Three firearms incidents against Auckland police in a week

The incident happened in south Auckland last night. Photo / File

The Police Association has spoken out after a spate of firearms incidents confronting frontline police in Auckland.

On Thursday night, a moving police car was fired upon after a short pursuit in Manurewa.

It was the third incident in just a week in which an offender has allegedly presented a firearm at police.

The Police Association's Auckland and Counties Manukau director Emiel Logan said these incidents were happening with concerning frequency.

Logan said any firearms in the hands of criminals posed a danger to the officers that interacted with them.

"The ultimate danger obviously has been seen seven weeks ago in what happened to Constable Hunt and his partner out in Waitemata."

The three incidents in the past week alone showed a bit of a brazen attitude from armed criminals, who were willing to confront police with firearms, he said.

"In all of these cases the officers themselves did not have a firearm on them when they were confronted."

Back in 2010 the Police Association's general conference called for the general arming of police, he said.

At the end of last year more than half of the association's members were supportive of general arming.

Among frontline general duties constables 72 per cent were supportive, he said.

And within road policing that figure was 74 per cent.

"They are trying to make the road safer," he said.

However, the routine traffic stop was potentially one of the most dangerous things within normal policing because "we don't know what we don't know" when approaching, he said.

Every person should be able to go home from work, he said.

These were scary, pretty traumatic incidents for the officers concerned, he said.

The effect was also felt by their families, these were the things partners and children lost sleep over, he said.

Last night, police had signalled for a vehicle to stop on Weymouth Rd in Manurewa.

The driver failed to stop sparking a pursuit.

Police say after less than a minute, the offending driver presented a firearm from the window and fired a shot at the moving police car.

The pursuit was immediately abandoned and police staff were not injured.

The vehicle was found dumped on Tōtara Rd - about 2.5km away from Weymouth Rd.

Police swarmed into the area but despite efforts the two occupants of the vehicle were not found.

The vehicle involved was dumbed about 2.5km away on Tōtara Rd. Image / Google Maps

It comes after a man on a dirt bike was arrested after allegedly pulling a firearm on police during a pursuit in Glen Eden, West Auckland, on August 5.

Another man was arrested after allegedly presenting a firearm at police following a routine traffic stop in the Auckland CBD on August 3.