Govt announces new 24/7 police station in central Auckland

Monday, 25 November 2024

PM Christopher Luxon at the end of year one in Government

A new police station in central Auckland is opening mid next year.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon spoke from the new Federal Street station, saying the new station was “really necessary”.

“We want to be on the side of victims, not on the side of offenders.”

Currently, police lease two floors of the building and will be taking over all four for the new station.

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said the new police base will be on Federal Street and would be ready to open in the middle of next year.

When police have full occupancy of the building, there will be a public counter allowing people to talk to police. Currently the closest public counter that is always open is at College Hill, about 2km from the city centre.

“A 24/7 police base in the central business district will go a long way to address crime in central Auckland,” Chambers said at the conference, speaking on his first day in the commissioner role.

“This presence will make responding to crime in the CBD faster and more effective.”

Police Minister Mark Mitchell congratulated Chambers on his new role as commissioner, and said it was “not a bad way to start your first day, opening a new police station in our Auckland CBD”.

“It's really important to have that presence return, with a shop front for the public to access. And of course, our beat teams operate out of here.”

“I was on the I was on the beat here in Auckland CBD when I started my policing career, and I loved it,” Mitchell said.

In total, there will be 51 officers on the beat in Auckland’s city centre - there are still eight positions to be filled.

“One of the fundamentals and basics of policing is our visibility in communities and going about that on foot is what we are as an organisation for New Zealand,” Chambers said.

Being visible on the city’s transport networks was also important, he said.

“Walking the beat here in the streets and in the commercial sectors but also on the transport networks, that’s absolutely good policing and it’s back to basics.”

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown, who lives in the central city, said he was delighted by the news.

“I’d like to see more people come into K Road and into the central city to see the Christmas tree and have a good time and feel safe about it.

“This is a good step in the right direction.”