Anyone who thinks police officers spend their days walking around with their hands behind their backs saying 'ello 'ello 'ello would have abandoned that image if they were amongst the scores who toured their local Far North police station on Saturday.
Kaitaia's open day attracted around 200 visitors, with about
60 in Kerikeri and 30 in Kaikohe, all part of a national exercise aimed at giving the public a chance to see something of modern policing, not only in terms of the technology used but the scope of the role.
"It went really well. We got a lot of positive feedback, and a lot of people were keen to see us do it again," Northland police communications manager Sarah Kennett said.
"It gave people a chance to see some of different areas of policing that they might not normally see, including crime prevention and supporting victims."
Amongst the more popular attractions in Kaitaia were Kerikeri-based Constable Cam Davies and his dog Zeb, now actually retired, who shared the back of the stationwagon on the trip north with his soon to be successor, 18-month-old Parry.
