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The Waitematā East District Custody Unit is back in business.
Based at the North Shore Policing Centre in Rosedale, the facility reopened on February 25 ready to support policing across Auckland’s North Shore and Rodney.
Crucially, it will reduce the time frontline staff in the area spend transporting people in custody.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers says the new unit will mean reduced travel times for staff working as far north as Wellsford.
“The population across North Shore and Rodney communities continues to grow.
“It’s important my staff aren’t unnecessarily taken off the road for lengthy periods of time,” he says.
Having undergone improvement works in recent months, the unit is now state-of-the-art and will support the existing Waitematā cell facility, which is based in Henderson.
The unit began accepting detainees on the same day it opened.
The unit’s technologically-advanced facilities aim to reduce processing times for arresting officers.
“At the end of the day, we’ll have frontline staff back out there faster working to keep the community safe,” Chambers says.
Around the country, police manage more than 120,000 people in custody each year.
“Our custody units are an important part of managing people in our care and custody safely.
“In many instances those people in custody require intensive monitoring, and features such as high-quality CCTV and intercom systems will help custody staff.”
Chambers acknowledged the team involved in recommissioning the unit, which was decommissioned in 2013 and utilised by police periodically, as required, including periods to support police operations during the pandemic response.
“It’s great to see the use of technology to make savings and efficiencies, such as the high-quality audio-visual link suite installed,” he says.
“In many instances for those detainees appearing in court remotely this will remove some costs and complexities associate in transporting them.”
Waitematā District Commander Superintendent Naila Hassan says the North Shore facility is a welcome addition to the district.
“We are continuing to find ways to adapt to the growing demand and population across communities in Waitemata,” she says.
“This facility will be supported by sworn police staff, alongside additional authorised officers recruited into the roles.”
