“The update yesterday was everybody was stable, our officer has quite a road to recovery and will no doubt need surgery,” Coster said of the victims in the hospital.
Coster confirmed the Armed Offenders Squad were in a training camp nearby at the time of the incident.
“That certainly assisted us.”
Coster said the quick police response “wasn’t a situation of luck” though.
“The staff who went into the building, and there was a large number of them, came from many different work groups.”
Coster wouldn’t be pressed to comment on why the gunman was not in jail despite being a convicted domestic abuser.
“We know that people who are employed are much less likely to offend.”
Police can’t comment on judiciary decisions, Coster said.
“We do need the right people in prison, but we need to acknowledge that the vast number of people who go to prison do come out.”
Coster said he understood the offender was not breaching any conditions of his home detention, but he was not licenced to carry a gun.
“On the ankle bracelet side, that’s not our responsibility.”
Coster said police see two main ways that criminals get guns; on-selling by people with gun licences and burglaries.
“We’ve got a long way to go to make our environment safe.
“My job is not to set the policy.”
Coster said he had seen the summary of the previous violent behaviour of the offender but hadn’t read the full report.
He said that “while it’s clear we are dealing with a range of challenges at the moment”, New Zealand was still a safe place to live.
Jaime Lyth is an Auckland-based reporter who covers crime. She joined the Herald in 2021 and has previously reported for The Northern Advocate.
