Police safety under scrutiny after shots fired at stations
Police national manager of wellness and safety Stu Duncan told Ten One magazine recent designs had ‘‘focused primarily on customer service’’.
‘‘We’re re-evaluating to make sure we’ve got the balance right between customer service and the safety of our employees and the public,’’ he said.
‘‘We’re looking at a number of potential control measures, among them things such as CCTV, counter design and counter barriers.’’
Central District operations manager Inspector Murray Drummond said at this stage it was only something they were reviewing.
‘‘There’s no conclusion at the moment.
‘‘Generally, there is a wider project going on.’’
However, Drummond said security was always looked at.
‘‘There have been various reviews around security over a number of years.
‘‘There has just been a range of them that have been implemented at a variety of stations.’’
People were naturally concerned when the Palmerston North police station had a gun fired in reception earlier this year, but risk assessment was ongoing.
He said security measures varied from station to station depending on location, openness of the station, and other factors.
The review would include groups from police national headquarters that deal with administration, operations and response, representatives from the 12 police districts, the Police Association and external consultants.
Duncan said the review team had considered risks ranging from threatening language to physical assault and use of a weapon. The team was looking at preventive measures and mitigation based on training, technology and design of front counters and reception areas.
‘‘We don’t want to make our premises less welcoming to members of our communities but we must do all we can to ensure our staff and members of the public are safe.’’
The review team would report to the police executive later in the month.
If approval was granted, work would then proceed with potential designs, training, standards and guidelines.