Murdered policeman's actions saved lives

2:00pm

The actions of slain Feilding police officer Duncan Taylor in confronting a gunman almost certainly saved others' lives, Police Commissioner Rob Robinson said at the weekend.

Detective Constable Duncan Taylor, 39, of Feilding, died outside a rural Manawatu house after he was shot on Friday. He was believed to have been hit in the head and chest.

His police partner, 33-year-old Detective Jeanette Park, also of Feilding, was shot in the leg but managed to escape and raise the alarm.

Neither officer was armed or wearing a bullet-proof vest, TV One News reported last night.

High school student Daniel John Luff, 17, was charged in Palmerston North District Court yesterday with Mr Taylor's murder.

He was arrested following a five-hour siege at the house in Rongotea, 19km northwest of Palmerston North, in which two people were allegedly held hostage.

He was also charged with the attempted murder of Ms Park and faced two charges of breaking and entering involving a firearm and two of unlawful detainment.

He entered no plea and was remanded in custody to appear again on July 15.

Police confirmed that Mr Luff had been bitten by a police dog yesterday.

"He suffered an injury to one leg as the result of a police dog bite," Detective Dennis O'Rourke said last night.

He said no further information was available on the extent of the injury or the circumstances in which it was received

Mr Robinson said while the circumstances of the shooting would be subject of a full investigation, it was clear from accounts from Ms Park, colleagues and victims that Mr Taylor was a hero.

"His brave decision to confront the gunman almost certainly saved the lives of potential victims in the nearby house," he said in a statement.

A post-mortem was carried out on Mr Taylor's body in Palmerston North yesterday afternoon, Mr O'Rourke said.

Mr Taylor was survived by a wife and young child.

Mr O'Rourke said no funeral details had yet been made. Mr Robinson said the Police flag would be flown at half-mast on the day of the funeral.

Ms Park had undergone surgery and was in a comfortable condition in Palmerston North Hospital, Mr O'Rourke said.

She was expected to be released from hospital next week.

Mr O'Rourke said he spoke to Ms Park's husband and her family was at her bedside after arriving from the South Island.

Mr Robinson and Central Districts police commander Superintendent Mark Lammas praised Ms Park, who went for help with a bullet in her leg after Mr Taylor was shot.

Ms Park was shot in the thigh but managed to escape from the rural property where a gun-wielding offender opened fire on their car.

"If there was any chance of saving Duncan's life, Jeanette gave us that chance," Mr Lammas said at a press conference.

He described her as a hero who performed her duty "wonderfully well in circumstances we just can't imagine".

He also paid tribute to Mr Taylor, a former national basketball representative and a "gentle giant".

He had been a police officer for 10 years while Ms Park is an 11-year veteran of the force. She is married to a fellow police officer.

Mr Lammas said the incident happened at the Taipo Rd home of Robert and Christine Cocker, who were present at the house with their daughter Stephanie at the time.

"I reiterate they have been innocent victims in this."

Mr Luff was known but not welcome at the home, Mr O'Rourke confirmed.

Mr Taylor's family paid tribute to him today.

"He was a guy with a million friends, (an) extremely positive, happy person," his brother-in-law Simon Moutter said.

"He headed off to work on a normal day and the events that transpired subsequent to that were just so traumatic as to be almost indescribable, unless you're part of that. " Mr Moutter said.

Prime Minister Helen Clark said she was deeply shocked to learn of Mr Taylor's death.

"New Zealand police officers put their lives on the line every day in the course of their duty and the whole country will feel this tragedy."

Police Minister George Hawkins was to visit the families of the officers shortly.

Police Association president Greg O'Connor said the shootings would have devastated police around the country and left an uneasy feeling among family members.

"There's a group of people I feel are often hardest hit and that's the partners of officers who are going out to work over the next few days and weeks. They're left at home."

Police had received a great deal of public support following the shootings, including phone calls from their Australian counterparts.

Mr O'Connor accepted the shootings had again raised the issue of police safety.

Violent crime had continued to rise over recent years and "it was natural" that would impact on police, he said. The dead officer was the 26th to die on active service.

"Just in the last couple of years there has been a rising concern about the preparedness of (police) people," Mr O'Connor said.

"We really need to know the circumstances around this rather than making comments now. We want to wait and see the full facts.

The families of the two officers were being helped through police welfare services.

All Feilding police had been stood down this weekend, with police from other areas brought in to cover for them.

Friends of Mr Taylor also paid tribute to him.

The 2m (6ft 7in) player came to Manawatu from Timaru to play forward for Ubix Palmerston North in the National Basketball League in 1986.

He was brought to the region by coach Joe Frost.

"He was a nice, kind-hearted guy who hadn't been out of the South Island before" Frost said.

Injuries forced Mr Taylor to give up the game eventually, but not before he had made the national basketball squad, the equivalent of today's Tall Blacks, and played for Ubix Palmerston North for several years.

Frost said he had kept in touch with Mr Taylor, who became a father a little over a year ago. He described his death as a waste.

Tall Blacks team member and former Palmerston North representative Willie Burton said it was "fitting" that the team played a test against Hungary in Palmerston North Saturday afternoon. He met Mr Taylor in 1986 and they played for a year together before Burton left for Hawke's Bay.

- NZPA