Police still seeking stabbing offender

Kaitaia's quiet Puriri Place where a policeman was stabbed in the head on Monday during a routine callout. Photo / Peter Jackson

The stabbing of a Kaitaia policeman in the head is a graphic reminder of how routine jobs can escalate due to the "violent, unpredictable" people officers deal with, the Police Association boss says.

"It's that unknown risk which is ever present and can catch out even the most experienced officers," association president Greg O'Connor said.

His comments follow the Monday night stabbing of an officer making inquiries about a stolen car. The officer was yesterday recovering after being discharged from hospital.

The man, who the Northern Advocate understands is a senior officer, arrived at Kaitaia's Puriri Place at 9.30pm following reports of three men acting suspiciously around a stolen vehicle. When the officer went to arrest one of the men, he was struck on the head, only realising a short time later he had been stabbed. Meanwhile, his partner tried to restrain the stabber's two associates, but the men broke away and ran off.

An elderly woman living on the street said she rushed out of her house and saw two men running towards her, heading to the end of the road.

"There was still kerfuffle going on there and another guy ran past me going like the clappers " he couldn't get past me fast enough " and I said, 'what the hell are you little bastards up to?' as he ran past me," the woman, who wanted to protect her identity, said.

"And then I saw there were two guys (further down the road) and one was trying to get one off the ground. They tried and tried to get him up. I thought, 'At least somebody's with him so they can call whoever for help.' So, I didn't run to help in case there was more trouble."

The stabbed officer was taken to Kaitaia Hospital then on to Whangarei Hospital, where he was discharged yesterday morning. Police were still searching for the main offender at edition time yesterday, though one of his alleged associates, was arrested at a nearby house and charged with unlawfully getting into a vehicle.

Mr O'Connor, who has pushed for a broader arming of police, said the element of the unknown could catch out "even the most experienced officer".

"The reality is that, however well prepared police are, we deal with violent unpredictable people that the best preparations will not protect from ... Especially where the incident arises from a routine piece of policing - as this one did."

He said, while some frontline officers wore stab-proof vests, they only covered torsos.

"We are reminded that these things can arise out of nothing," he said, and urged the officer not to blame himself. "The officers often relive these things and think what they could've done differently. Usually there's not much. They had no choice but do what they were doing."

He described the Kaitaia incident as "a fairly traumatic way to end the shift".

Northland police would not provide further details on the nature of the officer's injuries and when he would be back at work, but said he would receive ongoing support.

Waitai Miru, 17 appeared in the Kaitaia District Court yesterday charged with unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle. He was remanded in custody to re-appear on December 16.