Tāmaki Makaurau Police Maritime Unit

Located alongside several key SAR partners at the Marine Rescue Centre at Mechanics Bay, the Tāmaki Makaurau Police Maritime Unit coordinates and contributes to water-based SAR operations in the region.

“We’re fortunate to have a relatively unique situation,” says Senior Sergeant Garry Larsen, officer in charge of the unit. “Being co-located with partner SAR agencies such as Coastguard and Surf Life Saving means we have very strong relationships, which enable us to collaborate effectively.

”The police team of 20 officers is structured into four sections, who provide on-water SAR capability as well as being the Incident Controllers for water-based Cat I SAR operations. “When there’s a boat missing or in distress, an officer will usually go up to the Coastguard radio and operations room and make that the incident control point,” says Garry. “From there, we assess the conditions and situations, plan the operation and deploy the right assets for the task. That could be a Coastguard Rescue Vessel, Surf Life Saving NZ rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB), the Police Eagle helicopter or one of our maritime unit vessels. At other times, we are involved in Cat II SAR operations, which are coordinated by the Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand."

In severe conditions, such as Cyclone Gabrielle, they can deploy the maritime unit’s Deodar III. During the cyclone, the 18.5-metre launch travelled as far as Little Barrier Island. In eight-metre swells and 80 knot winds, her crew searched for a drifting and damaged catamaran. Deodar III also has a long-range capability. “Our normal operational area is the greater Hauraki Gulf and Firth of Thames, but we’ve been asked to respond to incidents as far north as the Three Kings Islands. To the south, we deployed to Whakaari / White Island to provide site security after the tragic events of the 2019 eruption. There, we also helped recover the deceased alongside the New Zealand Defence Force, the Police National Dive Squad and Police National Disaster Victim Identification team.”

“Ensuring agencies from outside the district are aware of our capabilities is important. We’re very open to have them visit, to see what we can do, so they can request our help if the situation warrants it. The same goes for our staff. They are experts in maritime SAR operations, who can assist out of the district if needed.”

The unit has two 12-metre RHIBs, one on a trailer ready for deploy-ment anywhere in the country. The other is berthed at the Maritime Rescue Centre, ready for rapid response tasks when the sea-state is moderate.

A 4.5-metre RHIB is used to support the Police National Dive Squad during search tasks, as well as SAR work in locations that can’t be accessed in the larger vessels. “Our smaller RHIB was used extensively during the Auckland Anniversary weekend weather event, searching flooded neighbourhoods and rescuing many people from their homes. Our team did an exceptional job saving lives.”

During the same weather event, the unit’s personal water craft (jet ski) operated alongside a Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ) jet ski, searching a shallow river corridor. “We often train with FENZ for other roles, but this was the first time we’d worked in tandem on a jet ski search task,” says Garry. “The strong relationships meant we were able to work together really well during that operation.”

Prevention is another key SAR role, with Police staff promoting safety messaging to boaties during routine patrols. Outside of SAR work, the unit carries out a wide range of policing activities, water safety operations and provides support to other government agencies.

Overall, the success of the unit comes back to relationships. “The better the relationships we have with all our partners, the better we can respond to whatever incidents arise. Everyone at the Marine Rescue Centre is here for the same purpose, and there’s a real power in having us all located together.”

This article was first published in the September 2023 issue of Link magazine. 

Feature image: Tamaki Makaurau Auckland Police Maritime Unit. Supplied