A fleet of “police buses” has rolled out across Auckland to drive recruitment into the force.
The five Auckland Transport buses, wrapped in police livery, were set to be a mobile billboard for police as they continued driving their routes around the city.
The buses were covered in the New Zealand Police’s famous blue, yellow, and white, with “Next Stop: Making a Difference” written on the side.
Commissioner Richard Chambers said the campaign was part of police efforts to recruit its target of 500 new officers.
“These newly decorated double-decker buses seat 500 people, which is exactly the number we want to recruit.”
He said Auckland had always been a key recruitment area for police, and was “keen to be highly visible and advertise far and wide”.
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“We know that the buses are ideal for reaching the whole of the city.”
The total cost to wrap the buses was $119,800, which included print, installation, and 12 weeks of media advertising.
The redecorated buses were introduced just a month from the new police training campus in Albany on Auckland’s North Shore, welcoming its first batch of recruits.
“The new Auckland training campus at Albany will also help make a career with the police a reality for those who cannot relocate to Wellington for the full 20-week course,” Chambers said.
“That campus is set to welcome its first intake from the start of July. That is a significant development in our recruitment and training.”
Under the National-NZ First coalition agreement, the Government set a target of recruiting an extra 500 officers within its first two years in office.
However, the recruitment drive has struggled to meet expectations, and the Government conceded last month it would likely miss the November target.