Kapiti Senior Sergeant wins top Australasian award

Senior Sergeant Anita Dixon was named the most outstanding female leader by the Australasian Council of Women and Policing. Photo / Cloe Willetts

A Kapiti Senior Sergeant has won a top Australasian award.

Anita Dixon, who has been an officer for nearly 20 years but in Kapiti since 2013, was named the most outstanding female leader by the Australasian Council of Women and Policing at a conference in Sydney this week.

Nominated by colleagues and members of the Kapiti District Council and Capital and Coast District Health Board, the award was a nod to her leadership, her role in the response to the destructive May weather bomb, and establishing stronger partnerships with mental health support services.

In May, a weather bomb hit the area hard - closing roads, evacuating houses and required a large emergency service response and Ms Dixon played an instrumental role, said a police statement.

Kapiti Coast District Mayor Ross Church said Ms Dixon was highly regarded within the community.

"She is hugely committed to the community, working with council and social agencies to reduce crime and its impacts."

The award also recognised the partnership she has built with mental health support services to assist women and their families.

Iain Barnes, of the Capital and Coast District Health Board's Community Mental Health team, said the work was held in high esteem.

"Her presence at Kapiti has only enhanced the relationship with the police and the mental health service and she is widely regarded within the wider mental health services in the Wellington area."

Under her guidance, the Kapiti police district has moved to one of New Zealand Police's highest performing and most engaged work groups, said the statement.

Ms Dixon has also mentored and supported others in policing, particularly women, and she is widely respected by her staff.

She said it was "very humbling" to receive the award.

"I would especially like to thank my area commander Paul Basham for his leadership and my staff for their belief in me which makes it easy to do my job. I'd like to acknowledge the Kapiti Coast district council and mayor for their backing and also Sam Hoyle, District Commander in Wellington for his support."

Ms Dixon has been a police officer since 1997 and a senior sergeant since 2007.

She worked mainly in front line patrols in the Wellington City district until her move to Kapiti in early 2013.

The awards were part of the 9th Australasian Women in Policing Conference held at Lunar Park, Sydney this week.