Lethal force and New Zealand Police: the history, law, practice and reality of lethal force use by a well-armed and capable national police service

Abstract

This book challenges the notion that the New Zealand Police are one of only four global police services that does not have routinely armed officers, using arguments and facts drawn from 2000 to 2019, a period of important change for the organisation and its relationship with firearms, particularly following the outrages of the Christchurch mosques terrorist massacres in 2019, and the 2020 shooting death of a young police constable in Aotearoa New Zealand. This book provides a brief history of the Police from its beginnings to the present day with a specific focus on its relationship with firearms, which contextualize the law that justifies use of lethal force in a country that has abolished the death penalty. It examines police policies, procedures, training and structures governing deployment and use of firearms in Aotearoa New Zealand, and the independent oversight that now applies to fatal and non-fatal shootings by Police. Using 43 publicly released oversight agency reports and data directly related to police shootings, such as who is being shot, this book investigates how the police are using lethal force, who is being affected, and what this might mean for the service with regards to the operational deployment of firearms and the potential for use of lethal force within the community into the future. Contemporary discussion on law, policy, procedure, training and structures, while still providing historical perspective; Examination of when, where, why and how New Zealand Police resort to and use lethal force; Questioning of the traditional view of the Police as routinely unarmed, and consideration of what further steps may be useful for New Zealand Police to consider when it comes to delivery of a fit for purpose armed response to dangerous events.