Field officers to tackle crime hotspots

By Beck Vass
Forget your friendly community constables - Tauranga police are taking a tougher line on reducing inner city crime by introducing two field officers in a pilot project which could spread to other areas.
The two new roles have been created in Tauranga and Mount Maunganui as part of a crackdown on crime at Western Bay hot spots.
They are part of the Government's allocation of 1000 new police officers around New Zealand announced in last year's Budget.
Bay of Plenty police district Superintendent Gary Smith said the Western Bay was the only police area in the region to receive field officers.
Mr Smith said the roles filled the "gap" left when Tauranga's only community constable resigned last year.
The field officers were like community constables but more about "problem-solving", targeting specific locations and putting police responses in place, he said.
This could mean installing signs in problem spots or cutting trees down to make dark areas safer, depending on the problem. "It's a problem-solving role but it's not just from a police lens, it's about people who live in those areas - councils, (property) owners ... "
Mr Smith said the field officer roles could be extended to other areas if they proved successful. "We have other areas in mind. We'll see how it goes."
Tauranga Inspector Karl Wright-St Clair said by implementing the field officer roles it was hoped that violence, alcohol-related crimes, thefts and burglaries would all decrease.
One of the officers, Senior Constable Brent McGrath, is based in the former community constable's office in the Westpac building on Devonport Rd.
Police plan to man the Westpac building office with volunteer staff within months so that people can visit for advice.
Mr McGrath's mission is to find out what's causing crime in the central city and find a way to stop offences occurring.
A large part of his job will be liaising with alcohol retailers and council staff to keep the city safe.
But his job will also cover the role of the traditional community constable which includes providing advice on what people can do to reduce crime.
Mr McGrath, who has 20 years' experience as a police officer, was born in the Western Bay and grew up in Otumoetai.
He said he was looking forward to his new role after working on general duties policing in the Bay. "It's really about making the central city a safe place no matter what the time of day."
Before he joined the police, Mr McGrath managed a water treatment plant at Omokoroa.
Since then, he has worked in South Auckland and been a driving instructor at Police College in Porirua. He was also a personal protection officer, looking after foreign dignitaries as they visited New Zealand.
In his spare time, Mr McGrath competes in triathlons as well as managing a vibration training business.
The other field officer is Constable Wayne Lambert, who is based at Mount Maunganui.