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A police callout to Howick Beach late last year, sparked by reports of possible firearms, tied up significant police resources.
It included the deployment of the police Eagle helicopter, despite the weapons later being identified as toy guns.
An Official Information Act (OIA) response released to the Times by New Zealand Police on January 22 has detailed the scale of the response to the December 2 incident, which involved multiple frontline units, a tactical dog unit and the Eagle.
Police were called to Howick Beach shortly after 5pm on December 2 after members of the public reported a carload of young males who appeared to be in possession of a firearm.
At the time, Counties Manukau Police said officers carried out an armed vehicle stop at the beach, with the Eagle helicopter providing aerial support.
The OIA response confirms the helicopter flew for 30 minutes during the incident.
The hourly operating rate for Eagle is $4163, meaning the flight alone cost more than $2000, excluding police staff wages and other associated costs.
Police say they do not record the total operational cost of individual incidents, meaning the full cost of the response, including staff time, vehicles and specialist units, cannot be calculated.
The OIA response shows that nine police units were assigned to the incident, including the Eagle, with 12 police staff responding on the ground.
The Armed Offenders Squad was not deployed. However, a tactical dog unit was among those assigned.
Police provided the following timeline: 5.11pm – first police unit assigned; 5.22pm – eight units assigned, five offenders located and arrested; 5.39pm – units began standing down; 6.11pm – two units remained on scene.
A local resident told the Times at the time they could see six police vehicles and the Eagle at Howick Beach.
Police later confirmed that what was initially believed to be a firearm was a toy gun, with two gel blaster-style imitation firearms located inside the vehicle.
“Armed staff approached the vehicle at the beach, taking five people into custody without incident,” police said following the incident.
Cannabis was also found inside the vehicle. On December 3, police said a 19-year-old man had been summoned to appear in the Manukau District Court in January on a charge of possessing cannabis.
Speaking after the incident, Counties Manukau East Police area commander Rod Honan said police had acted appropriately given the information received.
“Police take any report of people possessing firearms in our community seriously.
“Our staff responded accordingly and established that there was no further risk to the public.
“In this case, we located two gel blaster toy guns inside the vehicle.
“We would always encourage people to think about their actions in public places, especially as playing with imitation or toy guns in public is simply not wise,” said Honan.
Police say incidents involving imitation firearms place significant demand on frontline resources and can divert staff from other emergencies.
