POLICE LIFE FAR ‘MORE DANGEROUS’
Escalating gun violence – highlighted by shootout in suburban Christchurch – has prompted police to kickstart a national project logging firearms threats against officers.
A 33-year-old man was shot at by police in Christchurch just before 7.30pm on Tuesday after opening fire at police with a shotgun. The same man was alleged to have fired shots at two police cars in two separate incidents early Saturday morning, Canterbury district commander Superintendent John Price said.
Police Association president Chris Cahill said on Wednesday officers were finding firearms in the hands of criminals on a daily basis throughout the country, with weekly reports of offenders confronting officers with guns.
‘‘We’re playing Russian roulette with the safety of police officers and members of the public because there’s just too many firearms that are in the hands of criminals.’’
Acting Inspector Richard Wilson said staff were telling police bosses anecdotally that firearms were being presented more often. A national project had been started to gather more specific data on the number and types of incidents where firearms were presented at officers to better understand the risks faced, he said.
Police had also invested more than $20 million in new body armour.
In Tuesday’s incident, the man then got out of car on Eveleyn Couzins Ave, Richmond, and crouched behind the back of it, firing at police ‘‘multiple times’’ with a shotgun. Police officers fired back using Bushmaster rifles and police-issue Glock pistols. The offender was shot twice in the lower body.
Cahill said life was now ‘‘a hell of a lot more dangerous’’ for officers on the frontline. ‘‘That’s why more officers than ever are calling to be armed and you’ll see more officers armed out on the street because they’re going to so many more dangerous jobs.’’
A ‘‘two-pronged attack’’ was needed to combat the prevalence of guns, with a registry of all firearms needed as well as increased targeting of gangs.
Police Minister Stuart Nash said there were no plans to change penalties for firearms offences or the firearms licensing system.
He extended his sympathies to officers and residents caught up in the shooting.
Nash said the Government was about a third of the way towards reaching a target of 1800 additional officers.
National’s police spokesman Chris Bishop said there was more that could be done to crack down on illegal firearms use while respecting the rights of licensed firearm owners. He cited a bill put forward by National last year to make it easier for police to crack down on gang members with firearms that was voted down by the Government.
He was ‘‘deeply sceptical’’ of a national firearms register. ‘‘They haven’t worked overseas, they are extremely expensive, and most importantly, are unlikely to work. Criminals do not register guns.’’
Tuesday’s shooting happened less than 2km from another fatal police shooting in 2007.
Stephen Bellingham was shot in the chest and leg on Stanmore Rd, near Avonside Drive, in September 2007 following reports of him smashing car windows with a claw hammer.
The latest incident also comes within days of another police shooting in New Zealand.
Patched Mongrel Mob member Astin Cruz Hooper, 29, was shot by police after robbing a bank in Kawerau, Bay of Plenty, on February 21.
He was given first aid, but died at the scene.