Waikato District Police have formally welcomed two new leaders into their roles to oversee Hamilton City area and serious crime and investigations across the district.
As fog lifted from the lawns of Kirikiriroa Marae in Hamilton on the morning of 23 July, Inspector Scott Miller and Detective Inspector Kevin McNaughton were officially welcomed.
Hosted by Te Kōhao Health, the pair were joined by whānau, policing colleagues including Assistant Commissioner Jeanette Park and District Commander Superintendent Scott Gemmell, and community partners.
While Kevin is the district’s new Crime Manager, Scott will oversee policing in Hamilton City as the new Hamilton City Area Commander, taking over from previous area commander, Inspector Andrea McBeth.
With strong roots in the community having been brought up here and raising his own family in the city’s suburbs, Scott is deeply connected to the Hamilton whenua. He acknowledged the work of those who previously held the position in what is a dynamic, demanding and diverse patch to police.
“It’s an honour to take up this position,” he says. “It’s an intense role but one that really excites me. I enjoy working as one team, here to both foster what has been happening while also bring my experiences in.”
Prevention and partnerships are at the heart of his policing approach.
“I want the community to have a voice while also knowing how to look after themselves. We want to be present and listen to the community, making sure there is two-way communication.”
Having come from a service minded family – his father Rex a police officer of 37 years and his mother a nurse, as well as having a sister in New Zealand Police and brother in the Armed Forces - Scott learnt the values of policing and giving to community in his early years.
“The family environment was all about service," says Scott. "We would regularly have new recruits come around and that was when you saw that team environment – that is what policing is, a massive team. We support each other and we are there to support the community.”
Scott joined Police in 1991 and was posted to Te Kuiti where he learnt the craft of community and rural policing. Across his 36 years he has built experience across workgroups including response, investigations, prevention and Youth Aid, along with working in tactical teams having been a dog handler and member of the Armed Offenders Squad.
He promoted to Senior Sergeant and went on to supervise Road Policing, City Prevention and Response and acted as Area Commander for periods. Most recently he held the role of Community and Youth Inspector overseeing partnerships including the Integrated Safety Response – a multi-agency response to family harm in Waikato - and oversees Waikato Police’s response to mental health and youth.
“That really gives you experience in looking at underlying causes, as opposed to reacting when things go wrong.
"There are always opportunities to create support.”
Hamilton is the fourth largest city in New Zealand, making it a busy patch to police. With a thriving hospitality and events industry and a bustling after hours CBD, Scott says a focus is on ensuring public safety during larger events.
The father of two girls is also looking to further reduce public place violence and continue to build on community partnerships to foster safe neighbourhoods.
“I want all families and people in our city to live in a safe community.”
For his staff, Scott brings people skills, a passion for wellness and teamwork, and development and safety on the job.
“I want to create capability and performance, add value for staff," he says. "As a leader we support staff to develop but also support them in the work environment as it’s not an easy job.
“I’m mindful of what our people go through and how we look to support them through that while also improving their ability to do the job.”
Detective Inspector Kevin McNaughton recently joined Waikato District from a workgroup with the National Criminal Investigations Group and will oversee Waikato District's serious and criminal investigations.
In his 28 years of policing, he has worked across districts including Counties Manukau, Waitematā, Canterbury and various PNHQ workgroups in both general duties and CIB roles.