Electronic drug scales have been found on people going to court. Photo / Supplied
A machete, knuckledusters, a homemade bong, brick, knives, methamphetamine, cannabis and three cans of alcohol are just some of the items people have tried to smuggle into Rotorua Courthouse.
Information released under the Official Information Act has revealed the disturbing items security officers have confiscated off visitors to the courthouse over the past year.
Lawyers dealing with defendants, offenders and those attending court to support them aren't surprised at what was found, saying some people live in a drug world where they don't recognise it is wrong to carry such items.
Rotorua's situation isn't isolated, with the confiscation list at the Tauranga courthouse including electronic scales, a substantial amount of point bags, a meat cleaver and a heavy-duty hacksaw with a makeshift handle taped to it.
Both courthouses operate X-ray screening, with Rotorua getting X-ray machines in September this year and Tauranga's in place for several years.
Defence lawyer Martin Hine, who works in both Rotorua and Tauranga courts, knows only too well what could happen if weapons got in the wrong hands.
He was at the Ōtāhuhu Youth Court in 1990 when Dame Augusta Wallace, the first woman to be appointed a District Court judge, survived a machete attack from a 16-year-old who lunged at her and slashed her face open.
She suffered deep cuts to the face, ear and neck and her jaw was broken. The incident prompted concerns about the low level of security in courts.
"It was a different time then and one of the reasons court security was ramped up," Hine said.
He said he wasn't surprised by the items confiscated in Rotorua and Tauranga this year.
"Courts can be a dangerous place but we are so grateful to the security officers who do a wonderful job. They are often dealing with people who are drunk, on drugs or have mental health conditions and they handle them well."
Hine said it was a "sign of the times" that court security was very sophisticated.
"You would be staggered at the stuff that is found on people and it beggars belief people think these things are not going to go undetected because of the level of searching now."
He said it showed how entrenched people were in the drug and gang worlds to not recognise it wasn't appropriate to bring such things to court.
"They just see them as mundane everyday objects and don't think it's extraordinary or placing people's lives at risk. These are intergenerational drug dependent families who have not only been brought up on cannabis but also on methamphetamine and, to them, it's just a way of life."
He said that, for some, carrying digital scales was normal practice to ensure each time they weren't being ripped off when buying 'point' bags of methamphetamine.
"They can't test for purity but they can test for weight and I guess the only way to check is to have the scales handy."
Defence lawyer Scott Mills said he was pleased to see Rotorua's court security stepped up considerably with the new X-ray devices this year.
"In the last year, they have invested a lot of money in resources. I remember coming to court and there were two or three security guards looking after the family, civil and criminal courts and it was totally untenable.
"Given the traffic we have coming through now, it's really good to see they are keeping everyone safe," Mills said.
Rotorua Crown solicitor Amanda Gordon said many attending court didn't give any thought about the illegal items they were carrying.
Ministry of Justice corporate and digital services deputy secretary Tina Wakefield said the upgrade to the X-ray system for Rotorua was part of a national rollout.
She said the ministry was always looking for ways to keep the community safe, and upskill and train court security officers.
Court security staff could take items off people if they were deemed a potential weapon. The items could be returned when they left the court.
"If the seized item is deemed to be a prohibited offensive weapon, the item can be seized by the court security officers, the person detained and the matter handed over to police," Wakefield said.
She said the screening process involved putting all items brought into court through the X-ray machines. Items can be put through again at a different angle and, if necessary, searched by hand.
Each person is also asked to walk through a metal detector and if it activates, a hand-held device is used to try to identify what is causing the activation. If further investigation is needed, a "pat down" search is carried out on the area using the backs of their hands.
When the Rotorua Daily Post asked the ministry if it was concerned about what was found during the past year, ministry health, safety and security general manager Naeve Neilson said often people attending court were not aware of the types of items they could bring, which was apparent from the array of items that had to be confiscated this year.
"We are committed to keeping all court participants safe and our court security officers are highly trained in dealing with whatever comes through the doors, and act swiftly and professionally to ensure no objectionable item is carried into the courthouse."
2019: Item and details
Nov 25: Crystal methamphetamine
Nov 28: Letter opener knife discovered during external patrol
Dec 12: Scissors with drug residue, and cannabis
Dec 7: Screwdriver
Dec 20: Drug paraphernalia
Dec 23: Kitchen knife found during external patrol
Dec 24: Drug residue inside bag
2020: Item and details
Jan 15: Cannabis
Jan 22: Homemade bong
Jan 23: Knuckleduster key ring
Jan 28: Cannabis
Feb 11: Cannabis
Feb 13: Glass cannabis pipe
Feb 24: Drug utensil, cannabis residue, modified scissors with copper wire, 2 gas flame lighters.
Mar 10: Knuckledusters
Mar 18: Cannabis, methamphetamine, syringe and needle with fluid, razor blade
Mar 19: Cannabis
Mar 23: Round .22 ammunition
Mar 26: Bong
May 25: Butterfly knife
May 26: Cannabis
May 27: Cannabis
June 11: Shotgun shell
June 12: Cannabis
June 16: Cannabis
June 18: Butterfly knife
June 18: Cannabis
June 30: Cannabis and two pipes with cannabis residue
July 2: Handmade shank found during external patrol
July 2: Synthetic cannabis
July 6: Pipe and utensils
July 20: Machete
Aug 5: Cannabis
Aug 6: Cannabis
Aug 10: Cannabis and bags with cannabis residue
Aug 10: A brick
Aug 14: Cannabis
Sep 9: Methamphetamine pipe with residue
Sep 12: Stanley knife found during external patrol
Sep 28: Two methamphetamine pipes
Oct 8: 3 cans of alcohol
Oct 14: Knuckledusters
Oct 15: Methamphetamine and glass pipe
Oct 16: Methamphetamine and drug utensils
Oct 16: Double-bladed knife
Oct 27: Two knives, long nail and razor blade found in bag during external patrol
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