Statement from Wellington Police District Commander

Superintendent Sam Hoyle, Wellington Police District Commander:

It’s with great sadness that I can advise one of our Police dogs was shot and killed today in the line of duty while executing a routine search warrant in Porirua.

We are unable at this time to identify the dog until all the necessary notifications are complete, and out of respect for his handler and family, just as we would for any other fallen colleague.

An officer was also injured while jumping from the second storey of the house as a result of the incident.

A helicopter was deployed to provide medical assistance.

He is currently in a stable condition in hospital and is receiving ongoing support from his Police colleagues.

The Commissioner of Police Mike Bush has expressed his strong support for the staff involved in today's tragic incident.

While the events of today will be the subject of a thorough criminal investigation, and also a Police practice, policy and procedure investigation, here is the information known to date:

Around 9.45am today, three police staff, accompanied by a Police dog, visited an address in Kokiri Crescent, Porirua, where they were seeking a man who was wanted to arrest.

While at the address, a man presented a firearm and the Police dog was shot and subsequently killed. Two officers immediately removed the dog’s body from the house and one officer jumped to safety out of a second storey window.

Police staff, including the Armed Offenders Squad, are searching for the offender, who left the residential property and was reported to be armed. Police is currently focused on finding him as soon as possible, and there is a very strong Police presence in the area, including specialist armed staff.

We are asking members of the public to avoid the area and to report any suspicious behaviour to police immediately by calling 111.

Police are looking to speak with Pita Rangi Tekira in relation to this incident.

We are asking for Mr Tekira’s whanau and friends to contact police on 04 381 2000 if they know where he is.

The public should not approach this individual but should contact Police immediately on 111.

Police can confirm we also advised local day care facilities to go into lock down as a precautionary measure.

Police are currently interested in a location on Kokiri Cresent and are in the process of clearing neighbouring addresses.

ENDS

History of police dogs

Police dogs are very much an integral part of our Police family, and any loss like this is a tragedy that is felt right across the organisation and also by many in our community.

Police dogs serve our communities day in and day out with courage and loyalty, across a range of roles and situations, often putting themselves in harm’s way to protect others.

The safety of all handlers and their dogs is paramount, with teams responding to about 40,000 incidents a year.

The New Zealand Police Dog section was established in 1956 and is internationally recognised for its breeding and training programme.

130 German Shepherd patrol dog teams operate with their handlers across New Zealand, covering a range of general patrol, tracking, search and rescue, victim recovery and AOS incidents. Patrol dog teams make up about 90 percent of our dog section capability, with the rest working in detector dog roles.

The handlers themselves all have several years experience before they get selected to become a police dog handler. Dogs and their handlers then go through a robust training regime before they are graduate in an operational role in their districts.

The dogs are with the handlers 24 x 7 and live with them and their families. There’s a special bond and trust between the dogs and their handlers.

The safety record of dogs is very high, however given the nature of the demanding roles they work in, occasionally deaths and serious injuries sometimes happen.

There have been seven dogs shot on duty in the section’s history, including today’s incident.

ends

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