Sergeant Steve Pike is swapping suburban Ellerslie for tropical Darwin as he heads out to help Northern Territory Police Force enhance the capabilities of its Dog Operations Unit (DOU).
Steve, a supervisor in Auckland Dog Section, sets off next week on an 18-month project which will see him coach, mentor and train NT staff and assess and highlight possible improvements to policy and practice.
He is taking four Trentham-born German Shepherd puppies – Arnie, Di, and siblings Freddy and Fitzy, ranging from seven to three months old – to help boost the quality of the NT dog stock.
“It’ll certainly be very different, but very challenging and exciting,” says Steve, who has spent 19 of his 25 years with Police in the dog section.
“It will be a completely different climate and conditions but essentially it’s the same job.
“We’re taking our policies, procedures and practices over there and trying to replicate - as much as we can in their environment – how we do things in New Zealand.”
Part of Steve’s task will be to look at issues of deployment over the vast distances of the territory, which has more than five times the land area of New Zealand but just 244,000 people.
The DOU has nine detector dogs and six patrol dogs, divided between Darwin and Alice Springs. By comparison New Zealand Police has around 130 patrol and ten detector dog teams.
Steve will be based at the NT emergency services training college at Berrimah, which is also DOU headquarters. His first stint will be two months, followed by regular visits over 18 months.
The secondment arises from a review carried out by Inspector Todd Southall, New Zealand’s National Coordinator Police Dogs, at the invitation of former New Zealand Assistant Commissioner, now NT Deputy Commissioner, Grant Nicholls.
Todd says the project reflects the high international standing of New Zealand Police’s dog section.
"The DOU is only about 12 years old so lacks some of the experience, skill level and knowledge we have in New Zealand and it’s important that we assist our Australian counterparts where we can,” says Todd.
“The newly appointed O/C of the DOU recently spent several weeks with the New Zealand Police Dog Section and is excited about the new relationship and assistance we’re offering them.
“Steve is going to immerse himself in their environment and start an in-depth assessment of their needs, looking at the dogs and training and helping them adapt to be more successful than they already are.”
It is anticipated that DOU staff will come to the Dog Training Centre at Trentham for further training.
“They’ve got some very good handlers up there and we’ve offered to help them become a much more efficient dog unit,” says Todd.