Police assaults ‘relatively consistent’ in Tairāwhiti

The rate of assaults on police officers in Tairāwhiti remains 'relatively consistent', according to the area commander. Photo / Paul Rickard

Assaults on police in Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay have remained “relatively consistent” year-on-year and are comparable to police districts of the same size.

It was reported earlier this week that Counties Manukau, Waikato and Bay of Plenty reported the most assaults on police officers compared to other regions in New Zealand.

In the past four years there were 453 assaults on officers in Counties Manukau, 465 in Waikato and 549 in Bay of Plenty.

In other police districts such as Eastern, of which Tairāwhiti is a part, fewer than 100 assaults were reported yearly.

No specific figures have been provided for the assault numbers on Tairāwhiti officers.

“In this district, which includes Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti, assaults on police remain relatively consistent year-on-year with numbers in line with other police districts of a comparable size across New Zealand,” Tairāwhiti area commander Inspector Darren Paki said.

“Local staff are acutely aware of the dangers officers face every day. We have a strong focus on ensuring all our staff can get home safely from their shift.

“Many officers in Tairāwhiti work at regional stations in close-knit, small communities, therefore it is vitally important to ensure our staff have the skills and training needed to respond to incidents that may arise in their areas.

“It’s our responsibility to ensure our people are equipped with the right training and resource to do their job safely, and we are constantly looking at ways to enhance the safety of our Tairāwhiti staff, including through improved tactics and training.”

Police completed the nationwide rollout of the Tactical Response Model (TRM) in 2023.

“TRM is a safety system designed to ensure the front line is trained, equipped and supported to keep themselves and communities safer,” Paki said.

“It involves four days a year of enhanced scenario-based training, specific to the current local operating environment and focused on appropriate de-escalation, decision-making under cognitive load and proportional tactical responses.”