HOMELAND SECURITY ARTs and the myth of the unarmed police officer The decision following a six-month trial not to continue with Armed Response Teams is seen as a nod to the ‘routinely unarmed’ tradition of the New Zealand Police. But, asks Chief Editor Nicholas Dynon, is it really? Following a controversial six-month trial, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster announced on 09 June that Armed Response Teams (ARTs) would not be part of the future New Zealand policing model. According to the Commissioner, the decision took into account preliminary findings from the trial evaluation, feedback received from the public, and consultation with community forum groups. “It is clear to me that these response teams do not align with the style of policing that New Zealanders expect,” stated the Commissioner. “For Police, the trial was about having specialist police personnel
immediately ready to deploy to critical or high risk incidents, to support our frontline staff where they needed enhanced tactical capabilities. “Having listened to feedback from our people through the trial, we are also undertaking a programme of work looking at our broad tactical capability to ensure our critical response options remain fit for purpose,” he said. “We will still complete the evaluation into ARTs and that will now inform the wider tactical capability work programme. Any options that come out of that will be consulted with our communities to ensure we take a collaborative approach to policing in our communities.”
Nicholas Dynon is Chief Editor of Defsec Media’s defence, security and safety publications, and a commentator on New Zealand security affairs.
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