Fire fighting police recruits graduate tomorrow

Fire fighting police recruits graduate tomorrow

Seventy-six new constables will graduate from The Royal New Zealand Police College in Wing 271 tomorrow. Their wing patron is the Chief Coroner Judge Neil MacLean.

Wing 271 recruits have come to The Royal New Zealand Police College with a broad range of backgrounds and life achievements: former occupations include a stud groom, KFC shift supervisor, ecologist, physical education teacher and croupier.

Five members of the wing have an education background and two have worked for New Zealand Police in non-constabulary roles. Others have served with the New Zealand Defence Force and two have worked for Corrections.

The wing has been quite an asset to the local community. Recently, while out on their 8 km cross country run, some members of the wing helped battle a house fire. When the recruits exited an off-road track several of them noticed smoke coming from the back of a house. The recruits quickly obtained hoses at the burning house and from neighbouring properties, and kept the fire under control until the Fire Service arrived.

Police Minister to attend her first police graduation
The Minister of Police, the Honourable Anne Tolley, will attend the graduation ceremony. This will be her first police recruit graduation since she was appointed Minister of Police earlier this week.

Members of Wing 271 have been posted to stations throughout the country.

They will be posted to:

• Northland - Kaikohe (1), Whangarei (2)
• Waitemata - Henderson (7), North Shore (2)
• Counties-Manukau - Howick (2), Mangere (2), Manurewa (2), Papakura (2), Pukekohe (1)
• Waikato - Hamilton (5), Te Awamutu (1)
• Bay of Plenty - Rotorua (4), Taupo (2), Tauranga (3), Whakatane (1)
• Eastern - Gisborne (1), Hawke’s Bay (1)
• Central - Hawera (1), Levin (1), New Plymouth (1), Palmerston North (4), Whanganui (2)
• Wellington - Kapiti (1), Lower Hutt (3), Porirua (1), Upper Hutt (2), Wellington (3)
• Tasman - Nelson (2)
• Canterbury - Christchurch (10)
• Southern - Dunedin (2), Invercargill (3), Queenstown (1)

Wing 271 prize winners:

• Minister’s Prize for First in Wing was awarded to Constable Michael O'Hagan, posted to Levin. Constable O’Hagan was also awarded the International Police Association Academic Prize (overall winner for Academic Exams 1, 2 & 3) and the Police Association Prize for Section Three Achievement.

• Commissioner’s Prize for Second in Wing was awarded to Constable Kahu Stickle, posted to Palmerston North. Constable Stickle was also awarded the Driver Training Award.

• Patron’s Prize for Third in Wing was awarded to Constable Timothy Head, posted to Christchurch.

• The Ericsson Practical Prize (overall winner for practical assessments, skills files & fingerprinting) was awarded to Constable Simon Cobb, posted to Porirua.

• The Holden Tactical Skills and Safety Prize was awarded to Constable Jason Martin, posted to Te Awamutu. Constable Martin was also awarded the Physical Training and Defensive Tactics Award.

• The Intergraph Computer Skills Prize (overall winner in computer studies) was awarded to Constable Jonathan Redley, posted to Whanganui.

• The Meltzer Prize for Weapon Training was awarded to Constable Grant Morris, posted to Pukekohe.

Police Association Prizes for Section Achievement:

This prize is awarded to an individual from each section who, in the collective view of the members of the section and the wing instructors, made the greatest contribution to the overall success of the team.

• Section One: Constable Campbell Coulton, posted to Hawera
• Section Two: Constable Blair Johnstone, posted to Tauranga
• Section Three: Constable Michael O’Hagan, posted to Levin
• Section Four: Constable Rachel Penfold, posted to Tauranga

Wing Patron: The Chief Coroner Judge Neil MacLean

District Court Judge Neil MacLean was appointed the first Chief Coroner of New Zealand under the Coroners Act 2006. When he took up the position in February 2007, Judge MacLean worked closely with the government to appoint Coroners throughout New Zealand. He liaised closely with professional and community groups to ensure the Coronial Services of New Zealand were successfully implemented on 1 July 2007.

Judge MacLean was in practice in Christchurch between 1972 and 1993. Before his appointment to the District Court Bench, he served as a Christchurch Coroner from 1978 to 1993.

Following his judicial appointment Judge MacLean continued to carry out inquests, usually for complex matters or where a second inquest had been directed, or where another Coroner had a conflict of interest. He also assisted in the preparation of the Coroner’s Manual 1988 and provided consultative information to the Chief Judge regarding the Coroners Act 2006. His primary chambers are in Auckland and Wellington.

Graduation will take place at The Royal New Zealand Police College, Papakowhai Rd, Porirua, on Thursday 15 December at 2:00pm. The ceremony will be attended by the Honourable Anne Tolley, Minister of Police, and Police Commissioner Peter Marshall.

ENDS

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