Communicating with Police

Police emergency: Call 111

Calling 111 is free from public telephones and mobile phones.

When you call 111 you will be asked which emergency service you want: Police, Fire or Ambulance.

Call 111 and ask for Police when:

  • people are injured or in danger; or
  • there is a serious, immediate, or imminent risk to life or property; or
  • a crime is being or has just been committed and the offenders are still at the scene or have just left.

If you can’t decide if it’s a real emergency and you’re still worried, call 111 and ask the operator. They will help you work out what to do.

If you have difficulty hearing or talking on the phone, you can register for an emergency TXT service. Register now for the 111 TXT service.

More information about the 111 Service can be accessed at New Zealand Government – 111 emergency service and Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment – Emergency call services.

Non-emergency: use 105

Reporting online

Use the 105 non-emergency number to report situations that don’t require immediate Police or Emergency Services’ attendance.

105 is a nationwide, 24-hour per day, 7 days per week service that’s available via phone and online.

You can use 105.police.govt.nz to report:

  • theft in a public place
  • theft from a car
  • intentional property damage
  • shoplifting
  • lost property

If you need to talk to us about something else then you can call 105.

Case / Report update

After you have made a report to Police and been given a reference number, you can use the Case / Report update form available at 105.police.govt.nz to:

  • provide additional information (including photos and documents)
  • request an update from Police about your case / report
  • withdraw your report.

Request a Case / Report update

Other online reporting options:

Find out more about how to report crime.

Phone or visit your nearest police station

In non-emergency situations, such as reporting a crime like burglary which happened some time ago, you can either report by calling or visiting your nearest police station.

When you make a report to Police you will receive a Police Acknowledgement Form (PAF) with a reference number.

Once you have made your report, Police should respond within a reasonable time. If you have questions about your report you should call or visit the police station again and tell them the reference number.

Lost Passport - when reporting a lost passport, you must give the passport number to Police.

Language and communication difficulties

Regardless of the language you speak, please call 111 in an emergency.

If it is hard for you to talk to Police because of language, you can get help by:

  • telling the person you're speaking to which language you speak using its English name; for example: say German rather than Deutsh, or Japanese rather than Nihongo.
  • talking to one of our bilingual communications staff. Staff members speak about 18 languages in total, including Mandarin.
  • using a friend or family member as your interpreter for talking to Police.

Police in your communities

Ethnic and Asian liaison officers

Police has special officers working in ethnic communities around the country. They work with communities to help them understand and access police services, provide information to police about community concerns and work with police investigating and preventing crime involving ethnic communities.

They are happy to listen to your concerns and work together with you to improve safety in your community.

Contacts

  • Ethnic liaison officers - contact a liaison officer in your area who can help you access police services.
  • Local police - find out where your local police station is and how to get in contact with your local police.