch
POOLE, Robin Graeme
18-Oct-11Resigned memberAuckland
WAY, Frank Phillip
22-Oct-11Retired memberTauranga
HOPKINSON, Stephen Charles
23-Oct-11Retired memberAustralia
GIBSON, Eion Neil
25-Oct-11Resigned memberChristchurch
HOEK, Leendert
28-Oct-11Retired memberUK
STRONG, Ian
30-Oct-11Retired memberDunedin
JENSEN, Keith
4-Nov-11Retired member
326
December 2011
Mt Maunganui
We don’t like to complain, we really aren’t
complainers, but, along with summer and
flies, our frustrations are coming on fast.
MATT HILL
Christchurch
North and South story
I wish to congratulate Greg O’Connor and
Commissioner Peter Marshall on their
comments relating to the North & South
magazine article “When good cops go bad”
regarding former association member Ross
Meurant. (October 2011 issue). Thank
you for publishing those comments.
What is particularly distasteful to me about
Ross Meurant’s comments is that they are
derogatory, baseless statements impugning
the integrity and character of persons now
deceased and, therefore, unable to defend
themselves.
The making of such statements appears
to be becoming a ritual both from exmembers, possibly with an axe to grind,
and some other influential persons outside
of the Police.
R A (Bob) Meikle
Christchurch
Supervisory allowance
During the Rugby World Cup, I worked at
the Auckland Waterfront for seven weeks
as a sergeant supervising six staff. I was
engaged in frontline shift work duties in the
same work group with other sergeants who,
by virtue of their regular positions, were
receiving the supervisory allowance.
As my permanent position is district
headquarters based and does not involve
direct supervision of staff, I applied for
the supervisory allowance under the
Conditions of Work Agreement, prior to
commencing duties on the World Cup
operation. The application was returned
marked “not approved” and no reason was
given for it being declined.
In the past, I have relieved in a senior
sergeant’s position and received a higher
duties allowance. I contacted the Police
Association and I was given to understand
that there may be a qualifying period of
duty for eligibility for the supervisory
allowance. If this is the case, it would be
helpful to have the position clarified.
NIGEL ROE
Counties Manukau
This letter has been abridged
Police Association Industrial Advocate
Greg Fleming responds: Section 4.14.11
of the Constabulary Collective details the
provisions around the Supervisory Incentive
New Zealand Police Association
Allowance. Police applied the provisions correctly in your case. The
allowance is intended to be an incentive to attract quality supervisors
to frontline roles on a permanent basis and recognise the additional
responsibilities of year-round performance and leave management
in those roles. It is not intended to recognise shorter-term relieving
hence the relatively long qualification period for relievers to become
eligible for the allowance. Obviously, constables relieving up will
still receive higher duties allowances, just as sergeants relieving in
senior sergeant roles would. While the supervisory allowance is not
perfect and has some flaws in its construction and application it is
generally considered appropriate.
Bravery recalled
Retired members of the Police and those that can cast their
memories back to the 1960s will recall the tragic deaths of four
police officers all within one year.
Two officers, Chalmers and Power, were shot and killed during
an incident in the Waitakere Ranges in Auckland while trying to
apprehend a lone gunman who had already shot and killed an
innocent local man and seriously wounded another.
Later that year, officers Richardson and Schultz were shot and killed
in their patrol car as they arrived at a domestic matter in Lower Hutt.
This brings me to tell you of Raymond (Ray) Piper who died
recently in Auckland. Ray Piper was an ambulance officer who
attended the Waitakere shootings. Upon his arrival, he was briefed
about the situation, and although shots were still being fired by the
offender, Ray crawled on his hands and knees up the access road,
under fire, in an attempt to render assistance to the fallen officers
and citizen. Unfortunately, all were unable to be saved.
As a result of his brave actions, Ray was awarded the British Empire
Medal for bravery. Some time later, he was mentioned again when
he saved the life of a man trapped by falling earth in a drain collapse
in Glendene in Auckland, Ray having jumped into the drain to dig
the man out.
There was a large turnout at his funeral and many of his former
colleagues were in attendance.
I was proud to represent Police on the day and acknowledge his
contribution on that fateful day in the Waitakere Ranges.
It was as a result of those Police deaths that year that the Armed
Offenders Squad came into being.
Sadly, another chapter of police history has passed into memory, but
Ray Piper will always be remembered for his brave actions, although
he never discussed the subject.
Our sympathies are with his wife and extended family.
GRANT KRISSANSEN
Henderson
Field Officer
Pending Vacancy
Due to the pending retirement of Dave Steel, the Police
Association is looking to appoint a Field Officer to service
Association members in the Southern Police District. The position
is likely to be vacant in April 2012 or soon thereafter. This is a
part-time (4 days per week) position that requires the successful
applicant to be based in Dunedin. Reasonable transfer costs
would be paid.
The majority of time in this role involves the provision of industrial
advice and representation to Police Association members.
You will also be expected to promote and deliver the services of
the Welfare Fund and the Police Credit Union to members.
Applicants should have:
• A solid understanding and empathy with Police and the
environment in which they work;
• Familiarity with employment rights, agreements and principles;
• Proven negotiating and facilitating skills;
• Advanced inter-personal skills;
• Self-motivation/management, initiative and good
organisational skills; and
• Familiarity with Microsoft Word, Excel and Office products.
This will be a challenging and rewarding role for the successful
applicant.
The successful applicant would be required to maintain an office
at their home. An office allowance and vehicle will be provided.
Initial enquiries including requests for a job description can be
directed to
[email protected]
Written applications marked confidential and including a CV
should be sent to Marsha Mackie by email or as below:
NZ Police Association
PO Box 12 344, Wellington 6144
Attention – Marsha Mackie
Applications close 13th February 2012.
Useful Information & Contacts
New Zealand Police Association:
For immediate industrial & legal advice
(on matters that cannot be deferred such as
Police shootings, fatal pursuits or deaths in
custody) ring 0800 TEN NINE
(0800 836 6463)
– 24 hour/seven days service
Police Network
44446
Websitewww.policeassn.org.nz
Freephone
0800 500 122Police Home Loans
0800 800 808
Police Health Plan/Police Fire and General Insurance Police Credit Union 0800 429 000
Quotes & information
0800 500 122
or (04) 472 9645
or Fax
(04) 496 6819Credit Union
www.policecu.org.nz
Police Fire and General Insurance claims 0800 110 088GSF information 0800 654 731
All enquiries
(04) 496 6800PSS information
0800 777 243
Vice Presidents
Stuart Mills Luke Shadbolt Regional Directors
(027) 268 9416
(027) 268 9411
Field Officers
Auckland District:Stewart Mills
Waitemata and Northland Districts:Steve Hawkins
Waikato, BOP and Eastern Districts:Graeme McKay
Central and Wellington Districts:
JJ Taylor
Tasman and Canterbury Districts:Dave McKirdy
Southern DistrictDave Steel
(027) 268 9407
(027) 268 9406
(027) 268 9408
(027) 268 9409
(027) 268 9410
(027) 268 9427
Region One
Jug Price
Whangaparaoa
Region TwoDave Pizzini Counties-Manukau
Region Three
Wayne Aberhart Waikato
Region FourEmmet LynchNapier
Region FiveCraig Tickelpenny Wellington
Region SixCraig PriorSydenham
Region Seven
Brett RobertsDunedin
(027) 268 9419
(027) 268 9413
(027) 268 9414
(027) 268 9415
(027) 268 9417
(027) 268 9412
(027) 268 9418
December 2011
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