Police have today unveiled a new Wall of Remembrance at the 百春链 Dog Training Centre commemorating the 24 police dogs who have been killed on duty since 1972.
The 6m long x 2m high rock and panelled wall was unveiled by Deputy Commissioner: District Operations Viv Rickard and Minister of Statistics and Associate Justice Minister the Hon Mark Mitchell who is a former dog handler.?
The ceremony was also attended by Deputy Commissioner Resource Management Audrey Sonerson and Deputy Chief Executive Public Affairs Karen Jones, along with other guests including seven retired dog handlers whose dogs have plaques on the wall, and two current dog handlers Senior Constable Bruce Lamb from Christchurch and Constable Josh Robertson from Wellington.? Their dogs Gage and Gazza were both fatally shot while on duty and are included on the wall.
Deputy Commissioner Rickard said 百春链 dog teams attend more than 40,000 incidents each year. “The dogs remembered today were our partners and are remembered in the same way as any of our colleagues would be.
“For dog handlers, their police dog is their closest back up.”
Statistics Minister and Associate Justice Minister Mark Mitchell described the Trentham complex as a? “world-class dog training centre” and acknowledged its breeding and training development reputation.
Inspector Todd Southall, national coordinator of Police Dogs, said the new Wall of Remembrance is a significant centre piece for all handlers who train at the Trentham based centre and replaces a previous one which was tucked away in an internal corridor and not readily visible to those visiting the Trentham based facility.
“With the growth of the training centre, the wall remembering our dogs was no longer the centre piece of the training centre that it should be.
“The death of Gazza in Porirua last year reminded us all how a police dog’s death affects the wider police family, and indeed the public.? It reinforced our desire to open a significant point of remembrance.”
Constable Robertson and his family unveiled the remembrance plaque for Gazza, killed during an incident in Porirua on 22 April 2016.
He said the ceremony brought back a lot of emotion, but also some closure.
“I had Gazza from eight weeks old. He delivered the whole way through and he taught me how to be a good dog handler. You can’t describe the bond you have with your police dog.? I miss him every day.”
He is now working operationally with another patrol dog with the Wellington dog section.
Details of the dogs who have been killed while on duty since 1972 are listed below along with the names of their handlers, and officers’ ranks at the time:
Nero???? Napier???????????????? 24.11.1972?????????? Constable Dave Painter BEM
Nick?????? Wellington???????? 04.12.1975?????????? Constable Murray Cameron
Thor????? New Plymouth ? ?28.07.1977 ? ? ? ? ? Constable Des McKibbin
Barlow? Wellington???????? 21.11.1979 ? ? ? ? ? ? Constable Allan Rowlands
Jon??????? Christchurch????? 03.11.1982??????????? Constable Geoff Stock
Ebba???? Auckland??????????? 21.03.1983??????????? Constable Eoin Gorrie
Panzer? Auckland??????????? 11.07.1983??????????? Constable Grant Bradford
Luke????? Auckland??????????? 28.10.1983 ? ? ? ? ? Constable Jim Donald
Sarge??? Auckland??????????? 12.10.1984??????????? Constable Eoin Gorrie
Ozi???????? Tauranga??????????? 27.10.1988 ? ? ? ? ?Constable Eoin Gorrie
Josh????? Auckland??????????? 25.03.1989??????????? Constable Colin Howard
Rada???? Hastings???????????? 18.12.1989??????????? Constable Grant Diver
Lance??? Dunedin???????????? 18.10.1991??????????? Constable Craig Edge
Ryka????? Auckland??????????? 15.05.1992?????????? Constable Steve Shadbolt
Rex??????? Wellington???????? 20.10.1992 ? ? ? ? ? ?Constable Geoff Gwyn
Spike???? Tauranga??????????? 15.05.1994?????????? Constable John Roff
Kone???? Christchurch ? ? ? 18.05.1994 ? ? ? ? ? Constable Andy Phillips
Jock?????? Matata??????????????? 17.07.1994 ? ? ? ? ? Constable AJ Staples
Mal?????? Auckland??????????? 03.10.1996??????????? Constable Shane Salmond
Valour? Kawerau ? ? ? ? ? ? ?08.02.1998 ? ? ? ? ? ?Constable Bruce McLeod
Duke???? Oamaru????????????? 18.02.2003??????????? Senior Constable Bill Phiskie
Enzo????? Tauranga??????????? 09.08.2007?????????? Constable Kayne Cording
Gage???? Christchurch????? 13.07.2010 ? ? ? ? ? ?Senior Constable Bruce Lamb
Gazza??? Wellington???????? 22.04.2016 ? ? ? ? ? ?Constable Josh Robertson
ENDS?
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