Recent firearms-related incidents targeting the police have prompted their union to renew its call for the general arming of officers.
The Police Association has been calling for officers to be armed for 10 years. Photo: RNZ / Patrice Allen
Two men have been charged in Auckland this week, in separate cases of guns being pointed at officers, and the hunt is still on for two people who shot at the police out of a car window in South Auckland on Thursday night.
Constable Matthew Hunt was shot dead in Massey on 19 June during a routine traffic stop.
Another police officer was also shot in the leg after being fired on more than a dozen times.
Police Association spokesperson Emiel Logan said the Police Commissioner is urgently looking at how to make officers safer.
"The association's very concerned and so is the commissioner. The prevalence of firearms incidents is far too high and all we've got to do is look at the tragic incident seven weeks ago with Constable Hunt and his partner as to how these things can turn out," Logan said.
"The Police Association has been calling for the general arming of police since 2010 after a series of incidents back then.
"Since then there have been numerous incidents where police officers have been fired at or had firearms presented at them."
A 24-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman were arrested after Hunt's death.
The man is charged with murder, attempted murder and dangerous driving. The woman has been charged with being an accessory to murder.
Both defendants have pleaded not guilty and will face trial next year.