Old Auckland police station burglary: Police and privacy watchdogs decline to investigate breach

Photos obtained by the Herald show windows unable to be closed at the old Auckland police station where the firearms documents theft happened. Photo / NZ Police

The police watchdog and privacy commissioner have decided against an inquiry into the theft of documents carrying the details of thousands of gun owners from a disused police station in Auckland.

Meanwhile, the Herald has obtained photos taken inside the old station, now in an increasing state of disrepair, showing windows rusted open, unable to be closed.

Personal details of firearms owners, including their names and addresses, were among a trove of documents taken from the old Auckland City police station in Vincent St.

Police believe the theft happened in early May but they did not become aware of the breach until the documents were recovered when officers executed a search warrant in Mt Albert later that month.

They also found other police property taken from the station, including pepper spray.

Four people are before the courts on various charges linked to the burglary.

More than 4000 firearms licensing documents were stolen, covering Auckland gun owners who dealt with their local arms office from 2003 to 2018.

The breach sparked fears the documents could serve as a shopping list for criminals but police say they are yet to link any firearms thefts to the addresses on the documents.

Both the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner received complaints about the breach, but neither has launched an investigation.

IPCA investigations manager Stu Graham said they received two complaints.

"We considered the issues raised and it was more appropriate the Office of the Privacy Commissioner continued their work they were doing with police on this matter."

Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster said police had been keeping his office updated through their response to this incident, including steps put in place to secure the information, notify affected individuals and prevent it happening again.

"Given this, at this stage it is unlikely that we would undertake a compliance investigation given the approach police have been taking.

"We will however be seeking assurances, as we always do following a breach, that lessons learned have been implemented to ensure breaches of this sort do not happen again.

"This is a salient reminder to all agencies that every step of the chain from gathering personal information to its destruction needs to be planned and delivered effectively.

"Firearms owners or their associations who are concerned about their privacy as a result of the Auckland Police Station decommissioning breach continue to be able to make a complaint to us."

The photos show windows rusted open and unable to be closed. Photo / NZ Police

Superintendent Karyn Malthus, the Auckland City District Commander, said police have now spoken to more than 60 per cent of those affected by the burglary, or 2306 people.

"Police have now written to the remaining people we have been unable to reach to advise them of the situation."

"Daily monitoring continues as standard for any incidents involving firearm licence holders, including theft and burglary reports.

"At this point there continues to be no known links identified with the Vincent St burglary or with the involvement of organised crime groups in this matter."

Photos show windows rusted open

The Herald used the Official Information Act to request photos taken inside the old station at the time of the discovery of the stolen documents.

Police would not release the photos taken for the investigation and prosecution case regarding the theft of the documents, citing the risk of prejudice to the investigation and fair trial rights of the four accused.

They did release several photos taken during a walk-through of the main building in the old station to identify insecure windows or doors shortly after the breach came to light.

A letter accompanying the photos from a police manager said the photos depict "windows that are rusted open slightly or couldn't be manually closed due to the rust", but he also said the walk-through wasn't in the area where the theft happened.

The doors in the photos were "secure but rattly" he said.

The doors depicted were secure but rattly, police said. Photos / Supplied

Police moved out of the Vincent St site several years ago to a new Auckland city base in College Hill.

Malthus said they continued to assess options for the old station, but police would not comment on what options were on the table.

A small number of police employees remain based at the old site, she said.

A Kāinga Ora spokeswoman said the housing agency had "no current plans to acquire the 67-101 Vincent Street site".