Special report
Police firearm accidents five times higher than licensed firearm owners, makes general Police arming ‘dangerous and irresponsible’ says the Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO).
COLFO is calling for the new Police Commissioner to rule out the possibility of frontline Police officers carrying guns, after new data has revealed a sharp increase in unintentional firearm discharges by police officers.
Data obtained through the Official Information Act (OIA) reveals that between 2019 and 2023, there were 30 accidental firearm discharges (excluding police college incidents), two of which resulted in non-fatal gunshot wounds to Police officers requiring hospitalisation.
“On these numbers, general arming of Police would be plainly dangerous and irresponsible”, says COLFO Spokesperson Hugh Devereux-Mack.
Over the past decade, police have averaged 5.3 accidental discharges per year. Licensed firearm owners are far better trained, with only one unintentional discharge at a firearms range over the same period—a rate 5.2 times lower than that of the police.
Police receive six times less training than required of licensed firearms owners who own the types of firearms used by Police, such as pistols. Citizens are legally required to practice on a range 12 times a year. Police officers train with similar firearms only twice annually.
Devereux-Mack says the current firearms training Police receive is far below what they require of civilian gun users. Unlike regular New Zealanders, Police are not required to hold a firearms license.
“Earning the privilege to legally point a firearm at a citizen and even shoot them demands training far beyond everyday firearm owners.”
“In 2022, Police pointed firearms at people 65 times a month on average – yet have six times less training than a standard firearms owner,” says Devereux-Mack.
“You’d think that high level of risk would necessitate the maximum training standards in the country, yet Police want firearm owners to attend more range days than they require of themselves.
“Licensed firearm owners face far stricter safety standards, yet police officers—who are more likely to encounter high-pressure situations while armed—are not held to the same level of accountability. This double standard puts both officers and civilians at risk.
“The Police Commissioner should not even entertain the idea of general arming of officers in this context,” says Devereux-Mack.
In 2017, Police Association president Chris Cahill said the key to reducing the number of firearm discharges was more training. However, little progress appears to have been made, and Cahill has continued to recklessly advocate for general arming of police.
COLFO is urging the Government and the Police Minister to increase the frequency and quality of firearms training for police officers to higher than civilian standards.
ENDS//
OIA: Number of unintentional police discharges
OIA: Number of unintentional shooting incidents on ranges
Hugh Devereux-Mack
Perhaps police should undergo a firearm licence application primer and apply foir a firearm licence. Then they would be acquainted with the need for care and respect in handling firearms. This isn’t intended to be a frivolous suggestion.
It seems a case of double standards?
This paragraph jumped out to me. “You’d think that high level of risk would necessitate the maximum training standards in the country, yet Police want firearm owners to attend more range days than they require of themselves.
I recall a Detective in Auckland being confronted by an armed man on K Road and emptying the magazine of his Glock and not hitting the offender once… stress, dark night and the suddenness of events all conspired I guess. Point being is that the Police should be required to be proficient with hand guns in particular and the training should be extensive and ongoing because if the situation necessitates it, chances are the circumstances will be frightening, stressful and disconcerting for even the well trained. All that and I don’t want to be the one that stops a wayward round or three, fired by a scared amateur.
The police seem to be more aware of the social and economic decay that has been occurring and will probably only become worse than the rest of the people.
They are being armed more and more to protect themselves and seem to be increasingly anxious when having to interact with the citizens they are supposed to serve and protect.
It seems to be a difficult time to be a police officer and I have sympathy for the front line men and women that do this difficult and often dangerous work.
Our system of firearms regulations was sensibly based on assessing owners and users to be “fit and proper”, responsible citizens that understand and practice safe habits when using firearms, to avoid being harmed or harming anyone else of their property.
More recently, the administration of the regulations has changed from promoting safe, responsible and competent ownership and use to restricting the ownership and use by making the system more difficult to comply with and making more types of firearms illegal.
The incidents in which police have “mishaps” is evidence of the failure of proper management of the firearms regulations due to placing more emphasis on the firearms than the character and competence of the people that have them.
Police officers are the only people legally allowed to use firearms as weapons against other people and this privilege comes with a great responsibility that seems to be misunderstood by the managers of the police “enterprise”.
Individuals authorized to use firearms as defensive and offensive weapons obviously need a very high standard of assessment, training and practice to minimize the risk of harm to themselves and others.
Those standards need to be higher than those that apply to ordinary citizens who use their firearms less frequently for recreation and sport and do not ‘carry” them very often at all.
Police men and women who are authorized to carry and use firearms in their daily work obviously need to be properly vetted, licensed, trained and competent for their own safety and that of others.
Unfortunately, the politicians and bureaucrats that are mismanaging the police seem more concerned with revenue than the safety of their employees or the citizens of New Zealand they are suppose to serve and protect.
Routinely arming police officers seems to have another detrimental consequence that needs to be considered because it encourages criminals to do the same and promotes a police culture in which all of us are regarded as potential threats.
Not that long ago, most of us used to regard the police as our “friends” but that is more difficult now that they are so armored, armed and intimidating and appear to be afraid of the rest of us.
The firearms regulations are being reviewed hopefully improved and the people can make suggestions.
https://www.justice.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Publications/Arms-Act-rewrite-discussion-document.pdf
Have a look and have a say.