“I joined the police when I realised that I wanted a more long-term career than the air force could offer, and I have absolutely no regrets about the choice I made back then.
“Policing has provided me with enormous job satisfaction and a desire for continuous improvement,” says Kirk, who is married with three children ranging in age from 5 to 11.
”I also want to acknowledge the many fellow officers I have met and worked with over the past 17 years in the job.
“Tairāwhiti is fortunate to have the calibre of people it has working in its police force, whether they wear a blue-coloured shirt or not – in other words, whether they are sworn staff or non-sworn staff.”
His police leadership roles have included officer in charge of Wairoa CIB, detective sergeant in Gisborne CIB and area manager (as a senior sergeant) for rural policing.
“My ‘vision’ as area commander is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the communities that make up Tairawhiti by enabling my staff to deliver effective policing services,” he said.
“My ‘priority’ is the safety of my staff.”
Kirk said the environment police worked in had changed over his 17 years in the force.
“We respond to a more diverse range of calls for service these days and that often involves people with complex mental health and addictions issues.
“Effective policing in our community is about working with our iwi, local government and non-governmental agencies to achieve positive outcomes for the community, and together we will continue to strive to achieve those outcomes.”
Kirk said a key focus was recruiting new cops.
“While we are making significant progress with that, we’ve got more work to do.”
There were 13 recruits at the Royal New Zealand Police College destined for the streets of Tairāwhiti, he said.
“They will be graduating on recruit wings between now and February 2025. Of that number, 11 of them are coming to Gisborne and two to Wairoa.
“Our region has never had that number of recruits in training at the Police College at any one time.
“If anyone is considering a career in police, reach out by registering your interest at the New Cops website.
“We have a constable based locally who is committed to supporting our recruiting efforts and will step you through the process.
“There has never been a better time to apply to join us.”
Eastern region police commander Superintendent Jeanette Park welcomed Kirk’s promotion to Tairāwhiti area commander.
“Danny has a wealth of experience and will bring a positive and energetic outlook to the role”.
