On Monday, Inspector Phil Edwards took up the position as Taupō Area Commander. Photo / New Zealand Police
On Monday, Inspector Phil Edwards took up the position as Taupō Area Commander. Photo / New Zealand Police
From the officer in charge of 111 callouts to Taupō area commander in five years, Inspector Phil Edwards' rise has been rapid.
On Monday, Phil took up the top position for the Taupō policing area and is in command of 136 staff across stations in Putaruru, Tokoroa, Mangakino, Taupō and Tūrangi.
A celebration morning tea was delayed, as one of his children has Covid-19.
Speaking to the Taupō & Tūrangi Herald from home, Phil says he made the decision just before Christmas to start applying for jobs at the inspector level, and with the support of his wife Amy and four children, was prepared to move anywhere in New Zealand.
Meanwhile, former Taupō area commander Warwick Morehu was promoted to superintendent as training director at the Royal New Zealand Police College in Wellington.
"As a family it was our desire to stay in Taupō and taking over from Warwick is our dream job," Phil says.
He arrived from Rotorua five years ago to take up the position of response group manager in charge of frontline police officers. He also spent 12 months on road policing in Taupō.
Within the police promotion framework, you sit exams to get to the next level, and then you can start applying for jobs.
He was encouraged to apply after looking at the job description, taking stock of his skills, knowledge and experience, then talking to some of his mentors.
"Some people aspire to be area commanders. I thought if I work hard and take opportunities then good things will come."
Phil says the path to the role has come from a belief in the importance of always upskilling.
"When I was an acting sergeant, I thought that given I was doing the mahi I may as well get the knowledge, so I did my core policing knowledge exam. And it's continued like that. Two years ago, I thought the next step is becoming an inspector.
On Monday, Inspector Phil Edwards took up the position as Taupō Area Commander. Photo / New Zealand Police
"My mindset is that we should always want to be a better version of ourselves. If you apply that in your personal life - as a father, a husband, a hockey coach - then that has kind of rolled into my working life. I acknowledge my faults, my humanity, but I think that mindset of wanting to be a better version, that's important."
Phil says he plans to be the type of leader who serves his staff so they can get on and do the mahi for the community.
"My why is to reduce demand on the front line. It's about understanding where the wins are in the prevention space and partnering with people and organisations in order to reduce the demand on the front line."
Phil says his familiarity with the Taupō area and the wider Bay of Plenty, where he's served all his 16-year career, will make the transition easier.
He is humbled and nervous about his new career.
"I've worked for five years with the response team and they have seen me on my good days and on my bad days."
He brings a strong operational background to the role and has also done strategic work at Bay of Plenty headquarters. Phil says his challenge will be to remember the wider aspect of policing, including the prevention team and the investigative team, as well as the frontline. He says one of his strengths is being able to bring the team together.
Phil says Taupō is a high-performing policing area, with credit due to former area commander Morehu, and one of his goals for the next 12 months is to see this continue.
He says he has a fantastic team of senior sergeants with Murray Hamilton in the Tokoroa station, Fane Troy heading up the prevention team, Acting Detective Sergeant Andy Livingstone in charge of investigations and Acting Senior Sergeant Vanessa Meharry as head of road policing.
Acting Senior Sergeant Shane McNally is filling Phil's previous role as response group manager.
Phil says the glue in the whole team is executive officer Heather Duncan.
"Our people do an outstanding job out there and they're not backward in coming forward to help.
"One of the highlights is seeing the staff doing the right thing at 2am when the boss is tucked up in bed. Knowing that they are doing it because of the culture, not because someone is watching."
Another goal is to invest in existing relationships and partnerships with iwi and council, and in the areas of youth and road policing.
Phil Edwards playing hockey for the Eagles at Smallbone Park in Rotorua, July 2005. Photo / NZME
"This first year is a transition for me and my family. It will be a growth time for me and I need to invest in myself so I am an effective leader."
When he is not at the police station, Phil says you will find him at the hockey turf, "we've just finished the high school team trials", and he's Bay of Plenty Hockey Association chairman.
He's involved with Church@109 as part of the teaching team, "faith has a big part in my life", and in the evening, when the kids are in bed, he and Amy go running around the streets of Taupō.
