Wing 348 To Graduate At The Royal New Zealand Police College Tomorrow
Fifty-nine new constables of Wing 348 were attested
yesterday, at the Police
College in Porirua, and
will graduate tomorrow Thursday 25
November.
Commissioner Andrew Coster, Police Minister
Poto Williams and Wing Patron Dr
Mustafa Farouk QSM
will attend the graduation ceremony.
Dr Farouk
is a member of the Police Muslim Communities Reference
Group. This
group guides Police in the
implementation of the Royal Commission of
Inquiry
into the 15 March Terrorist
Attacks.
In the aftermath of those attacks in
Christchurch, Dr Farouk deployed
immediately
alongside Police. He played a pivotal role liaising with
police,
helping to plan the response to provide
reassurance to affected families and
the wider
Muslim community. He has also been a voice for the Muslim
community
on firearms law reform and an advocate to
address hate and discrimination.
When he spoke to the
wing on their first day of training, Dr
Farouk
emphasised the importance of relationships
between police and their
communities.
“No
matter what you do, relationships are important because that
is what
will make your work easier. My advice to
you is get to know the people
you’ll be dealing
with.”
Due to COVID restrictions, limited numbers
of family and friends have been
invited to the
graduation from alert level 2 areas of the country.
The
ceremony will also be livestreamed to those
unable to attend.
Awards
Minister’s
Award recognising top student – Constable Lewis
Ferguson,
Counties Manukau
District
Patron’s Award for Second in Wing,
recognising second top student –
Constable
Friederike Faber, Counties Manukau
District
Commissioner’s Award for Leadership –
Constable Matthew White,
Northland
District
Physical Training and
Defensive Tactics Award – Constable Tama
Tukaki,
Canterbury District
Driver Training
and Road Policing Practice Award – Constable Lisa
Garrity,
Eastern District
Firearms Award – Constable Wayne Sandbrook, Central District
Deployment
The wing is being
dispersed to districts as follows, starting their
frontline
duty on 6
December:
Northland – 2, Tamaki Makaurau –
21, Waikato – 4, Bay of Plenty – 2,
Eastern –
6, Central – 5, Wellington – 8, Tasman – 3, Canterbury
–
3, Southern – 5
Wing demographics
Female 42.4%, gender diverse 3.4%, and
male 54.2%; NZ European 69.5%; Māori
11.9%;
Pacific 8.5%; Asian 6.8%; Other
3.4%