Dear Ms Fitchett
 
I acknowledge receipt of your Official Information Act (OIA) request
below. Your request is being actioned pursuant to the Act.
 
Kind regards
Ministerial Services
PNHQ

-----"Deborah Fitchett" <[FOI #12354 email]>
wrote: -----
To: "OIA/LGOIMA requests at New Zealand Police"
<[New Zealand Police request email]>
From: "Deborah Fitchett" <[FOI #12354 email]>
Date: 02/03/2020 09:12PM
Subject: Official Information request - Project initiation documentation
for Christchurch helicopter trial

Dear New Zealand Police,
Can you please provide any project initiation documentation for the
helicopter trial currently underway in Christchurch, including but not
limited to documents covering:
1) the rationale, eg projected benefits;
2) any downsides considered;
3) any pre-trial consultation carried out with local councils, iwi,
community groups, and/or other organisations;
4) how the trial is to be evaluated and how 'success' or 'failure' is to
be defined, including for example:
4a. what statistics, logs, feedback, and/or other data are being actively
or passively gathered during the trial;
4b. what factors will be taken into account to define "success" or
"failure" (or other outcome) of the trial; and
4c. to what extent these and/or other factors will inform future
decision-making about a potential permanent roll-out.
The OIA states that the organisation should respond 'as soon as reasonably
practicable'. It would particularly be useful to have a response before
the end of the trial, and I would expect that project initiation
documentation should be easily discoverable. If a full response cannot
practicably be given before that time (eg if some information may need to
be redacted under section 6) then an interim partial response of whatever
information can be provided in a timely manner would be greatly
appreciated.
I am a New Zealand resident.
Yours faithfully,
Deborah Fitchett
-------------------------------------------------------------------
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Dear Deborah,

Please find below answers to your questions regarding the 5 week Eagle
trial in Canterbury District.

Requested Information

Can you please provide any project initiation documentation for the
helicopter trial currently underway in Christchurch, including but not
limited to documents covering;

 Please find attached a copy of the terms of reference for the 5 week
Eagle trial in Canterbury District. To the extent that this document does
not contain the answers to your questions below, I will answer your
questions in turn.

1. The rationale, e.g. projected benefits;

 Police’s Auckland-based Air Support Unit provides 24/7 aerial deployment
to the upper North Island. Although it is available to deploy on a
national basis, more than 96 percent of Eagles deployment is within the
wider Auckland region.

 We have seen the benefits Eagle has brought to policing and public
safety in Tamaki Makaurau, and we would like to see whether other
communities benefit from having closer access to this service and its
benefits.

 Police wants to investigate whether there is the demand to expand that
service. The five week trial will provide an overview of, and more
information on the demand profile, for Canterbury and its surround.

 It is clear that air support offers benefits to our frontline policing
by providing aerial surveillance and monitoring from a safe distance and
with a wider picture – enabling an efficient response and resolution.

 Of events attended by Eagle outside of Tamaki Makaurau, Canterbury is
the second highest in Eagle attendance (after Waikato). It is also well
positioned in the middle of the South Island to provide support to other
southern locations.

 These factors make Canterbury Police district the obvious location of
choice for a possible expansion of Eagle.

2. Any downsides considered:

 Apart from the assessment of demand for such a capability, weather
patterns which may impact Eagles ability to deploy consistently and
effectively will also be taken into account.

 Community response to the 5 week trial will also be measured as will
Canterbury district Police staff response.

3. Any pre-trial consultation carried out with local councils, iwi,
community groups, and/or other organisations:

 Canterbury District Commander Superintendent John Price has engaged with
groups in the local community ahead of the trial including the
Christchurch Mayor and councils, Ngai Tahu and other local iwi, the Muslim
community, and members of parliament. Engagement has also occurred with
National bodies such as NZ Transport Authority and the Office of the
Children’s Commissioner.

4. How the trial is to be evaluated and how "success" or "failure" is to
be defined, including for example;

4a. what statistics, logs, feedback, and/other data are being actively or
passively gathered during the trial;

 Full reporting which records as example; total incidents attended, types
of incidents attended, apprehensions and/or persons found, flight hours
and helicopter utilisation will be used as a starting point.

4b. what factors will be taken into account to define "success" or
"failure" (or other outcome) of the trial; and

 As identified, weather patterns and its impact on helicopter deployment
will be considered.

 Community and Police response to the effectiveness of the helicopter and
its ability to improve public safety as well as that of Police ground
staff will also be considered.

4c. to what extent these and/or other factors will inform future decision
making about a potential permanent roll-out

 If the trial is successful there are still other factors to consider,
one of which will be the ability of an operator to operationally and cost
effectively provide the level of service required for such an operation in
a consistent and sustainable manner. This would not be known until an All
of Government (AOG) open tender process is undertaken.
 
You have the right to ask the Ombudsman to review my decision if you are
not satisfied with Police’s response to your request. You can find more
information here:
[1]http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/make-...
.

 

Kind regards,

 

 

P Cross

Information Request Team Leader, Canterbury

Service Delivery

 

 

 

 

 

 

===============================================================

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References

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1. http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/make-...

Good morning Deborah,
 
Please also see attached the TOR FYI.
 
Kind regards
 
 
 

 

P Cross

Information Request Team Leader, Canterbury

Service Delivery

 

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