Police says a new system Gun Safe, that records incidents and details when Police encounter firearms, is progressing well.
“While we are in the very early stages, with 3 months’ worth of information collected from across the country, we are building the picture we need,” says Deputy Commissioner Michael Clement.
“Staff are feeding into a central system to help tell the story behind each firearm they encounter in their communities.
“This is about safety; the safety of our Police officers and the people in our communities. We want to know more about the misuse of firearms in our communities.”
The new process sees officers alert the comms or district command centres when they encounter and seize a firearm, when they are attending an incident where a firearm has or is suspected of having been misused, or when one is presented at them.
The difference is it brings all this information together in one place; firearm details, information on the type of event around the firearms misuse, the location it occurred, more of the narrative from the officers involved.
“It’s about giving us richer information in a consistent way, in a central location. This enables us to have a broader understanding of the event and the surrounding circumstances,” says Deputy Commissioner Clement.
“We already have firearms data, what we are doing is deepening the information we have around firearms encounters so we can have a better appreciation of what our staff face every day.
“The evidence base we develop over time will tell us more about the environment our staff work in. This will ensure, to the extent we can, that decisions are made in the best interests of keeping our staff and communities safe.”
Notes to the Editor
Quarterly reports will be published on the Police website.
Background and data:
The programme was initially trialled across Tamaki Makaurau in late 2018 to ensure it was something every district could easily use. Nationwide rollout then began gradually from December 2018, with every district being on board by March 2019.
Since March, there have been 629 incidents nationwide, which have resulted in 693 firearms seized by Police.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre