Police allay fears after armed incident in Taneatua

A manhunt turned into a school visit for Taneatua School. Photo / Katee Shanks

After being in lockdown for about two hours, students of Taneatua School in the Eastern Bay were given the opportunity to get up close to the arsenal police had engaged to find the bad guy.

Shortly after 9am on Tuesday morning, police were told a man they had been seeking was in Taneatua and last seen running across the school's rugby field.

As a result the school was put into lockdown and cordons were set up around the town.

Armed police from Whakatāne, along with members of the Rotorua Armed Offenders Squad, members of the dog unit and the police eagle helicopter were all deployed to the scene.

Whakatāne Sergeant Caoin Macey said at the conclusion of a police operation in Taneatua all police personnel involved joined the eagle helicopter crew that had landed on the school rugby field.

"We believed it was a great opportunity for a bit of public relations with the school and the school community, and we had the time to do it," Sergeant Macey said.

"Not long ago I had been at Apanui School talking to the student's about 105, the new police non-emergency phone number, so I took the Taneatua students through the same.

"We got them to yell 105 as loudly as they could,"

Taneatua School principal Marama Stewart said she had been talking to Senior Sergeant Yvonne Parker at the scene.

"About a month ago Yvonne had run a workshop with principals from the Eastern Bay about lock downs and communication with police," Stewart said.

"During the lock down she told us police hoped to have the operation concluded in about an hour and I said it would be great if one or two of the police staff involved could come and talk to the students afterward.

"Just to tell them the bad guy had been caught and that they were safe."

Stewart said police staff went above and beyond what she had asked for.

"The kids loved it," she said.

"Although I have to admit I think the police dogs got more attention than the helicopter."