‘Significant issue’ of firearms, weapons
those factors, Paxton said.
“Anyone who presents an actual or perceived risk to the safety of others or police staff will be dealt with in a proportionate manner.
“Police’s first option is always deescalation without using further tactical options.
“It’s also important to note that in the midst of a fast-moving situation a person’s age may not be immediately apparent, and someone under 18 can still pose a legitimate risk to public safety and to the safety of officers.”
The data revealed that 20 firearms were also presented by police to minors between 2015 and 2021.
Three of those incidents took place in 2020 when the offenders were aged 13, 14 and 17-years-old. Two were Ma¯ ori, one European but the ethnicity and ages of the others were not specified.
Two had threatened members of the public and/or police with firearms later identified as imitations. The third threatened police staff with a knife.
All incidents were resolved without police firearms being discharged.
Meanwhile, also in 2020, there were two instances when a firearm was discharged and both involved Ma¯ ori.
One of the discharges related to the police shooting of Anthony Fane on February 13, 2020, on State Highway 2.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority cleared police of any wrongdoing.
The other incident was separate and the discharge missed the subject, Paxton said.
Firearm uses are reported by the highest mode of deployment for TOR events, meaning while a firearm may have been presented before being discharged, this would only be counted as a discharge.
Police Association president Chris Cahill said it was pleasing that police had not, for the majority, been forced to use firearms.
“It’d be nicer if they weren’t faced with situations where they have to withdraw them but it’s not the reality at the moment.”
Cahill said the number of presentations reflected the “significant issue” of people arming themselves with firearms and other dangerous weapons.
“The prevalence of firearms and other weapons has increased greatly and that’s what’s leading to the deployment of firearms for officers.
“I think what is a bit concerning is that outside of the high-level gang
members, it seems to be more the norm for other offenders to carry firearms as well.
“You seem to see, to a degree, young people replicating that behaviour even though they might be with imitation firearms.”
Asked about the number of incidents involving Ma¯ori, Cahill said police only presented firearms when warranted. “The reality is police have to deal with what’s in front of them. They have no choice about whether that person is Ma¯ori, Pasifika, European or Asian, it’s who they have to deal with.”
Cahill said Ma¯ori were over-represented in almost every statistic in the justice system, however, he asked if that was a police issue or a societal issue.
Police Minister Poto Williams said it was clear Ma¯ori and Pacific communities were disproportionately represented which was why police were working on the Understanding Policing Delivery research programme. “This is taking an evidence-based approach to identify whether, where and, to what extent, bias exists at a systemlevel in police’s operating environment.”
“Police have developed Te Huringa o Te Tai strategy, which has been developed in partnership with iwi Ma¯ori to address concerns and to reduce victimisation, offending, and injuries among police.
Williams said there had been a focus on recruiting Ma¯ori, Pasifika, and Asian police.
The figures provided are provisional but are the “most accurate available” at the time of analysis and may not be consistent with future reports, according to police.