Officers praised for 'courage' in 'life-threatening' shootings in Auckland, Hamilton

Police have commended officers for their courage following two separate shootings in Auckland and Hamilton in the last 24 hours.

A man was killed in a shooting with police in Hillcrest, Hamilton last night with a police officer injured after hitting their head on the ground during the incident.

Today, a man was shot and injured by police after allegedly holding a firearm to the heads of two members of the public as he stole one vehicle and attempted to steal another in Auckland this morning. 

“My staff have done a remarkable job today and I acknowledge the courage that they showed moving forward in terms of what was a very volatile, high-risk and life-threatening situation," Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers told reporters in a press conference this afternoon.

Chambers said police did all they could to save the man involved in the Hamilton shooting, but he died at the scene.

He said that policing "is a challenging job all around the world", adding that the incidents which unfolded last night and this morning were "not unique to our country" but instead reflects "a changing environment globally".

“Our organisation is putting a tremendous amount of effort into ensuring that our staff are equipped with the right tactical gear to help them in their jobs, that they have the right training to help them make good decisions and we’ll continue to work very hard at that so we can ensure that we can do the best possible job for our country and people to keep everybody safe."

Chambers said while questions around whether New Zealand police should be armed is often raised when police shootings are involved, "that’s a question for our country".

"What we will continue to do is work really hard to assess the environment in which we police so what we need to do to keep our people safe, what training that they need but today ... we’re focused on the families of those that have been caught up in the situation and our own staff," he said.

More on this topic

Police officer has surgery after hitting head during fatal Hamilton shooting

July 15, 2021

Man allegedly holds gun to heads of two people before being shot by cops in Auckland

July 15, 2021

"Situations such as this – and also in Hamilton last night – are traumatic for us too and these incidents affect us all in different ways.

"We need to work very hard to ensure that the welfare is wrapped around our own people who find themselves doing remarkable things at the frontline every day and every night around our country and what our job, as senior leaders in this organisation, needs to do is to make sure they have the support to help them keep going."

Police investigations into the shootings and police conduct are now underway.