Police HQ moves out west
West Auckland has been identified as the biggest risk area for crime in the Waitemata¯ Police District.
District commander Tusha Penny said a large proportion of police demand came from the Waita¯ kere region.
The latest crime data revealed there had been a 22 per cent rise in aggravated robberies in West Auckland for the year ending August.
In a bid to curb crime, Penny was hauling her entire leadership team to Henderson from January 2018.
The headquarters was in the North Shore since 1999, but Waita¯kere was now considered the biggest risk, Penny said.
‘‘The welfare and safety of our community will always be the number one priority for our team,’’ she said.
‘‘For us to effectively police across the district, it’s important for us to lead from the front and have a significant leadership presence where a large proportion of our demand comes from.’’
The decision to relocate was unanimous, she said.
At the Waitemata¯ Police Diwali celebration in Henderson on October 20, Penny said she had asked her team where they needed to be and West Auckland was mentioned within minutes.
It was where police needed to be leading from every day and the biggest risk area in the district, she said.
The exact number of police staff relocating to Henderson was yet to be determined, but it would affect staff from the district leadership team.
‘‘It's important for us to lead from the front... ’’
Superintendent Tusha Penny