Canterbury police remain armed

CHRISTCHURCH: Officers in Canterbury are expected to stay armed until they have tracked down all weapons linked to violence involving gang members, the Police Association says.

Two men were shot in Kaiapoi, north of Christchurch, early on Monday.

Police said they remained in the area yesterday to examine the scene.

Frontline officers in Canterbury will be carrying arms as a result of the shootings.

Association president Chris Cahill said it was a serious but necessary step.

‘‘They’ll arm themselves until they can identify all those persons that have been involved in the latest incident and recover what firearms they can,’’ he said.

Mr Cahill again called for the implementation of a firearms register.

Legislation passed in June last year paves the way for a gun register, but Police Minister Poto Williams said in November while work was under way on ‘‘firearms licensing and administration’’, there was no fixed date for any decision, let alone implementation.

Without a registry, guns were flowing into gang hands without a trace, Mr Cahill said.

Two men and a woman faced a raft of charges in the Christchurch District Court yesterday in relation to the Kaiapoi incident, including unlawful possession of firearms, ammunition and a knife and failing to stop for police.