Seventy eight new police constables who graduate from the Royal New Zealand Police College today have been inspired by their wing patron retired Police Commissioner Rob Robinson CNZM.
Mr Robinson, who will be the guest speaker at today's graduation ceremony, was Commissioner for six years before retiring in December 2005.
Superintendent Mike Wilson, National Training Manager, said Wing 258 felt lucky to have had Mr Robinson as their patron, and the close contact he has had with the recruits throughout their training.
Of the 78 new constables, 64 are men and 14 are women. The youngest to graduate is 18 years and the oldest is 48.
They will be posted to:
Northland - Dargaville (1), Kerikeri (1), Whangarei (1)
Waitematā - Orewa (2), North Shore Policing Centre (3), Henderson (2)
Auckland City - Field Training Unit (6)
Counties Manukau - Papakura (7), Otahuhu (10), Manurewa (11), Howick (9), Pukekohe (2)
Waikato - Thames (1), Te Kuiti (1), Huntly (1)
Bay of Plenty - Rotorua (2), Tauranga (1)
Central - New Plymouth (1), Palmerston North (1)
Wellington - Masterton (2), Kapiti Mana (1), Wellington (1), Lower Hutt (1)
Tasman - Greymouth (1)
Eastern - Wairoa (2)
Canterbury - Timaru (1), Christchurch (2)
Southern - Queenstown (3), Invercargill (1)
Wing 258 prize winners:
• Minister’s Prize for First in Wing was awarded to Constable Alexandra Ramsay posted to Howick.
• Commissioner’s Prize for Second in Wing was awarded to Constable Eric Ng posted to Howick.
• Patron’s Prize for Third in Wing was awarded to Constable Qi Chen posted to Howick.
Constable Chen was also awarded the International Police Association Academic Prize (for overall academic achievement) and the Intergraph Computer Skills Prize.
• The Ericsson Practical Prize (overall winner for practical assessments, file preparation and fingerprinting) was awarded to Constable Brent Cooper posted to Otahuhu.
• The Holden Tactical Skills and Safety Prize (overall winner in defensive tactics, firearms and driving) was awarded to Constable Holly Given posted to Papakura.
• The Physical Training and Defensive Tactics Award was awarded to Constable Kevin Walker posted to Otahuhu.
• The Meltzer Prize for Weapon Training was awarded to Constable Paul Mullen posted to Rotorua.
• The Driver Training Award was awarded to Constable Paul Stenzel posted to Howick.
Constable Stenzel was also awarded a section prize (see below).
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 Roger Dustow posted to Orewa
Section Two Constable Ivan Hill posted to Queenstown
Section Three Constable Zheng Man posted to North Shore
Section Four Constable Paul Stenzel posted to Howick
Three of the Constables have previous service experience - with the New Zealand Army, the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
Constable Mark Schinkel served with the NZ Army for four years serving most recently with the Queen Alexandra Mounted Rifles. His service included deployments to Bosnia and East Timor.
Constable Paul Stenzel spent nearly 12 years 'at sea' with the RNZ Navy. His sea legs were no barrier to him winning the prize for Driver Training. Paul also took out the ‘section prize’ for his contribution to his section’s team spirit.
Constable Kevin Walker served in the Royal Air Force (UK) for 22 years before joining the Royal New Zealand Air Force three years ago. Constable Walker won the prize for Physical Training and Defensive Tactics.
All three found their five months’ training at The Royal New Zealand Police College interesting and challenging. They say they are looking forward to a career where “preservation of life and community spirit are paramount”. This is in line with the thinking of their patron who believes in "fostering community partnerships that work and have meaning".
Graduation will take place at The Royal New Zealand Police College, Papakowhai Rd, Porirua this afternoon, Thursday 20 August 2009 at 2:00pm. The ceremony will be attended by the Honourable Judith Collins, Minister of Police and Acting Commissioner Lyn Provost. This is the last graduation Acting Commissioner Provost will attend before moving to her new role outside Police as Controller and Auditor General.
Wing Patron: Rob Robinson CNZM
Former Police Commissioner Rob Robinson retired from his 30-year career with the New Zealand Police in December 2005 and was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2006 New Year Honours for services to policing.
Among his achievements, Rob helped set up the Crime Prevention Unit of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (now part of the Ministry of Justice), was involved in the review and planning leading to the 1992 merger with the Traffic Safety Service and managed the development and launch of the New Zealand Police’s first strategic plan in 1993.
In 1999 Rob was promoted to Deputy Commissioner (Operations) and was appointed Commissioner of Police in June 2000 after being the Acting Commissioner from January 2000.
Since leaving Police, Rob has drawn on his vast experience to add value to a number of pieces of work globally, undertaking reviews and offering advice at an operational or governance level for a range of policing and law enforcement agencies.
Ends
Released by:
Penny Clevely
Acting Communications Advisor: RNZPC/TSC
Tel: 04 238 3572
Mobile: 021 326 922
Email: penelope.clevely@police.govt.nz