Cyclone Gabrielle: Police deploy mobile bases amid Hawke’s Bay crime concerns

Detective Sergeant Hemi Tito with a mobile police unit on State Highway 2 between Bay View and Whirinaki. Photo / Paul Taylor

Amid widespread safety fears from the public in some areas of Hawke’s Bay, police have set up two Mobile Police Bases in the region.

The aim of the bases is to provide the public with better accessibility to police in communities struggling for reception or roading.

As of Wednesday, one base was stationed in Puketapu and the other in the Bay View and Whirinaki areas. A third base is set to arrive later this week, and the three will continue to move throughout the Hawke’s Bay region.

Detective Sergeant Hemi Tito was based near Bay View on State Highway 2 on Wednesday and said with the return of school in the area, many were wanting to get back to “some normality”.

“[This] is great for the kids. The community are starting to come to terms with what it means for them and trying to get the machine moving.

“That initial panic and trauma is over, and now they are having to deal with the rest of it.”

Police and families together at the Mobile Operations Centre in Bay View. Photo / Paul Taylor

On the topic of safety, Tito said there were multiple police and reassurance groups out and about in Hawke’s Bay that were “working around the clock”.

He said the mobile units would be consistently manned, and that people were welcome to come and talk to police no matter what their concerns were.

“If you see the bus, just wave out. Tell it to pull over and it will pull over. We’re not here as a major response team, so if you want to talk, just pull us over and we are quite happy to have a chat.”

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said the mobile units would enable police to have greater visibility in Hawke’s Bay communities, particularly in more rural or isolated locations.

Besides the mobile units, he also said specialist search groups, intelligence officers, investigators, dog handlers, iwi liaison officers, frontline staff and the Eagle helicopter were active in the region.

“I want to acknowledge the feelings of distress and concern from some residents in Eastern District, and reassure them that we are maintaining our additional staff numbers in the district while we work through the recovery phase,” he said in a statement.

“We have heard residents’ concerns around crime, and our officers are working hard every day carrying out reassurance patrols and engaging with communities.”

A public meeting on Tuesday night at Crab Farm Winery highlighted that many Hawke’s Bay residents were concerned for their safety, with some even saying they were ready to bear arms.

District Commander Superintendent Jeanette Park attended the meeting with Police Minister Stuart Nash, the Napier and Hastings mayors and other local and regional politicians.

There was a visible police presence at the meeting, and one police staff member stood up after the hui had finished and encouraged locals to come and voice their concerns and submit reports.