The last weekend of February saw over 20,000 people descend on the Hood Aerodome in Masterton for the biannual Wings Over Wairarapa air show.
Although, the third and final day of the event was cancelled due to the change in COVID Alert Levels, the two days which went ahead were fantastic for attendees and exhibitors alike, including local Wairarapa Police who were supported by other teams across Wellington District and national tactical resources.
Wairarapa Prevention Manager Senior Sergeant Ian Osland, who co-ordinated the presence of local police at the event, says even though it’s disappointing that the event wasn’t able to go ahead in its entirety, he's very pleased with the countless positive interactions staff had with both young and older members of the public over the weekend.
“Wings is a well-run event and it was great to be able to participate. It’s a wonderful opportunity to build trust and confidence with the community. I am very proud of the professionalism of our people throughout the event,” says Ian.
Using the Mobile Police Base, Police Tractor, Virtual Reality simulation, Search and Rescue 4WD, Police Eagle, Dog Section, Special Tactics Group (STG) and Royal NZ Air Force helicopter crew as conversation starters, officers spoke with attendees about what we do, including the not so well known aspects of policing.
The Police tractor in particular was a great tool used to inform people that we are there to look after rural communities as well. This is a significant part of policing in the Wairarapa given the large geographical area with rural communities dispersed throughout.
While the tractor isn’t deployed to pursue vehicles, it is valuable for rural farming communities to see something which reflects their world and to know that local police are there to support them as well.
In what is arguably the best field trip of the school year, over 5,000 students from local primary and secondary schools in the area took part in the STEM programme on Friday.
In addition to running a static display, Police walked the beat around the Wings Event chatting with people along the way and stopping for photos. You couldn’t get too far with School Community Constable Julie Orr on Friday without a cluster of primary students shouting to “Constable Julie!” and running for hugs or to tell her about their favourite parts of the day.
Julie has been in the role for over 18 years and knows most of the kids by name.
She says, “All kids are born beautiful; it doesn’t matter what family they come from. I am just really lucky in my role and the best thing is that I can work in the schools and get to know the kids better.”
Wairarapa members of the Wellington District Search and Rescue team were also on site as part of the Emergency Services Response Team, in case an incident with any of the participating aircraft required an emergency response.
The weather played its part, which for some members of the public was a bit too much on a sweltering Saturday. One of our officers assisted an elderly man who collapsed in the heat, and other staff played an active part in reuniting children with their parents and grandparents.
Wellington’s high-flying police dog Ice with handler Senior Constable Luke Dunstan, officers from STG, Eagle and NH90 crew from the RNZAF’s No. 3 Squadron took to the skies on Friday and Saturday, wowing the crowd with their airborne and ground skills in capturing some ‘offenders’ in a stolen ute.
The two helicopters swooped in over the airfield, and Ice and Luke were winched over 12m to the ground from one side of the NH90 while STG operators fast roped from the other.
With supporting units on the ground, the armed ‘baddies’ were quickly caught, giving the crowd an opportunity to see the breadth of policing. Importantly for the tactical units, the display formed part of their regular training and demonstrated inter-operative capability between Police and RNZAF.
Ice loved it too – lapping up the pats from schoolkids, especially when the tactical team officers mixed and mingled with the crowd.