Bay of Plenty police were spat at 124 times over the time period. Photo / NZME
Bay of Plenty police were spat at 124 times over the time period. Photo / NZME
Axes, baseball bats, vehicles, fists and bared teeth.
These are what criminals have used to attack Bay of Plenty Police officers, and District Commander Superintendent Andy McGregor says offenders are becoming more violent.
"What we are seeing is a propensity of offenders to increasingly use violence towards police officers.
"Someare very lucky to be alive."
His comments came as new figures show how often police were assaulted by members of the public over the past five years nationwide.
Bay of Plenty Police officers reported being assaulted nearly 300 times between 2017 and 2021, police data showed. Assaults included being hit or bitten, and being spat at.
Rotorua had more assaults than any other area of the region.
Nationwide there were 2633 assaults reported in the five-year period.
McGregor said there had been an increase in the "severity of some of the violence" of assaults in the Bay of Plenty.
He said police had been struck with baseball bats and axes while others had people drive toward them at speed.
"You've always got that element out there that [some people] actually want to do those kinds of things and they have no fear of consequences in terms of their actions."
McGregor said one officer was struck by a vehicle a few months ago and would be lucky to be back to work before Christmas.
Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Andy McGregor. Photo / Ben Fraser
He recalled another event where the officer resigned after landing in intensive care due to being hit by a vehicle while putting out road spikes near Whakatāne.
McGregor said assaults were taking place 42 years ago when he joined the force but he thought people respected police more back then.
Alcohol and drugs - especially methamphetamine - were aggravating factors, as well as officers attending family harm events or dealing with people mentally unwell.
McGregor said health and safety were front of mind for police with plenty of training to help with risk assessments and knowing the tools they could use to resolve a situation.
In November, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster announced police would double annual tactical training days for frontline staff and would also increase the number of Armed Offender Squad qualified staff.
The Bay of Plenty Police district covers the area from Katikati in the north, east to the tip of East Cape and south past Turangi.
The data, sourced from an Official Information Act request, showed the total number of assaults by members of the public for each year from 2017 to 2021.
Both national and regional data showed a drop in assaults between 2017 and 2018, then a rising trend in the following years.
The peaks for the five-year period came in 2021 with 67 for the Bay of Plenty and 631 nationally.
It showed police in Bay of Plenty were spat at 124 times, second only to Counties Manukau with 127. The district was the fifth-highest for hit or bitten assaults in the country with 153.
Rotorua had the most assaults in the region. Photo / NZME
Rotorua was the source of most assaults in the district with 86, followed by Tauranga (80), Whakatāne (23), Mount Maunganui (17) and Tokoroa (10).
Rotorua MP Todd McClay said he believed the data was reflective of a greater gang presence and general disobedience in and around Fenton St.
"This is extremely concerning and I think it reflects an increase in crime throughout the community," he said.
Rotorua MP Todd McClay. Photo / Andrew Warner
"The police do a very good job under extremely good circumstances [but] I'm quite concerned that they don't have the support from Government that they need to do their job properly and ultimately that means vulnerable people in our community feel less safe than they should."
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick said the data was "troubling" and any sort of attack on officers doing their job was "absolutely unacceptable".
"They do a very hard job and are at the pointy end of trying to keep the community at large safe," she said.
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick. Photo / Andrew Warner
"They do a lot of engagement and education, including in our schools, as well as being our first port of call when there is trouble.
"They absolutely deserve to be valued and respected as our first line of response in times of trauma in our society."
Police Minister Poto Williams said the Government had listened to public concerns about the "need to feel safe", which is why it has resourced police by an extra $562m.
"That funding means the New Zealand Police service is the largest ever," she said.
"This record investment means the Tactical Response Model, which focuses on keeping frontline officers safe, will be rolled out nationwide.
"It has also meant police now have more investigators and specialists focusing on serious and organised crime, at national and district level."
