Auckland City police admit they are entering the unknown as they plot how to keep a lid on the country's busiest millennium party spot.
All but a handful of the city's police staff will be on duty at some point tomorrow and Saturday, with dedicated teams set up tocover the main celebration centres of the American Express NZ Cup Village, the rest of the inner city, the Domain and Okahu and Mission Bays.
Planning manager Inspector Derek Davison hopes high visibility around the city will keep revellers in order, while officers are being told to remember the nature of the celebrations and not be too heavy-handed.
But despite all the planning, Mr Davison said, police were not sure what would unfold. The event will be the city's biggest policing operation.
"We are trying to police for extraordinary times, for the unknowable," he said. "I think we have got to say we have put the staff where we think they need to be, but we have the ability to be flexible."
He refused to say how many officers would be on duty, although there will be a "high number" at the Domain, where a crowd of 200,000 is expected.
Police numbers will start increasing from about 5 pm on New Year's Eve, with the teams covering the inner city, Cup Village, and Mission Bay starting at 9 pm and at 11 pm at Okahu Bay for the dawn ceremony.
The inner-city team has been charged with covering all the pubs and clubs as well as events at the Sky Tower and Aotea Square.
They will be backed up by officers doing "the usual stuff" and contingency groups for the expected traffic gridlock and other problems, Mr Davison said.
On New Year's Day more officers will be on to "bring the city back into its business-as-usual state."
Police in North Shore, Waitakere and Counties-Manukau will also have increased numbers.
Officers will man some of the smaller police stations in the Waitakere-North Shore area including New Lynn, Massey, Devonport, Glenfield, Browns Bay, Whangaparaoa, Warkworth, Wellsford and Helensville.
