Armed soldiers to patrol Whanganui for peacekeeping exercise this weekend

Operation Italy will involve about 60 soldiers patrolling Whanganui this Sunday. Photo / NZME

• Soldiers will patrol Whanganui as part of Exercise Italy, simulating peacekeeping scenarios.
• About 60 Army Reservists will patrol with rifles fitted with blank firing attachments.
• The exercise prepares soldiers for stability operations and includes managing volatile situations.

Soldiers armed with rifles will patrol urban Whanganui this weekend as part of Exercise Italy.

The exercise involves scenarios the soldiers could expect to encounter while deployed on a peacekeeping mission in the southwest Pacific.

About 60 Army Reservists from 5th/7th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, will patrol around Maria Place on Sunday, May 18, armed with rifles fitted with a blank firing attachment.

“Reservists regularly participate in peacekeeping exercises as part of their training and preparedness for potential deployments. In this instance, we are training for ‘stability operations’,” Captain Peter Havell said.

“It helps them develop skills and familiarise themselves with the principles and practices of peacekeeping, including maintaining impartiality and using force only in self-defence or when necessary to protect the mission mandate.”

The exercise will include curated scenarios that may seem concerning to the public but Havell said the “incidents” were “carefully planned and safe” and would involve only New Zealand Defence Force staff.

“The community may see soldiers out and about patrolling around Maria Place, managing potentially volatile situations with civilians as well as stopping and searching vehicles,” he said.

Exercise Italy will also help the 5/7 RNZIR prepare for Exercise Tauwharenikau in July.

Exercise Tauwharenikau is the largest Reservist gathering in New Zealand, assembling about 250 soldiers to complete battle-handling exercises that combine intelligence and action to ensure basic soldier competency and skills.