Arsonist strikes at police heart

By PATRICK GOWER

The arsonist who torched the Te Rapa police station yesterday destroyed not only the building, but a valued piece of local community and police history as well.

The sole station officer, Senior Constable John Gower, turned the former house into a police station 12 years ago, as one of Hamilton's pioneering community constables.

As he rifled through the ashes of his office with his wife yesterday, he spoke sadly of lost memorabilia and personal belongings built up during his award-winning career.

"It is just life, I know, but I am still taking stock, to tell you the truth," he said. "It has been a tough year, but losing this, the personal side, makes it that much harder."

Senior Constable Gower has spent most of the year in a public spat with the police hierarchy and minister George Hawkins after speaking out against the Government-led cutbacks.

Firefighters were called at 5 am yesterday after neighbours smelled smoke. They doused the fire, but were too late to save one room at the back from being gutted and the rest of the station from extensive smoke damage.

Detective Senior Sergeant Glenn Dunbier said a scene examination by fire safety officers and ESR scientists confirmed police fears that the fire had been deliberately lit.

There was evidence that an accelerant had been used and the fire had been started in a place not easily accessible to the public.

"John Gower is a valued member of the Te Rapa community. An arson attack like this is disappointing to [police], but it is obviously a great disappointment to them as well as us."

Fire safety officer Craig Bain said a sprinkler system would have prevented much of the damage.

Senior Constable Gower and his volunteer staff will be based at the larger Flagstaff station while a decision is made about the Te Rapa station's future.

Senior Constable Gower, who is also the Police Association's Waikato representative, was criticised in Parliament this year when a Labour backbencher asked Mr Hawkins how many arrests Senior Constable Gower had made in the past three years.

Mr Hawkins replied: "Zero."

Police Association president Greg O'Connor said of the fire: "This just goes to show that community constables are subject to the vagaries of policing as much as anyone.

"When you're as active as John is, you're never going to be far from the action."

Senior Constable Gower was thankful for the support he continued to receive from the community.

"I don't mind taking all the criticism; it is the support that I have had through all of this that has been very, very humbling."