Statement - attribute to Commissioner Mike Bush:
I remain extremely proud of the Police response to the events in Christchurch on Friday 15 March.
I am aware of commentary by a limited number of individuals about our response, which may lead some to seek reassurance about what we did.
I have no doubt that Police staff responded as quickly as humanly possible to an unprecedented, highly planned and rapidly unfolding event.
They put their own safety at risk to protect the public, and indeed they saved lives.
In due course we will release a detailed timeline of the response which will show second by second exactly how police responded.
In the meantime I re-iterate that the offender was apprehended 21 minutes after we received the first emergency call.
This is an outstanding response by any standard, and it reflects the professionalism and bravery of all police staff involved.
I have the utmost pride in their actions, and I absolutely back them in what they did that day.
END
Issued by Police Media Centre