A quick word: Jake Faafua

The team from Noise Control with officer Jake Faafua second from right. Photo / Supplied

During his 16 years on the job he's attended everything from rowdy swingers parties in Ponsonby ("they're my favourites") to Neighbours At War-style showdowns where frustrated complainants are baying for the noise-makers' blood. It's a tough job, but while you're partying someone's got to keep the peace.

Have you ever had a visit from noise control yourself?
No. But, I have visited relations and friends and I give them exactly the same advice that I give everybody else. Am I lenient on them? No, because I've got to do the job. I do spend a bit more time with them to explain that if they don't turn the music down, then this is what will happen.

So you've given written warnings to your relations?
I've actually seized from one of my relations. It wasn't hard at all because he was a little bugger to me when we were little so it didn't matter [laughs].

What is the reaction like when you do have to seize property from people?
Some of them are okay. Some don't mind, especially if their stereo is crappy. However, on Saturday night I had to seize a $1200 iPhone. She was playing the music through her phone, because I saw it when I first walked up there. I try to get inside as soon as possible because if you talk to them outside it gives them a chance to think about what's going on and they turn it off, which makes it hard for me to pick what's what. She said, "well, you can't take it". I said, "the music was going through this, so I can".

Is it ever the type of music people are playing as opposed to the volume?
When I used to work in Manukau it was the hard rap - Tupac and Notorious - and that's all I used to hear every time I was out there. But it's usually the bass.

Have you ever had to take a big-screen TV?
Oh yeah. A 60in plasma. That place we had actually seized on three times in the space of two months. Some people, and it's usually groups of people who are renting, they really don't care how much noise they make. A lot of people don't realise they can call noise control - or they are too scared to - and [some] people do ring up Auckland City Council to complain but when they are asked for their details they say, "never mind", and hang up. Some people don't mind but are scared of retaliation.

Has the music people are playing changed over the years?
Not that much. But the immigrants play their music and recently, with quite a few Indians coming to New Zealand, I'm coming across lots of them playing Bollywood music and movies on their laptops and TVs. One place I heard it as soon as I pulled into the driveway.

On the show it claims we as a city are getting noisier every year. Why?
Aucklanders are definitely being less tolerant of their neighbours. It's not that we're not as friendly, but I remember years ago we used to talk to our neighbours. We don't seem to do that much anymore. But a lot of people do letter-drops or knock on their neighbours' door, to try to deal with it before they call us.

Why do you do it?
It's actually a great job. It is easy to do in some sense, because generally parties are reasonably easy, but it's the rough ones that are the problem. And we go in by ourselves so you have to have eyes in the back of your head, read people quick, their body language and all that sort of stuff, have a contingency plan to escape and evade, and make sure your car is parked the right way so you can take off if you need to.

On the show you seem like an affable guy. But also staunch. So what sort of person do you need to be to do the job?
Fair but firm. That's it. Firm in the sense that you are still doing your job but still being respectful. And you have to be on a level with them, and not seem like you are above them, and be friendly. But one out of 30 or so will be aggressive. They're only human, and something bad might have happened during the day. We don't know what's going on in a person's head and we are trying to kill their fun, so they will take it out on us.

Jake Faafua is Auckland city's longest-serving noise control officer and star of new reality series Noise Control Mondays, 8pm on TV3.