Tauranga’s Detective Inspector Lewis Warner.
Tauranga Detective Inspector Lewis Warner joined the police by chance and says “it wasn’t my intention to stay in as long as I have”.
Warner has been appointed a Member of The New Zealand Order of Merit Order for services to the New Zealand Police and the community.
Warner joined the New Zealand Police in 1983 and has lived in Tauranga since 1996.
“I have 41 years in the police, with 30 years in the CIB. In working terms, I have seen the worst of the worst.”
Warner said his parents instilled in him a strong sense of right and wrong and that had stayed with him his whole life.
He believed his primary role was to work for the victims of crime.
“I love putting the jigsaw together and there is no better feeling than making the bad person accountable.
“I enjoy the chase. I love it when we have worked on a difficult case whether it be a murder, or another serious crime and we hold the people responsible to account.”
He said these results were achieved by a tight-knit team working together.
“The camaraderie within the police is special; we really are a family.
“Often what we do gives the victim or victim’s family some form of closure.”
Over his four decades in the police, Warner said he had seen technologies develop to become vital for investigations.
“We have gone from manual typewriters to computers, the invention of cellphones and their everyday use.
“The tactical options now available to police officers are so different to when I started. When I started, we went to work with a wooden baton, a notebook and a torch.
“Technology is an integral part of investigations in policing these days.”
Warner became a Detective Inspector in 2016 and had been crime services manager for the Bay of Plenty District for the past three years.
“I currently have oversight of all serious crime for the Bay of Plenty policing district.
“This includes homicides, sexual abuse and other serious crimes.
“Since 2016, I’ve been involved in almost all of the homicide investigations across the Bay of Plenty, whether that’s hands-on or in an oversight role.
“My primary role is ensuring the welfare of our people; we have outstanding investigators working right across the Bay.”
He said he had been involved in many serious investigations and it was difficult to highlight one.
“There have been so many. For me, the highlight has always been about the team and how we collectively deal with some terrible crimes.
“My staff’s welfare is very important to me. The things they see and are exposed to are not normal and it is important they are supported. It can be a tough job. The police have some amazing people.
“There have been so many serious and complex investigations I have worked on; each has given its own satisfaction.”
Warner said his greatest achievement in the field “has been working with some amazing people, not just police officers, but members of the community and the many Crown solicitors”.
“Another highlight is watching the people you have supervised excel in their various areas within police and knowing you have assisted them to get to where they are.”
He aimed to continue to work hard for the communities across the Bay of Plenty to make them safer.
When he retired he would look forward to spending more time with his family.
“My family is the most important thing to me. They are the reason I have been able to do what I have. I know it hasn’t always been easy being a policeman’s wife or a policeman’s child.
“I now have three gorgeous grandkids which is a new chapter.”
Warner said it was humbling to receive the honour.
“I did not see this coming, nor did I expect it. When you look at others who have received this award, it is even more humbling.
“I had no idea it was coming until I received an email from the Governor-General’s office.”
A 7-tonne sculpture by a has been unveiled in Tauranga's Red Square.