Waitemata police managers closing office to save cash

Mr Searle said frontline staff would continue to be deployed from the policing centre. Photo / NZPA

Waitemata police managers are losing their headquarters and will set up shop at a nearby station in a bid to cut district costs.

About 70 police staff including top brass, management, professional standards and the legal unit will move from their leased office space in Takapuna to the North Shore Policing Centre.

The present Northcroft St office does not have a public counter and is essentially an administrative headquarters for the Waitemata District, which covers the North Shore, west Auckland and Rodney. The policing centre in Mairangi Bay houses frontline staff including patrol groups and detectives. Its public counter is open from 7am to 10pm everyday.

Confirmation of the move comes just a week after Auckland police revealed they were set to close their busy Downtown station in Fort St in the CBD.

The central city's 30 beat cops are based at Downtown, where the CCTV monitoring system is run from, and the public counter is open from 8am to 4pm on weekdays.

District Commander Mike Clements revealed last week that he planned to sell the building and relocate Downtown officers to the main Auckland Central station on Mayoral Drive.

It is understood the Waitemata move will be completed by the end of June.

"The purpose of the move is to improve co-ordination and deployment of district resources to support the NZ Police operational strategy of Prevention First," said District Commander Superintendent Bill Searle.

"The move will mean that key district managers and staff are able to work alongside frontline operational staff in a more efficient and responsive way to prevent crime and reduce victimisation. Staff affected are a mixture of constabulary and employee staff who are predominantly in support roles. No jobs will be lost as a result of the move."

Mr Searle said frontline staff would continue to be deployed from the policing centre.

"Police will also maintain a presence in Takapuna through the Takapuna police station in Anzac St. Police are looking to ensure we get the best possible value from the funding we receive, which means working smarter with the resources we currently have. There will be substantial future cost savings as a result of ending the current district headquarters leasing arrangement."

North Shore Area Commander Inspector Les Paterson said the move was positive and would mean the public had easier access to all services.

It would also result in a financial savings.

The Northcroft St office is in the four-level Vero building.