Obituary: Malcolm Churches

Policeman, CBE. Died aged 69.

Mal Churches, who became the 25th Commissioner of Police in 1987, started his police career in Auckland, his home town.

Born in 1934, he attended Panmure School and St Peters College. He joined the police in 1954.

He served in the Auckland CIB from 1956 until he transferred to the Christchurch CIB in 1965. That year, he headed Christchurch's newly established armed offenders squad.

Churches was awarded a Harkness Fellowship for study at Michigan State University in 1969-70. He also studied at the Bureau of Narcotics and FBI National Academy in the US.

In 1971 he moved to Police National Headquarters in Wellington.

He was deeply involved with establishing and running the police undercover programme, which was set up largely in response to a rapidly expanding domestic drug scene.

Churches was the first commanding officer of the Anti-Terrorist Squad, established by Commissioner Bob Walton in 1977 so police could be trained and equipped to deal with any terrorist incident in New Zealand.

The squad was renamed in 1992 and continues to play a vital role in New Zealand's national security as the Special Tactics Group.

In 1981, he attended a senior command course at the Police Staff College in Bramshill, England.

He was made an officer of the British Empire in 1983 for his services to criminal investigation and his major contributions to police policy and procedures, particularly relating to armed offenders, anti-terrorism and drugs.

He also acquired two police commissioner's commendations earlier in his career for inspiring leadership and organising ability during two homicide inquiries.

His tenure as police commissioner was not marked by public controversy.

But internally he made his mark. A police management review called Project Blueprint was started when Churches was Deputy Commissioner and it fell to him to introduce and manage a large restructuring.

He retired in April 1989 and a few months later was made a commander of the British Empire.

Churches is survived by his wife, Ellen (Nell), and three children.