KEY POINTS:
Weighed down by 30kg of protective gear and firearms, this police officer's identity is masked by a balaclava, helmet and goggles.
It is only when a voice yells, "Put the gun down," that you realise you are looking at the first and only female member of the Tauranga armed offenders squad.
Tracey (not her real name) is one of 14 police officers on the specialist team who are on call around the clock to attend incidents involving firearms.
The outgoing 32-year-old recently married and hopes to be a mother one day, but for now one of her biggest responsibilities is the small black pager that alerts her to AOS callouts. It goes with her to the movies and on walks around the Mount and is protected in a plastic bag on boat trips.
Leaving town or drinking alcohol means requesting the night off. The pager is turned off for just four weeks a year.
Tracey joined the Tauranga police eight years ago and a spot on the AOS was never far from her mind.
"It was something that I thought about right from the beginning but I think you need to do your time as a police officer first, to see what it's all about," she said.
After five years on general policing duties, Tracey was looking for a new challenge and saw the AOS as the next step.
While working briefly in Auckland, she volunteered to pose as an offender during AOS training exercises.
"I've been shot at and all the rest of it.
"I think the first thing [which sparked interest] was it seems from the outside to be really exciting," said Tracey.
Being Tauranga's first female AOS member - and one of only about four in the 17 squads nationwide - Tracey believes her application may have led to serious deliberation on the part of the selectors.
"I like to think now that they look back on that and think, 'Hey, that wasn't such a big drama after all'," she says.
With varied opinions among the police on the suitability of women for the AOS, Tracey admits she has been lucky in Tauranga: her sex has never been an issue.
"They are just such a fantastic group of guys to work with. You're just a squaddie at the end of the day," she said.
"You all have to put in the same amount [of effort] so it's not something that you really sort of discuss."
The AOS demands she call on a range of different skills from normal policing.
"You've got to be just so incredibly professional. The ante's higher when you're working with the AOS. This is not just a general day at the office; we step up a little bit more from our normal jobs."
Due to the perceived risks, Tracey says, she keeps general chit-chat about the AOS with family and friends to a minimum.
"I think sometimes it's better that people don't really know what you do."
The most important attributes of an AOS member, she says, are the ability to look at the big picture and learn to control and work with the pumping adrenalin.
The squad is divided into two units with each member bringing different strengths to be used in unison during an incident.
"What's really important is to know what you're good at and what you're not. It's the ultimate in terms of team in the police," says Tracey.
AOS members have to complete more regular physical assessments in less time than general police as well as attend regular AOS training sessions.
Tracey says she will stay an AOS member for as long as she is enjoying it and is good enough to make the cut.
"If I felt that I wasn't up to scratch with my skills and drills then I'd be gone."
- Bay of Plenty Times
