It's a case of back to the future for Northland police, whose new "public safety teams" are an echo of police sections of the past.
The formation of the three-strong, sergeant-led teams is just one aspect of a national reorganisation of the police force.
More controversially, the changes also involve laying off some non-sworn staff and changes to the police roster.
The Far North's new area commander, Inspector Wendy Robilliard, said the public safety teams were similar to old-time frontline police sections. It was part of a push to be more visible and shift focus to crime prevention.
Police had now also moved to a new system of "rostering to demand". That meant the greatest numbers of staff would be on duty at the busiest times.
Ms Robilliard would not say what those times would be - that would be giving too much away to criminals - except that the new peak roster times would include some evenings which were "incredibly busy" for police. The rumours that stations like Kaikohe and Kerikeri would be downgraded were untrue, she said.
"We'll have more staff on the beat at busy times, and we'll still be on call 24/7."
Ms Robilliard also allayed fears in Paihia, which has been down to just one constable at times over winter, that the town's low staffing levels would become permanent. Come October, Sergeant Peter Masters would return to Paihia, bringing the station back to full strength, she said.
"There's a lot of changes coming. We need to be more effective with the staff numbers we've got and get the best bang for our buck. I think the new public safety teams and new rostering will give far better coverage."
Police Commissioner Peter Marshall also took the chance to talk about the looming changes when he visited Northland police stations on Thursday and Friday.
Work was also underway to set up a centralised file management system in Whangarei and a centralised crime reporting line which would see all calls picked up in Auckland, which Mr Marshall said would lead to quicker service.