The first dedicated Assistant Commissioner for the country’s largest city has been formally welcomed into the role.

The role of Assistant Commissioner: Tāmaki Makaurau has been established as part of the Tāmaki Makaurau: Policing for the Future project ensuring services are fit for purpose to meet the growing needs of Auckland.

Assistant Commissioner Sam Hoyle was formally welcomed on Tuesday with a pōwhiri at Te Mahurehure Marae in Pt Chevalier, attended by local iwi, family, and guests.

The role provides leadership to the three Policing districts covering Auckland, alongside region-wide resources that service the entire region.

Under the new structure there will be five Superintendents reporting to the Assistant Commissioner: the three district commanders (Auckland City, Counties Manukau and Waitematā), a Director of Deployment and a Director of Partnerships.

“I’m really looking forward to getting into the role and setting plans in place early next year. Auckland is a great place to live and work, and my focus is to ensure that the community feel safe and be safe,” Assistant Commissioner Hoyle says.

“I’m currently around a month into the role and in these early stages I have been getting out and meeting our people across the region, and alongside that meeting people external to Police.

“Overall, I see a key focus of this role is to ensure Police get ahead of emerging issues in our community, responding with resource from across the region as well as linking in closer with partner agencies.

“Tāmaki Makaurau continues to grow and develop as a region, and we must ensure our resourcing can meet these changes and be targeted to the right areas.”

Assistant Commissioner Sam Hoyle:

Joining Police in 1985, Assistant Commissioner Hoyle has held major operational, command and management roles both in New Zealand and overseas.

He returns to New Zealand after his most recent posting to Washington DC as the Senior Liaison Officer for the United States, Canada and South America.

Prior to this, he was acting Assistant Commissioner: Intelligence overseeing the National Intelligence Centre and the Evidence-Based Policing Centre.

Assistant Commissioner Hoyle has previously held District Commander roles in Wellington and Eastern districts.

He was awarded the Police Commissioner’s Silver Merit Award for his leadership and command of Operation Stingray, the Police response to the Napier Siege in 2009.

For more than 15 years, he worked in the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB), including a period as the Officer in Charge of Investigations for the Whanganui policing area. He also spent eight years in the Armed Offenders Squad.

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