Crime-buster becomes new No 2 cop

Mike Bush. Photo / Martin Sykes

South Auckland's top cop has been commended for turning his district's crime statistics from the worst in New Zealand to some of the best, and will now take his methods nationwide.

Counties Manukau district commander Superintendent Mike Bush was named yesterday as the new Deputy Commissioner of Police.

Mr Bush replaces Rob Pope and will work alongside new Police Commissioner Peter Marshall, who takes over from Howard Broad on Monday.

Police Minister Judith Collins said Mr Bush had shown himself to be "an outstanding police officer and manager".

"As district commander for Counties Manukau, he took on an extraordinary set of challenges and succeeded," she said.

"He achieved great results in what is not only the country's biggest police district, but the one that is the most ethnically, socially and economically diverse. On his watch the district went from having some of the worst crime statistics in the country to some of the best."

Mr Bush joined the police in 1978 and his career accolades include liaising with Interpol while at police national headquarters, serving as the liaison officer for Southeast Asia in Bangkok and being the first New Zealand official on the scene in Thailand when the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami struck.

He also led the investigation into the abduction of Xin Xin Ma, the little girl snatched from outside her Albany home by a masked man in 2008 and found days later.

Mr Bush said his latest appointment, with a salary understood to be around $400,000, was a "real honour".

"I'm humbled. I'm looking forward to the challenge of the job," he said.

He planned to change the focus of policing nationally, as he had done in Counties Manukau.

"What I'd like to do is bring all the good things from Counties Manukau to the rest of New Zealand ... a real high-class service to all New Zealanders, and a high-performance culture right across the police."

Mr Bush moved into the top seat at Counties Manukau in 2008 and introduced new policing initiatives including public and road safety teams and a major crime team. He was crucial in gaining 300 new officers for the district.

By December 2009 those initiatives had allowed police to stop 2494 more vehicles than the year before and do 446 extra hours of "hot spot" patrolling and 144 more hours of foot patrolling.

Staff also attended 236 more calls relating to suspicious behaviour and 330 more about disorder.

Ms Collins said Mr Bush was a strong and inspiring leader with sound organisational ability and an extensive knowledge of policing "honed by years on the front line".

"He has been innovative in his approach to crime prevention, and has been willing to explore new ways of working closely with communities to prevent crime from taking hold.

"I'll be looking to him to find ways to improve what our police do best - catch criminals, provide protection and reassurance to victims of crime, and to make New Zealand a safer place to live," the minister said.

Police Association president Greg O'Connor said the reaction among officers to Mr Bush's promotion was positive.

"Mike is a very popular choice. He's a guy who's more than come up through the ranks ... He really has done the work."

TRACK RECORD

DISTRICT'S REPORTED CRIMES
* 54,409 in 2008-09
* 53,660 in 2009-10

CRIMES RESOLVED
* 48.1 per cent in 2009-10
* 42.3 per cent in 2008-09

DISTRICT'S RESULTS IN 2009
* 2494 more vehicles stopped than in 2008.
* 330 more disorder-related incidents attended.
* 446 hours more "hot spot" patrolling by officers.
* 144 extra hours of foot patrolling.
* 863 more bail checks than in the year before.