Police were “aghast” to find volunteers at a community police centre north of Auckland opened the station to the public without supervision.
An Official Information Act response provided to 1News showed police scrambled to shut down the operation, saying in internal emails it posed a “significant risk” to the volunteers, and the police.
Mahurangi Community Police station in Snells Beach was until February operated by a group of unsupervised community volunteers.
In an email on February 22, Warkworth Police officer in charge Sergeant Dan McDermott said the station doors would be closed “effective immediately”, saying volunteers could not interact with the public arriving at the station while it was branded as a police station.
“There may be work arounds such as the building being rebranded,” he wrote.
“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I am confident we will be able to sort an arrangement that works for everyone, while keeping the volunteers safe.”
On the same day, an email from Senior Sergeant Roger Small said it was a “significant risk” to the volunteers and NZ Police for the volunteers to be “representing it as a working Police station by operating as they have”.
McDermott agreed in another email.
“Police have policy around the use of volunteers which involves training, vetting and health and safety. Having refreshed myself on this policy, at this time none of these obligations are being met.
“I have removed the Police radio and computer from the station and placed them at Warkworth.”
Small said: “I am a little aghast mate that this has been going on and we didn’t know about it. Thanks for picking it up and addressing it so quickly.”
Inspector Matthew Laurenson said in an email the next day he did not realise the front counter was opening at the station and agreed there was “a definite organisational risk”.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell was unaware of the situation until asked for comment by 1News.
“I would expect police to be across this. I would expect that if they’re not complying with their own rules in terms of how they operate with volunteers, then they’d make the changes.
Asked if he should have been told, Mitchell said “it was very operational” and police would have raised it with him had there been a major incident.
‘It created mistrust’
Former Snells Beach resident Grant McLachlan accused the volunteers of using the station as a “weapon” to “harass” locals.
“It created a mistrust in the local police because this group relied on their connections with the police,” he said.
In 2022 he wrote to Police Commissioner Andrew Coster calling for the station to be shut down.
“The area commander dismissed my complaint, saying the facility was important and well used by police.”
1News spoke to a member of the volunteer group who did not want to be identified. They rubbished claims of intimidation and harassment, saying the group were simply providing a community service with lost and found property and helping where possible with people’s concerns.
‘There are clear requirements’
In a statement, police said despite the front counter being closed in 2016, volunteers had been periodically opening it ever since, forcing them to stop it each time.
“While we acknowledge the work of community volunteers is well-intentioned, there are clear requirements in place around volunteers interacting with the public in any police building,” Inspector Mike Rickards, Relieving Area Commander for Waitematā North Police, said.
“We acknowledge having the public on site should have been identified earlier in this instance.
“We reiterate that through this period, Police computer systems were not accessible to volunteers on site.
“Anyone needing to report a matter to Police was directed to Warkworth Police Station.”
Mitchell said he’d gone back to police for more details.
“I’ll wait and see what they have to say,” he said.
McLaughlan said “it’s the most outrageous situation I’ve come across in many years”.
