Reassurance for lockdown school

A reassuring police presence, straight answers – and ice blocks – helped calm nerves after a firearms incident near a Northland school.

Ahipara School was locked down for several hours on Monday 19 February after reports of gunshots at a nearby property.

The following day Sergeant Haydn Korach, Prevention Team supervisor in the Far North, spent around an hour at the school, talking to staff and children and answering questions.

“I told them as much as I could without giving away details of the investigation,” says Haydn, who admits addressing around 100 primary and intermediate-age youngsters was slightly daunting.

“I told them the reason they were locked down was because there was a guy with a gun walking around the streets near their school and we needed to make sure they were safe.”

Haydn, who was accompanied by Constable Phil Marsh, says good communication between police and the school and the highly visible police presence during the incident had a reassuring effect - but some of the children were clearly unsettled.

“I think getting clear and straight answers from a police officer probably reassured them the most,” he says.

Questions ranged from ‘Why was there a helicopter?’ to ‘Is it safe to come to school?’

“Part of the messaging was that school was the safest place for them,” says Haydn.

“I was able to reinforce that what they did on the day was right, that they should do what their teachers say because they have their best interests at heart.”

After the question-and-answer session, the school employed a further reassurance measure by handing out ice blocks.

A few days later, police were back when Area Response Manager and O/C Kaitaia Sergeant Sarah Wihongi – mother of a former Ahipara student – presented two Blue Light bravery certificates in assembly.

One went to the school, the other to a class of children who put themselves in lockdown because their teacher was out of the room when the emergency began.

“The mood in the school was good,” she says. “Having police there helped the kids continue to build their confidence. They did everything right.”

A further link between the school and Police is provided by Kaitaia Senior Constable Dion Masters, who is chair of the Board of Trustees.

“It was great to see police coming along to present to the kids and allay any fears they had,” says Dion. “It provided a great educational tool for us so we can improve our procedures and learn from this incident.”

Area Commander Inspector Riki Whiu says Ahipara staff, children and parents responded really well to the scare.

“It was appropriate to follow up with a visit to thank them for their cooperation and reassure them that we were doing what we needed to do to keep them safe.”

• A 44-year-old man was arrested three days after the incident and is before the court.