Cops decide to scrap armed teams

Police have decided not to keep Armed Response Teams — saying they “do not align with the style of policing that New Zealanders expect”. Commissioner Andrew Coster’s announcement ends a contentious six-month trial of the units in Counties Manukau, Waikato and Canterbury.

Coster said the decision had been made based on public feedback, findings from the trial and consultation with the community.

“Everything we do, we do to keep New Zealanders safe and feeling safe,” he said. “Police value our relationships with the different communities we serve, and deliver on the commitments we make to them.

“This means listening and responding to our communities and partnering with them to find solutions that work for both [them and] police.”

Coster had previously said the trials would be only one factor in making the decision. “It is clear to me that these response teams do not align with the style of policing that New Zealanders expect.

“We have listened carefully to that feedback and I have made the decision these teams will not be a part of our policing model in the future.”

As part of that he wanted to reiterate he was committed to the police remaining “generally unarmed”.

“How the public feels is important — we police with the consent of the public, and that is a privilege.

“For police, the trial was about having specialist police personnel immediately ready to deploy to critical or high-risk incidents, to support our frontline staff where they needed enhanced tactical capabilities.”

The trial had attracted widespread opposition, including a Waitangi Tribunal claim filed by justice advocates arguing the Crown breached Te Tiriti o Waitangi by failing to work in partnership with, consult, or even inform Ma¯ori about the trial.

Last week Labour’s Ma¯ori caucus said they had made their views opposing the general arming of the police force very clear in a meeting with Police Minister Stuart Nash.

“While the decision to deploy the ART trial was independently made by the then commissioner of police, and not a Government initiative, we as a caucus acknowledge the general feeling of lack of consultation about the trial that exists — especially within Ma¯ori,” said co-chair Willie Jackson.

But Coster said police could only keep Kiwis safe if they could keep police staff safe too. For that reason police had invested in a new body armour system, strengthened training and given officers more tools and “tactical options”.

The force was also looking at its overall tactical capacity after feedback from officers. The community will be consulted on any more moves.