3 December 2019
Our Reference: IR-01-19-29290
Malcom Lock
[FYI request #11538 email]
Dear Malcolm
I am writing in response to your Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) request of 28
October. Specifically you requested:
“In the first six months of Operation Gun Safe2 1206 firearms were seized, recovered
or surrendered; 32% of Gun Safe events resulted in arrest; a firearm was discharged
by an offender in 10% of the events and 18% of the 179 firearms presented at
members of the public or police were located; when firearms were presented at
Police they were discharged 50% of the time; firearms presented at the public were
discharged 33% of the time; 34% of the individuals involved had gang links; 11%
had firearms licences…
[1] I specifically request the numbers of times firearms were presented at police, to
accurately determine what the actual 50% relates too within the time frame referred
to in the submission…
[2] I would also like clarity around the figures for "1206 firearms were seized,
recovered or surrendered. Please supply this information in the categories of, seized,
recovered and surrendered. The way police association have combined the
information is is ambiguous.
[3] Also is it common practice to allow a non government organisation such as the
NZ police association knowledge of police operations?
[4] How did the NZ police association know of Operation Gun Safe2?
[5] What other non government organisations know of Operation Gun Safe2?
[6] How was the police association informed of Operation Gun Safe2?
[7] Does a non government organisation having knowledge of police operations,
either current or historical pose any security or legal issues?
[8] Please supply all information regarding Operation Gun Safe2 that has been
released to the NZ Police association.
In order to respond to your request at this time, my response to question one and two is
outlined below. I will provide you with a response to the remaining questions as soon as I
am able.
Police National Headquarters 180 Molesworth Street. PO Box 3017, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
Telephone: 04 474 9499. Fax: 04 498 7400. www.police.govt.nz
Gun Safe is a live, point-in-time database, and therefore figures reported on for the period
of 1 March – 31 August 2019 are provisional and subject to change as additional incidents
are back-captured or corrections made for accuracy.
The following breakdown of figures relates to the point in time at which the Gun Safe
database recorded 179 presentations of firearms by offenders and 1,206 firearms seized,
recovered, or surrendered for the period of 1 March – 31 August 2019 (as per your request).
Therefore these figures no longer reflect the current Gun Safe data for this period as
incidents may have been back captured or correction made for accuracy.
Table 1. Events where a firearm was presented at members of the public or police, 1
Mar – 31 Aug 2019
Member(s) of public
Police
Total
169
10
179
Table 2. Firearms seized, recovered, and surrendered, 1 Mar – 31 Aug 2019
Seized
Recovered
Surrendered
Total
1,132
58
16
1,206
If you are not satisfied with my response to your request, you have a right under section
28(3) of the Official Information Act 1982 to ask the Office of the Ombudsman to seek an
investigation and review of my decision.
Yours sincerely
Superintendent Andrew Sissons
National Manager, Response and Operations
