It was a special day for Eastern District Police today.
New Hawke's Bay Area Commander Inspector Lincoln Sycamore and Eastern District Manager Intelligence Tane Robyns were officially welcomed with a pōwhiri at Pukemokimoki Marae in Napier on Thursday, 18 March.
Inspector Lincoln Sycamore takes over from Superintendent Jeanette Park, who was promoted to Eastern District Commander late last year, after the previous District Commander Tania Kura was appointed Deputy Commissioner – Leadership and Capability at Police National Headquarters in Wellington. The pōwhiri was also an opportunity to pass the baton on to Jeanette as the new District Commander.
Inspector Sycamore was previously Area Prevention Manager in Tairāwhiti and took up the position in Hawke’s Bay last month. Staff from Tairāwhiri, including Area Commander Sam Aberahama, along with members of Ngāti Porou travelled down to take part in the pōwhiri.
Lincoln is a highly respected member of Police with considerable experience in strategic, operational and tactical areas of Policing. He has led the Tairāwhiti Armed Offenders Squad for the past 15 years. Other roles have included overseeing Whāngaia Nga Pa Harakeke in Tairāwhiti, officer in charge of the Tokoroa sub-area, Police prosecutions sergeant and Public Safety Team sergeant.
Lincoln was involved in setting up the Combined Adolescent Challenge Training Unit (CACTUS) programme in Gisborne around 10 years ago and has been involved ever since. CACTUS is a youth initiative that allows Police to build positive relationships with rangatahi, their whānau and partners in the community.
He was also instrumental in the development of YES – Youth Exchange Support, which saw 10 boys aged 13-16 from the Eastern District travel to Hawaii for an educational trip. The trip was aimed at helping develop leadership and communication skills, foster personal and cultural ties and look at challenges and issues facing young people.
Lincoln is passionate about empowering people to be their best with a focus on caring for them and prioritising their development. He has built strong internal and external partnerships in Tairāwhiti and is excited to do the same in Hawke’s Bay.
“We need to support the aspirations of our communities and work alongside them to find collaborative solutions so we can deliver the Police service our communities expect and deserve,” says Lincoln.
Eastern District Police's new District Manager Intelligence Tane Robyns was also welcomed on Thursday. He comes to Police after 15 years in the Army. His last role was at the Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand in Wellington, leading the team responsible for the provision of intelligence support to deployed NZDF elements in the Middle East and North Africa.
As District Manager Intelligence, Tane is responsible for leading the Eastern District Police Intelligence Unit, a group of motivated and highly trained analysts, support officers and field intelligence officers.