Northland Age
  • Northland Age home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Rural
  • Opinion
  • Kaitaia weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei

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 / Northland Age

All police on deck in Kawakawa

Northland Age
8 Oct, 2018 08:34 PM2 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

Kawakawa's full complement of frontline police - Constables Julian Trinder (left), Damian Bath, Alexis Chapman, Jordan Fraser, Sergeant Mark Barratt, Maurice Cooper, Warren Dunn and Sergeant Phil Le Comte, with Whangārei's Elyse Lewis and police dog Mist in front. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Kawakawa's full complement of frontline police - Constables Julian Trinder (left), Damian Bath, Alexis Chapman, Jordan Fraser, Sergeant Mark Barratt, Maurice Cooper, Warren Dunn and Sergeant Phil Le Comte, with Whangārei's Elyse Lewis and police dog Mist in front. Photo / Peter de Graaf

The last couple of years haven't been the easiest for policing in Kawakawa. The station lost its sergeant, a couple of constables and public counter staff in 2016 after a roster change and years of frozen police budgets, but it's as very different picture now.

For the first time in at least two years the station has a full complement of staff. The current government's funding boost, a major recruiting drive and the new 24-hour roster for the Mid North has seen the return of a sergeant and seven frontline constables, along with a senior sergeant, a youth officer and a community constable.

The men and women in blue celebrated the station's restored fortunes with an open day on Friday, giving the community a chance to look over the station and meet the staff, with a police dog demonstration free sizzled sausages and even home-made biscuits as added inducements.

Acting Sergeant Mark Barratt said the 100-odd people who accepted the invitation were "stoked" to see a full team again: "This is what the community has been asking for," he said, adding that the 27/7 roster allowed faster response times, and had already led to a number of burglary arrests.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Kawakawa Business Association chairman Malcolm Francis said the community had been noticeably short of police since staff were concentrated in Kerikeri, and he was taking a wait and see approach to promises of new staffing levels.

"The proof will be in the pudding ... but if it goes anything like they say it will, it's going to be awesome," he said.

Under the 24-hour roster, introduced in July, Kawakawa, Kaikohe and Kerikeri take turns at providing night-time cover for the Mid North. Kaitaia made the change to 24/7 yesterday.

It has yet to be decided whether the public counter will be manned in Kawakawa; in the meantime the station, on Albert St, will be open between 7am and 4pm when officers are present. Otherwise visitors will be asked to use an intercom by the door to contact the police communications centre.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northland Age

Northland Age

'An honour': Far North cafe's triple victory at national awards

12 Jun 03:00 AM
Northland Age

Watch: Discover top talent at this year's Smokefreerockquest and Showquest

12 Jun 01:57 AM
Northland Age

Public input sought on Far North's long-term waste strategy

11 Jun 07:00 PM

It was just a stopover – 18 months later, they call it home

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northland Age

'An honour': Far North cafe's triple victory at national awards

'An honour': Far North cafe's triple victory at national awards

12 Jun 03:00 AM

Peekaboo Backyard Eatery won the Supreme Award at the Lion Hospitality Awards.

Watch: Discover top talent at this year's Smokefreerockquest and Showquest

Watch: Discover top talent at this year's Smokefreerockquest and Showquest

12 Jun 01:57 AM
Public input sought on Far North's long-term waste strategy

Public input sought on Far North's long-term waste strategy

11 Jun 07:00 PM
News in brief: Donate blood this Blood Donor Week, Tui clean-up

News in brief: Donate blood this Blood Donor Week, Tui clean-up

11 Jun 06:00 PM
The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE
sponsored

The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE

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 Northland Age e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to The Northland Age
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northland Age
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northern Advocate
  • 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
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP