Exclusive first interview: Veteran Kiwi crime fighter returns to take up new role as Auckland police commissioner

A four-decade veteran of the force is the first Assistant Commissioner Tāmaki Makaurau, a new role overseeing Auckland police. In a city where a climate of fear can prevail for many residents amid a spate of ram raids, gun violence, armed robberies and random attacks, what can we expect from Auckland’s new top cop? George Block reports.

After spending the pandemic as the police’s man in Washington DC, Sam Hoyle stepped off a plane three weeks ago into arguably one the toughest gigs in the force.

He is the first Assistant Commissioner Tāmaki Makaurau, a new role with extensive powers over police in the Super City, one rung below Commissioner Andrew Coster in the management hierarchy.

In his first interview in his new job, Hoyle pledged to work to reduce ram raids, increase the visibility of officers in the central city and town centres and funnel more resources to the stretched frontline.

He is also requalifying as a frontline officer so he can hit the beat with his constables to experience the new reality of policing in Auckland.

His remit extends from Pukekohe in the south, north through Auckland city and the Shore to Rodney plus West Auckland out to the coast. All up, the area encompasses 1.7 million people.

The three powerful commanders of the Auckland City, Waitematā and Counties Manukau police districts will report to him.

Police have denied the appointment was in response to recent gang violence, ram raids and robberies, instead saying it’s part of ongoing plans for a new policing structure for Auckland.

Either way Hoyle faces a daunting task.

He will have to navigate the competing demands of the three Auckland districts while reporting to Police National Headquarters in Wellington, with its own internal politics and personalities.

He has taken up the mantle after years of escalating gang warfare and gun violence in the city amid an influx of 501 deportees from Australia.

Some of the 501s have brought with them a more sophisticated and violent style of organised crime along with a greater willingness to use guns, including against police.

Meanwhile, there has been a growing clamour from the public and from certain political quarters for more to be done about the spate of ram raids, smash and grabs and aggravated robberies in the city.

That clamour peaked recently with the death of Sandringham dairy worker Janak Patel, allegedly killed in a bungled armed robbery.

Hoyle, 57, has been a cop for 37 years. He started out in Northland where he served for a time alongside Scott Beard, now a Detective Inspector in Auckland and arguably the country’s most prominent investigator.

New police Assistant Commissioner for Auckland Sam Hoyle. Photo / Dean Purcell

Hoyle caught up with Beard late last month when he congratulated the DI and his team for their quick arrests in relation to Patel’s death.

His rise through the ranks included a long stint as Eastern District Commander in Hawke’s Bay.

Then a Superintendent, he took control at the start of the Napier Siege in 2009 after Jan Molenaar opened fire killing Senior Constable Len Snee, and injuring Senior Constables Grant Diver and Bruce Miller.

His officers were eventually successful in retrieving the body of the slain officer under fire from Molenaar, who died by suicide two days after opening fire.

After six years in charge in Hawke’s Bay, he headed south to Wellington where he was District Commander for half a decade, before a headquarters role leading the National Intelligence Centre and Evidence Based Policing Centre.

Most recently he spent an eventful three years in Washington DC as senior liaison officer for the USA, Canada and South America.

The job included working with American federal law enforcement agencies on transnational organised crime cases plus counter-terrorism and domestic terrorism.

His time in DC covered the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, the summer 2020 Black Lives Matter riots and the storming of the US Capitol building by a mob of Trump supporters after the former president’s defeat.

“It was a really interesting time to be in the States,” Hoyle said.

He has been back in the country all of three weeks and has been juggling an international move, finding a place to live and getting requalified so he can experience the reality of the frontline.

Since arriving in town, he has been out walking around the city to get a feel for what’s happening on the frontline. He has repeatedly heard complaints of certain areas feeling unsafe to be in and has pledged to increase the visibility of police.

“We have to lift our visibility around retail business, around our CBD and town centres,” he said.

“It is a priority for me and we are working through what that might look like in the New Year.”

Ahead of his official pōwhiri for the role later this month, Hoyle has been meeting with police and other agencies across Auckland, including the dedicated team set up to address ram raids.

He praised the unit for reducing the number of ram raids in the city since the peak around June and July.

“They have, I believe, a really good understanding of who is behind that offending,” he said.

“And they’ve turned the volume down on them.

“I’d just like us to turn the volume down further and faster.

“To that end, I’ve gone out and met with the team and I’ll meet with them again and see what other resources they need to be successful.”

Then Superintendent Sam Hoyle when he was Eastern District Commander in 2009 speaking to media at a press conference at the Napier Police Station during the shootings and siege. Photo / Duncan Brown

Hoyle is keen to funnel more resources to the frontline and is looking at how those officers can be better supported.

“They have the most difficult, complex role in our organisation. They’re usually our youngest and most inexperienced.”

His interview came after another chaotic few days for Auckland police, including a robbery of a military surplus store on Karangahape Rd where a worker was assaulted, and an attempted carjacking allegedly by a Mongrel Mob associate.

“Watching how they acquit [themselves] with the events over the last weekend, I think they do an amazing job and I’ll be looking at ways to help and support them better.”

So what will success look like?

Hoyle wants the constant ram raid headlines to become a thing of the past and for dairy and other business owners to feel safe again.

He also wants downtown Auckland to become a welcoming place again, not just for locals and businesses but also for international students and tourists.

“Two or three years on, I want Aucklanders to feel safe and be safe in the city.”