Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Police relocated to Northland in wake of murders, crimes

Morgan Tait
By Morgan Tait
Reporter·NZ Herald·
5 Aug, 2016 02:19 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Police Commissioner Mike Bush has announced four new cops for Northland. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Police Commissioner Mike Bush has announced four new cops for Northland. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Police are bolstering the numbers of officers in Northland after a spate of homicides and other violent offences there.

Commissioner Mike Bush has today announced four new staff for the region where at least four homicides have been committed this year.

There have also been a number of violent assaults and robberies - including three knife attacks in Kaitiai in one week of July.

However, the officers will just be relocated from elsewhere in New Zealand - meaning there will be fewer officers in other regions.

Last night, a 38-year-old man was in police custody today after his 77-year-old friend died from knife wounds.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Police said the older man was deceased at a Te Kao address when emergency services arrives, and exact charges were yet to be identified.

Two weeks ago, a man was charged with murder following a fatal stabbing in Kaitaia - the third knife attack in the town in a week.

In February, a man was arrested after the death of another man at a Church Rd address in Ngararatunua and on New Year's Eve another man was killed in Kaitaia.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Today, Bush announced the new officers would be moving north.

"There have been a number of homicides and other high profile incidents in Kaitaia in recent months, and that will obviously concern those who live there," he said.

"We're working closely with the community to ensure their needs are met and we're providing extra staff to assist."

It was "not unusual" for crime to happen in the same area, and these incidents were not related, he said.

Discover more

Meth: Three guilty after 5-week trial

04 Aug 08:38 PM

Northland road toll blowout

04 Aug 09:30 PM
New Zealand

Arrest after man found dead

04 Aug 09:05 PM

"Having said that, we recognise that Northland Police have been kept busy investigating these and other incidents, and we're putting six extra staff into the district for 2016/17.
"Additional staff have also been provided to Northland as required this year, just as every police district can call for support whenever it's needed."

The announcement, in his Commissioner's Blog, comes after the Herald today revealed that there are fewer front line cops per New Zealander than there was five years ago.

There was one cop per 503 Kiwis last year, down from one per 488 in 2009, according to police data.

In the police's four-year plan to 2020, forecast staff numbers do not change despite projected population increases to about 4.8 million Kiwis.

Police have been approached for comment about what the new staff for Northland will mean for other communities, and a response will be added to this article when it is received.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

'We need cops': Kaikohe's plea amid rising crime rates

Premium
OpinionKevin Page

Kevin Page: Facing fears, finding humour and relief in medical journey

Northern Advocate

'Terribly confusing': FNDC slammed for costly speed limit changes


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

'We need cops': Kaikohe's plea amid rising crime rates
Northern Advocate

'We need cops': Kaikohe's plea amid rising crime rates

A Kaikohe resident has written an open letter urging action against rising crime.

14 Jul 05:41 PM
Premium
Premium
 Kevin Page: Facing fears, finding humour and relief in medical journey
Kevin Page
OpinionKevin Page

Kevin Page: Facing fears, finding humour and relief in medical journey

14 Jul 05:00 PM
'Terribly confusing': FNDC slammed for costly speed limit changes
Northern Advocate

'Terribly confusing': FNDC slammed for costly speed limit changes

14 Jul 05:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP