AOS callouts mirror increased threat
HAMISH MACLEAN hamish.maclean@odt.co.nz · 12 Giu 2023
AN increased presence of armed police on Dunedin streets is due in part to an increasing willingness by some to carry and use weapons against police and others, the South’s top police officer says.
Official information released to the Otago Daily Times shows a marked increase in deployments by the Dunedin armed offenders squad (AOS) over the past five years.
Southern district commander Superintendent Paul Basham said there was a range of factors behind the increases, including a crackdown on gang activity in the South.
‘‘There is an increasing willingness by some members of our community to carry and use weapons against police staff and other people, and accordingly, our deployments to such incidents can include the armed offenders squad assisting attending police,’’ Supt Basham said.
‘‘Last year saw several significant operations targeting gang activity in the Southern district, some of which would have incorporated AOS.
‘‘The police focus on disrupting gangrelated activities in Operation Cobalt (and prior to that Operations Tauwhiro) has resulted in an increased need for AOSlevel capability.’’
In 2022, the number of AOS callouts increased to 106.
Armed police were used 71 times the year before; 41 times in 2020; 48 times in 2019; and 31 times in 2018, the information provided to the ODT shows.
There was an increase in both emergency deployments of AOS officers and preplanned deployments. However, the increase in preplanned deployments by armed police was markedly more significant.
Supt Basham said increases in preplanned AOS deployments could partially be attributed to more awareness of the risks posed to members of the public and staff safety.
‘‘The tactical response model, now rolled out nationally, puts extra focus on staff safety, and tasking and coordination meetings held under the model prompt extra focus on people of interest who pose potential risk.
‘‘Therefore, AOS can be deployed in support of preplanned warrants relating to these events, due to the higher risk posed to general duties officers executing the warrants.’’
Director tactical operations Superintendent Penelope Gifford said preplanned deployments typically involved activity that related to searching properties or locating wanted people and could be ‘‘the culmination of many months or years of preliminary investigations’’.
‘‘Preplanned deployments also include prevention patrols conducted to provide community reassurance and increase the availability of tactically trained staff to support the frontline following significant firearms related local events or heightened periods of gang tensions,’’ she said.
Emergency deployments involved armed officers responding to prevent harm in an immediate critical situation.
In Dunedin, since January 2018, there had not been a month where there were 10 or more preplanned deployments until December 2021.
Over the next 16 months, there were four times when there were 10 or more preplanned AOS deployments in the city, the information shows.
Over that same period, from December 2021, the total number of AOS callouts in the city both preplanned and emergency callouts reached double digits eight times.
There was an average of slightly fewer than nine AOS callouts a month during that time.
This month started with two arrests made in Dunedin over separate firearmrelated incidents.
Last month, a number of businesses suffered damage after what appeared to be someone driving around the city, taking pot shots at random buildings overnight.
In April, a former Green Party candidate was shot in what police called an isolated incident.
In March, a shotgun was allegedly fired from one car to another in Thomas Burns St.
And at the start of that month, a man sparked an eighthour rooftop standoff with armed police after allegedly threatening to shoot officers while wielding an imitation firearm.
A search of his vehicle revealed a .308 firearm and various bladed weapons, police said.