The Police Commissioner says it’s “far too early” to tell whether anything could have changed this morning’s shooting incident that left one officer dead in Massey, Auckland - including having police armed response teams.
Commissioner Andrew Coster confirmed to media this afternoon the two officers who were shot at were not carrying firearms at the time as they were carrying out “routine policing activity”. He also confirmed one of the officers had died.
He said the officers were carrying "normal tactical options available to them" instead. This can include pepper spray, batons and Tasers. A firearm is usually available in the trunk of police vehicles.
“It’s far too early to speak to what would have made a difference in this situation, if anything,” he said.
“This situation does not appear to be relevant to the question of armed response teams.
“As I say, it unfolded very quickly … I’m not prepared to go into greater detail what we might make of this situation.”
He said the situation looked to have “escalated extremely quickly” after police stopped a vehicle at a "routine traffic stop" on Reynella Drive at around 10.30am.
"The incident points to the real risk that our officers face as they go about their jobs every day."
The comments come as Mr Coster told TVNZ 1's Q+A on Monday he has ruled out implementing the armed response team.
It followed criticism from advocates that the arms response team unfairly impacted Māori.
"My commitment going forward is to consult well on initiatives that go to the heart of our style of policing," he said.
Chris Cahill, president of the NZ Police Association, said “arming police is a debate for the future” rather than for today.
SHARE ME