Richard Chambers: Police Commissioner on the new 24/7 police station in Auckland City Centre

The new top cop says Aucklanders will be feeling better about a police station in the city's centre.  

Police plan to have the new Federal Street base open to the public by the middle of next year. 

It will sit close to Aotea Square and the new CRL station, making it easier to deploy officers right across the central city.  

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told Mike Hosking that soon we'll have 51 beats working 24/7 around the community, increasing visibility and safety.  

He says it's back to basics policing, with officers walking the beat and getting to know the people around town. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's not a bad first day for the new police

(00:01):
commissioner with the announcement of a new police station downtown. Auckland,
the country's biggest central city, has of course, had a
shocking number of bad headlines around crime and safety. Commissioner
Richard Chambers back with us morning, Good morning, Mike. Was
this part of your contract negotiation on day one you
had to open a police station.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
No, it wasn't, Mike, But how wonderful for me to
be able to do this on my very first day
and the job as a place commissioner except on city.

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Is it a no brainer in the sense that if
you put a station plank in the middle of the city,
people feel better about life.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Absolutely. Visibility of presence in the central Business District is
absolutely critical to safety and it's a real pleasure that
we were able to make the announcement yesterday. Very soon
we'll have fifty one beats working twenty four to seven
around the CBD and it's a passionate community and it's
a comminuity to be able to provide them with a
better polase service.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
I watched the press conference live yesterday. I thought what
Mark Mitchell said was true. Having been a beat cop himself.
The role in the power of the beat cop from
your point of view as what.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Well, exactly the same as Minister Actually, because I also
spent time walking to bet here in Auckland City when
I began my career nineteen ninety six. Is just one
of the things that we do as police officers. It's
back to basic policing in the sense they're walking the
beach and to know the people around town and having
them get to know that US is good policing. And
so we're very facused on making sure we improve our

(01:23):
visibility im presents across the country here in Auton City.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
And what about the argument that crime simply moves elsewhere
the more present you are downtown Auckland, they'll just go elsewhere.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
No, So look the city as in you know, hundreds
of thousands of people every day here. So the presence
of us is very important to be It's very important
twenty four seven. It's important to have a public counter
because we're here in the city. Doesn't less people are
going to leave.

Speaker 1 (01:48):
Right there is stabbing you'll be aware of the other
day the Garden New Market, which is sort of in
downtown Auckland for people listening around the rest of the country.
That reminds us still that there's something desperately wrong with
this country, doesn't it.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Oh, Look, you know, the reality is crime is always
going to exist in one way or another, and that's
a very tragic incident of course. And have presence here
in the city is important to help deal with those,
particularly across the transport network as the infrastructure here in
Autan City expands. So yeah, our presence everywhere is critical
and we'll work very, very hard to ensure the safety

(02:23):
of those.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
In Appreciate it very much. Richard Chambers, new police Commissioner.
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