New Zealand Herald readers had an insight last weekend into the priorities of the Police Executive and the direction we see for our organisation. You can still read the article on the Herald website. As for the accompanying cartoon, I never realised I and the Deputy Commissioners had such bandy legs...

 

The Executive couldn't function successfully without the hard work of Police staff. As I travel the country I see staff engaged in many difficult assignments and remain impressed with their 'can-do' attitude. Recent operations highlight this.

 

Firstly, police in Auckland District adopted a softly-softly approach, alongside the city council, in helping remove the Occupy protesters from their various locations. We've been complimented by people including John Minto, who's hardly a cheerleader for Police. Having said that, there's an allegation of three constables wearing identical identifying numbers during the operation earlier this week. I hope it isn't true, but if such stupidity did occur - give me strength! Talk about scoring an own goal. This will be the subject of an employment hearing and the truth will be established.

 

I have offered hearty congratulations to personnel involved in the apprehension of Kim Dotcom and associates. The use of two Police helicopters and general drama of the operation raised eyebrows, but they were justified by the difficulties we anticipated and met in entering the property. The nature of the allegations and the level of international liaison through the FBI and others make for an extremely interesting case.

 

Well done to Detective Inspector Dave Lynch on his handling the aftermath of a shooting in Manurewa. Three officers faced a violent individual who used weapons including a gas cylinder and a spade. Pepper spray and a Taser failed to subdue him and, as a last resort, he was shot in the legs. Two investigations are under way, as is usual after firearms incidents, to establish the course of events and I'm confident they will find the officers acted properly.

 

Well done too to Detective Inspector Paul Basham for expediting the investigation into a man's death in a drain near Te Papa - a terrible tragedy handled with great professionalism and sensitivity. In Rotorua a homicide investigation is under way after the finding of a body with extensive wounds in Kuirau Park. Arrests have been made and I wish the investigators every success with their ongoing enquiries.

 

I saw two great examples of Police culture last Saturday. Firstly, in Auckland I was honoured to attend the funeral of the wife of a long-serving police officer. This officer and his wife had a son and daughter also serving in Auckland. It was a poignant occasion, with the three Police members wonderfully supported by scores of colleagues in uniform. Comment was made that Police was the "other family". I was proud to be quietly sitting in the congregation that afternoon.

 

Later came a reunion dinner for the Peter Murphy Recruit Wing, whose members entered Trentham Police Training School in January 1977. Around 40 people were present and I was pleased to present the seven members still in Police with a decoration to mark their 35 years of service. It was a great example of the camaraderie of Police - though many had long since left, they universally expressed interest in our work. Incidentally, Peter Murphy was a 21-year-old constable who was shot dead in Invercargill on 25 September 1976.       

 

There are some exciting initiatives on the horizon. Soon all staff will be involved in training around our Prevention First strategy, a cornerstone of where New Zealand Police is heading. It means putting crime prevention at the forefront of what we do, letting us stay in control of the criminal environment rather than having to pick up the pieces when things go wrong.  

 

Soon there will be trials under the  Policing Excellence 'Mobility' banner, using technology including smartphones, tablets and laptops so we can work more efficiently and spend more time on the streets. Meanwhile, to make spending more time on the streets more comfortable, eligible frontline staff will soon learn how they can order the footwear Police is providing for them, which will become available later in the year.

 

That's all for now. Stay safe!