Up to 1000 people yesterday took over the Napier Sailing Club for the funeral of popular retired former area police chief Kevin Kalff.
Mr Kalff, inspector and police Napier Area commander for the last third of his 42 years in the police force before retiring in 2012, died on March 30, aged 63. He was also awarded the QSM for service to the community and the police in 2013.
Yesterday, more than 80 mainly uniformed officers formed a guard of honour as kilted retired Senior Constable Rob Campbell piped Mr Kalff and the hearse carrying him across the carpark after a service lasting more than two hours.
The service was so packed that more than 100 had to observe from outside.
While there may not be a lot of bagpipers in the police, Mr Campbell was an appropriate choice, for he was at the forefront of new community policing initiatives of the type championed by Mr Kalff in his determination to cement relationships between the police and local communities after he arrived in the city in 1998.