Northland police dog handler Phil Kahotea on new track

Police dog handler Phil Kahotea spent six years on the beat with Castro catching crims. Photp/ Michael Cunningham

Sergeant Phil Kahotea is Northland's longest-serving dog handler, with 26 of his 35 years spent padding the beat with his canine, crime-fighting companions. He is embarking on another journey to be a police team leader in Bougainville for a year and on his return will take up an iwi liaison position covering Kaipara. Kahotea talks to reporter Kristin Edge about life on the thin blue line with his four-legged police recruits.

Phil Kahotea talks passionately about Radar, Ice, Buster, Blue, Lockie, Buddy and Castro like they are family members.

He quickly recalls the characteristics of each, their career highs, best tracks and some of the sticky situations the duos have found themselves in.

In fact, 56-year-old Kahotea freely admits he owes his life to some of his seven canine crime fighting companions.

And he smiles: "Well they really do become part of the family. And on the job you depend on them."

As a fresh-faced 21-year-old, Constable Kahotea was sent to Whangarei and until earlier this month he was still enforcing the law in Northland.

An amazing 26 of those years were in the dog unit, nine of them as the senior handler.

Kahotea's dedication to the thin blue line was acknowledged when he was presented with his 35-year long service and good conduct ribbon and clasp last month.

It was about the same time a decision was made to take on another challenge and head offshore to police in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, for 12 months.

He then returns home for a role as an iwi liaison officer.

"It was an awesome journey in the dog section. I know a lot of cops out there who want to be a dog handler ... it's an awesome job and have been the best policing years I've had. I've been on the sharp end of crime and now I'm going back to a role in the community.

He adds: "I'm slowing up now due to an old rugby injury. It's time to go and think about what else I can do in the police. I'm looking forward to a stint in Bougainville but it will be hard work there."

FIRST DOG: Phil Kahotea with gift dog Radar who became a champion police dog. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

The 56-year-old grandfather of four says policing has been his life.

"I always wanted to be a police officer and policing has been my life. I wanted to help the community."

But it wasn't an easy path for a young Kahotea. He was so keen to get into the blue uniform that as a youngster he worked at the Papakura police station, washing and cleaning patrol vehicles. When he approached the recruiting officer, he was turned away as he had only school certificate woodwork.

But steely determination saw him return to night school and pass English and maths, which enabled him to be sworn in as a constable at Auckland Central before entering police college.

SUCCESSFUL SNIFFER: Orla has a nose for illegal drugs and cash and will get plenty of practice in Northland with handler Phil Kahotea.

After three months' training, he joined seven other new recruits in Whangarei.

He'd passed through the place once before and had no real desire to be stationed there.

But as a young single man his eyes were opened to the world of policing and he even had a stint working as a front line officer during the Springbok tour.

As a father of a young family he then spent four years policing in Ruawai, until a trainee police dog handling position became available in Whangarei.

In December 1990 he qualified with police dog Radar. The pooch was a gift dog from a Whangarei family who didn't have enough time to care for such a big animal.

But the dog's instincts were perfect for policing.

"He was a born police dog. Hehad everything there, the aggression, natural tracking ability and obedience. "He loved me and just wanted to please me."

Kahotea laughs when questioned about his very first track.

The new duo were on night duty and called to Onerahi where thieves had smashed a shop window and bolted. Young, fit and fresh, the combination quickly tracked across a nearby park to a house where the thieves had fled. Senior handler Brian Parker had been shadowing the police tracking unit when he came across an amorous couple showing their love for each other in the park.

In the adrenaline rush of the chase Kahotea and Radar had failed to notice the couple and charged straight past.

They notched up a second successful track later in the night which was the start of a seven-year relationship that saw plenty of crims nabbed. Radar was also trained as a drug detector dog and was attached to the Armed Offenders Squad.

And the team proved they were the best in the country, taking out the national police dog championships in 1993 and placing second and third in subsequent years.

Finally Radar suffered hip dysplasia - a common ailment of big dogs - and was retired.

Kahotea's passion for his canine counterparts is obvious and particularly when it comes to Buddy.

Many a police officer would scatter at a job or seek refuge in a police car when Kahotea and Buddy turned up. The dog was well known for his aggressive attitude.

Kahotea says he even suffered at the jaws of Buddy.

"He had a go at me a couple of times and tried to bite me. I pulled him off and was very cautious at the start."

The dog was bought to New Zealand from England to bolster the Kiwi police dog breeding programme.

His innate aggressiveness made him a perfect dog for armed offender squad callouts.

Being a dog handler, especially with a dog trained to be part of the armed offenders squad, means being on high alert.

"The pager sits beside the bed. Sometimes I can't sleep because I'm waiting for it to go off," he says. "It's very dangerous work. You end up being isolated quite a bit with just you and your dog and the offender. "You never know how aggressive they are or what weapons they have on them.

"I've caught guys with knives, screw drivers and all sorts of weapons. My dogs have saved me a number of times."

A guy caught in the bush at the back of Pipiwai on a pitch black night was unpredictable and armed with a knife.

Kahotea says he appealed to the guy to come out of the bush but it was the dog lunging and barking at the end of the leash that finally convinced him to give himself up.

TRAINING: Police dog Tai has a go at Phil Kahotea during a display at Okara Park. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

He says when there are close encounters offenders have tried to gouge the dog's eyes and stab them. Some of the longest tracks he has been on have taken him 13km across farmland into forestry and lasted hours.

"It's a physically demanding job ... you have to be super fit."

The biggest manhunt Kahotea has been involved in was the massive search for murderer Nathan Fenton, who evaded police for 10 days before succumbing to the jaws of Buddy.

Fenton went on the run with Eileen Everitt after he killed 17-year-old Mairina Dunn in a Holmes Ave, Otangarei, house in 2006.

"We were deployed every day and we were tracking through scrub after reported sightings along the coast. They were long days and intense," recalls Kahotea.

"Then we had a sighting near Whananaki about 1am. Fenton and Everitt were in a caravan near the beach. We loud-hailed for them to come out then the tear gas went in.

"Then both came out. He hit the ground with his feet ready to run but by that time Buddy was on him."

Buddy retired and has since passed away. His ashes are back at the police dog base near Wellington.

Kahotea's last dog, Castro, has been retired after six years on the pointy end of crime and will be kept as a pet.

Before jetting off Kahotea said of his career in the dog unit: "If I could do it all again I would. It's been a wonderful journey."