Southern police head for Nelson to assist during fire
THE South’s finest flew out on a mercy dash to Nelson yesterday.
Boarding a Royal New Zealand Air Force 757, the Dunedin officers joined a contingent from Invercargill in a deployment to police in Tasman as its devastating bush fire burns on.
Among their ranks was at least one freshly minted probationary constable, along with sergeants and senior sergeants, all led by Inspector Craig Brown.
The Dunedin officers were in high spirits as they marched across the tarmac to join Southland comrades already aboard the grey Air Force jet.
Watching them leave was Inspector Wil Black, of Dunedin, who said the group of officers were a ‘‘good crew’’ eager to get stuck in to the weeklong deployment.
‘‘They’re chafing at the bit. ‘‘Otago’s finest.’’
All volunteers, the officers would be undertaking a range of tasks, including cordons, intelligence, management and public reassurance.
The contingent included officers from youth services, community policing, road policing and public safety teams.
Insp Black said there would still be plenty of police left in Dunedin, as many of the 88 new officers promised for the Southern District as part of a nationwide increase had already landed.
The fire yesterday covered 2335 hectares of land, and has a 33.5km perimeter.
Almost 140 properties remained under an evacuation order, 370 people were out of their homes and 567 animals were being cared for at the A&P show grounds.
—Additional reporting RNZ