Twenty-four new pairs of shoes have hit the beat across the Waitakere, North Shore and Rodney areas, with the arrival of 24 new Police recruits to the Waitemata Police district.
The recruits, who finished training at the Royal New Zealand Police College five weeks ago, have been posted to work in the Waitemata Police district and include a former trampoline coach, physiotherapist and tennis instructor.
Amongst the new arrivals are the three recruits who topped Wing 283.
Constable Daniel Fluker, who previously worked as a Tour Guide, placed first out of a total of 67 recruits and was awarded the Minister's Award for First in Wing. The 31 year-old will be based at the Henderson Station.
Constable Andrew Kemp took the Commissioner's award for Second in Wing and will be based at the North Shore Station, and Constable Fraser Woon (who will also be based on the North Shore) won both the prize for Third in Wing, and the Academic Award as the overall winner in three academic exams.
The twenty-four new Constables have been working on Operation Vapour (photo attached), a major operation that aims to stop crimes such as burglary, shoplifting, cars theft and petrol drive-offs before they happen. Traditionally these crimes have increased in June and July, and using a variety of crime-fighting tactics, the new recruits have joined other officers from across the Waitemata district to break that tradition and stop the offending before it takes place.
The tactics include random checkpoints, a high-visibility Police presence in local shopping malls with a instance of shoplifting, the use of ANPR vans with technology that can recognise number-plates that have been stolen or used in petrol drive-offs and random checks of second-hand dealers.
It's the second time since march that Operation Vapour has been run in the Waitemata Police district and will run until the end of July.
"March was also where traditionally we were seeing increases in volume crimes. Provisional data shows that we were able to prevent some of that forecast offending, and because June is also a month where we've traditionally seen an increase in the likes of burglary and theft, we brought Vapour back for round two" says Inspector Claire Humble, Prevention Manager, Waitemata Police.
"We're really lucky this time round to have the Operation bolstered by our new staff, and we know that their efforts have already gone a long way to stopping volume crimes across the Waitemata district, and at the end of the day what that actually means is less victims" says Inspector Humble.
ENDS
Issued by Beth Bates/Waitemata Police
Photos in front of North Shore Police Station (L to R)
Constable Daniel Fluker, Constable Andrew Kemp, Constable Fraser Woon.
New Waitemata Police Constables carry out random checkpoint for Operation Vapour (L to R)
Constable Fraser Woon (on driver's side), Constable Daniel Fluker (back to camera), Constable Andrew Kemp (on right)
