Police Commissioner Richard Chambers and the Minister of Police Mark Mitchell spoke at the Tasman District Police headquarters. Video / Tim Cuff
The death of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming in the early hours of New Year’s Day marks the 34th police officer to be killed in the line of duty.
Fleming, 62, had been a policewoman for 38 years. She is the first police officer killed on the front line in the Nelson area, and the first policewoman killed on the job in New Zealand.
Fleming was critically injured with her colleague, Senior Sergeant Adam Ramsay, while on foot patrol in Nelson’s central city. Ramsay underwent surgery yesterday afternoon.
Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming was killed after a car-ramming in Nelson in the early hours of January 1. Photo / Supplied
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers announced Fleming’s death yesterday in a press conference at the Tasman District Police headquarters alongside Minister of Police Mark Mitchell.
“She was a loved and cherished, daughter, mother, wife, and valued member of the wider Nelson community. Lyn was a beautiful soul, and her death will be felt across the Nelson community and our police family,” Chambers said.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers and Police Minister Mark Mitchell front a press conference in Nelson for the death of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming. Photo / Tim Cuff
The violent incident unfolded in Buxton Square carpark at about 2.10am, where a crowd was gathered. A 32-year-old man was arrested at the scene after other officers responding tasered him, Chambers said.
Yesterday, Police Association President Chris Cahill said Fleming’s death “rocks right throughout” the entire police organisation.
“It really affects them and it affects their families as well,” he told NewstalkZB.
“They go to work every day and know there’s risk - but you don’t expect to be confronted with this level of violence.
“You’re always prepared for a level of violence, but I don’t think anyone can really prepare for when someone decides to do something like this - using a motor vehicle as a weapon like this.
“It’s very hard to defend yourself against and you certainly don’t expect that when you’re out just dealing with New Year’s Eve revellers.”
Cahill said it was “really important” to get counselling for Fleming’s colleagues “as quickly as possible”.
“We’ve found with experience at these events that if you can get someone in front of a psychologist as early as possible, it just helps them deal with what they’re experiencing and understand that what they’re feeling is normal - and just some techniques how to cope with it.”
34 officers killed on the front line
Fleming is one of 34 police officers who have been killed on the front line.
Most recently, on June 19, 2020, police officer Matthew Hunt was shot and killed in Massey, West Auckland.
Snee was fatally wounded while carrying out a routine search warrant at the home of Jan Molenaar in Napier.
Len Snee was fatally wounded on May 7, 2009, while carrying out a routine search warrant at the home of Jan Molenaar in Napier.
Two other police officers and a member of the public were also shot and seriously wounded by Molenaar. The member of the public tried to intervene to protect the officers.
A stand-off ensued, which lasted for 51 hours. During this time Molenaar used an arsenal of weapons, mostly high-powered military-style rifles and shotguns, to shoot at police and the public.
Molenaar died from a single gunshot wound to the head that the coroner confirmed appeared to be self-inflicted.
Now 34 police officers have been killed on duty.
In 2008, Sergeant Don Wilkinson was fatally shot while carrying out undercover duties in Māngere.
He was one of two plainclothes officers shot while trying to install a tracking device on a vehicle outside a suspected P lab.
Earlier in the same year, Sergeant Derek Wootton was working a night shift in Titahi Bay when a report was received of an alleged serious assault and carjacking.
Wootton laid road spikes in a suburban street but was struck as the vehicle went over the spikes. He died at the scene.
