April 4, 2006

Wood praises police appointments

North Shore City Mayor and former police investigator, George Wood, is praising the appointments of Howard Broad as Commissioner of Police and Rob Pope as Deputy Commissioner (operations).

"Commissioner Broad has extensive experience and knows all about the Auckland region's issues. I support his appointment wholeheartedly," says the third-term mayor who served 32 years in the NZ Police.

"I know Howard very well and have come to respect him highly over many years. He's a down-to-earth guy, a great listener and has strong strategic planning skills that will serve the Police well at this important time."

Mr Wood says he first met Howard Broad when the top cop was a detective sergeant at police headquarters in Wellington.

"Howard set up an innovative system to break national car theft rings. It was a sign of things to come from a man who was destined to rise through the ranks. This included distinguished service as District Commander in the most pressured district (Auckland) in the country.

"Commissioner Broad knows the Auckland scene well and the people of our region can feel heartened that this man is in the top job.

"He has a balanced background in frontline policing and high level administration. I'm sure he'll do a fine job raising service levels and the lot of Police staff throughout the country."

George Wood also welcomes the appointment of Rob Pope as Deputy Commissioner (operations).

"Rob brings a wealth of experience to this role. He's methodical and a dedicated investigator who, like his new boss, performed well as a district commander before this latest, well deserved promotion."

Background:

Howard Broad has been a member of the NZ Police for more than 30 years, serving mainly in uniform and CIB appointments for about 18 years, and then in policy, planning and strategy roles at National Headquarters. In 1999, he became District Commander, Auckland City Police District. He was seconded in 2003-04 to the Police Standards Unit in the UK Home Office, contributing to a major police reform project. In 2004, he was appointed to his present position of Assistant Commissioner responsible for planning, development and deployment in the Office of the Commissioner of Police.

Rob Pope has been a member of the NZ Police for more than 30 years, serving in uniform duties for five years before moving to CIB and a succession of operational appointments, culminating in promotion to National Crime Manager in the Office of the Commissioner of Police in 2002. In 2004 he took up his present position of District Commander, Wellington.

ENDS

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