List of New Zealand police officers killed in the line of duty

This is a list of New Zealand Police officers killed in the line of duty. As of 2009, 29 police officers have been killed by criminal act,^[1][2] and about 17 have died from accidental causes, during the execution of duty. There has been one instance of multiple police deaths, when Stanley Graham gunned down four officers attempting to apprehend him in 1941, and four double fatalities. Most of the homicides have been a result of gunshot wounds, the accidents mainly due to either drowning or vehicle (car/aircraft) accidents.

A slain officer may receive a police funeral, including an honour guard and flag-draped casket,^[3] and be officially mourned in the New Zealand House of Representatives.^[4][5] At least four officers have received posthumous honours—Sergeant Stewart Guthrie received the highest Commonwealth civilian decoration, the George Cross. The Lou Grant Award, created in the memory of the police sergeant who died in the 1993 Eagle helicopter mid-air collision, is awarded every second year for excellence and contributions to search and rescue.

The Memorial Wall at The Royal New Zealand Police College lists the names of fallen colleagues, whom the service commemorates annually on Police Remembrance Day. The Police Association together with the New Zealand Police introduced a Police Remembrance Day Pin in 2007, for officers to wear to honour the memory of those slain during the course of duty. The pin combines a Huia tail feather with a police chevron; the Huia bird was sacred in Māori culture, wearing of its feathers restricted to people of high status.

In addition to the human officers, 24 police dogs have died in the line of duty;^[6] notably the drowning of Enzo in 2007,^[7] Gage, a six-year-old German Shepherd, in 2010. In 2016 4 year old German Shepherd Gazza was shot and killed in Porirua.

Officers

       shaded rows denotes when officers were killed in the same incident.

Killed by criminal act

Since 1 September 1886.^[8]

Badge	Rank	Name	Age	Honours	Date	Circumstance	Location	Notes
91	Constable	Neil McLeod	44		30 July 1890	Gumdigger Henry Funcke was removed from a steamer and had his rifle confiscated. He became angry and drew a concealed pistol, firing several shots at the departing ship, one of which struck McLeod in the chest	Dargaville (Mangawhare Wharf)	[9]
674	Sergeant	John Patrick Hackett McGuire	42		14 April 1910	Shot in the stomach during a manhunt, and died four days later. John Joseph Powelka was acquitted of murder but received 21 cumulative years for seven charges of burglary	Palmerston North	[10]
963	Constable	John Doyle	35		5 February 1913	Died in hospital two days after being assaulted by two men in the Albion Hotel	Shannon	[11]
2030	Constable	Vivian Dudding	32		6 October 1919	Attending a domestic dispute, he was shot in the head and died an hour later	Thorndon, Wellington	[12]
1764	Constable	James Dorgan	37		27 August 1921	Shot investigating a break-in, the killer was never found	Timaru	[13]
1582	Constable	Thomas Heeps	50		21 October 1934	Died in Waikato Hospital after being shot twice by Henare Hona, the subject of a manhunt	Otorohanga (nearby)	[14]
2209	Sergeant	William Cooper	43		8 October 1941	Shot by farmer Stanley Graham, who they were attempting to apprehend after he refused to surrender firearms	Hokitika (nearby)	[15]
3526	Constable	Frederick William Jordan	26					[16]
3039	Constable	Percy Campbell Tulloch	35					[17]
2364	Constable	Edward Mark Best	42					[18]
36	Traffic Officer	John Kehoe	24		31 January 1949	Shot several times by Richard Angus McGill, who he had stopped for speeding with his motorcycle	Whakatane	[19]
2691	Sergeant	William Shore Hughes	48		27 May 1951	Shot dead during a domestic dispute by Noema Raana Rika	Otaki	[20]
	Detective Inspector	Wallace Chalmers	46	QPM	6 January 1963	Shot dead by Victor George Wasmuth while attending a shooting	Waitakere Ranges	[21]
2839	Detective Sergeant	Neville Wilson Power	25	QPM				[22]
4321	Constable	James Thomas Richardson	24		3 February 1963	Both shot while sitting in police car, after responding to a domestic dispute	Lower Hutt	[23]
3809	Constable	Brian Leslie Schultz	21					[24]
4699	Constable	Donald Richard Stokes	23		15 August 1966	Beaten by escaping prisoners at Dunedin police station, died later in hospital	Dunedin	[25]
2950	Sergeant	Gilbert Peter Arcus	44		4 February 1970	Assaulted by a mentally disturbed woman he was trying to placate, fell and struck his head on the ground, dying from the injury an hour later	Tauranga	[26]
5052	Constable	Peter William Murphy	21		25 September 1976	Shot attending a break-in at a sports shop	Invercargill	[27]
1395	Traffic Officer	Barry Yorston Gibson	32		13 June 1977	Assaulted by a motorist and died in hospital from head injuries	New Plymouth	[28]
1351	Traffic Officer	Robin James Dudding	44	GM	7 April 1986	Taken hostage and later shot dead by Ross Kameta	Lake Rotoiti, Bay of Plenty	[29][30]
4601	Senior Constable	Peter Morris Umbers	35	GM	27 May 1990	Bashed to death with his own baton by Richard Thomas Lakich, who he had stopped	Ranfurly (nearby)	[31]
5024	Sergeant	Stewart Guthrie	41	GC	13 November 1990	Shot in the head after encountering and firing a warning shot at spree killer David Gray during the Aramoana massacre	Aramoana	[32]
D717	Constable	Glenn Arthur McKibben	25		21 April 1996	Shot standing beside his police car by former soldier Terence Thompson, who was later shot dead by Armed Offenders Squad.	Flaxmere, Hastings	[33][34]
G083	Constable	Lester Murray Stretch	38		27 May 1999	Bashed to death by Carlos Namana, a burglar he had followed from a break-in	Mangakino	[35][36]
F272	Detective Constable	Duncan Taylor	39	NZBM	5 July 2002	Died instantly after being shot by teenager Daniel Luff, his partner escaped wounded	Rongotea, Manawatu	[37][38][39]
G092	Sergeant	Derek Wootton	52		11 July 2008	Struck by a carjacked vehicle with a hostage fleeing police while laying road spikes	Titahi Bay	[35][40][41]
I417	Sergeant	Don Wilkinson	47		11 September 2008	Disturbed while attempting to secretly fix a tracking device to a car, received several shots from a .22 air rifle, one fatally through the chest	Mangere	[42][43]
5766	Senior Constable	Leonard Snee	53		7 May 2009	Shot executing a cannabis search warrant by former territorial soldier Jan Molenaar, other officers and a member of the public received gunshot wounds	Napier	[44]

Killed by accident

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Badge	Rank	Name	Age	Honours	Date	Circumstance	Location	Notes
	Constable	Fitzgerald			26 September 1851	Drowned when a boat making for the Lady Nugent capsized	Lyttelton Harbour	[45][46]
	Sergeant-Major	Edward John Garvey	30	Légion d'honneur	25 September 1863	Died in a snowstorm on his way to inspect mine diggings near Naseby	Kakanui Range	[47][48][49]
	Constable	John Duncan			28 May 1865	Drowned travelling in a punt to investigate a burglary	Kaniere (nearby)
	Constable	James Robinson			13 November 1891	Fell and struck head on iron bar at police station	Westport	[50][51][52]
	Constable	Denis Mahoney	c. 38		28 March 1914	Killed by an explosion, together with 7 other volunteers, while fighting a fire at the Benge and Pratt store.	Upper Hutt	[53]
	Constable	A J Dillon	c. 32		18 January 1916	Drowned with nurse Regan who he was attempting to save	West Coast	[54]
	Constable	Adam George Begg	26		24 February 1926	Killed by a passing train while searching the Parnell Tunnel for an escaped prisoner.	Parnell, Auckland	[55][56]
	Constable	James Shields			October 1933	Car was hit by the Rotorua Express at a railway crossing	Huntly (nearby)
	Constable	Charles Williams			August 1935	Drowned attempting to save a woman who fell from the Hamilton Railway Bridge	Waikato River
	Constable	W J Watt			10 August 1939	Car went off Elephant Hill bridge, returning to a shooting investigation, Constable Black seriously injured	Waimate (nearby)	[57]
191	Constable	Cecil Edgar Orr	38		24 February 1942	Struck and killed by a train whilst searching for property along the railway tracks	Parnell	[58]
	Constable	Alan Robert Liddell	22		26 February 1976	Drowned while conducting an investigation with two colleagues, into a drowning on the river 17 days earlier	Grey River	[59]
	Constable	Greg Rowe	23		1 April 1978	Drowned after leg became entangled in a rope and fell overboard from Lady Elizabeth II	Palliser Bay (nearby)	[60][61]
	Senior Sergeant	Phillip William "Phil" Ward	39		2 July 1986	Drowned when police launch Lady Elizabeth II capsized during a storm, two other officers rescued by Peter Button	Wellington Harbour	[62]
	Constable	Glenn Andrews Hughes	28
	Detective	Anthony Raymond "Tony" Harrod	43		17 December 1990	Fell from helicopter sling during cannabis recovery operation	Waitotara Valley, Taranaki	[63][64]
	Sergeant	Lindsay Eion "Lou" Grant	39		26 November 1993	Police helicopter Eagle collided mid-air with a Piper Archer traffic spotting aircraft. Two civilians also died.	Auckland City	[65]
	Constable	Alastair Alan Sampson	27
	Senior Constable	Phillip Anthony "Piripi" Wipatene	55		15 July 2004	Patrol car collided with another car on the Oakura Bridge	New Plymouth (14 km southwest)	[66]
	Detective	Travis Hughes	37		29 January 2005	Cessna 172 aircraft crashed while on cannabis reconnaissance, civilian pilot also died	Gibbston Valley, Central Otago	[67][68]
	Police Employee	Pamela (Pam) Brien	54		22 February 2011	Killed in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Pamela Brien was at a work-related meeting related to her job in the child protection unit of the Christchurch detachment when the earthquake hit, resulting in the CTV Building she was in collapsing.	Christchurch	[69]

See also

• List of American police officers killed in the line of duty
• List of Irish police officers killed in the line of duty

Notes

1. "'Routine' operation which left policeman dead not considered high risk". New Zealand Herald. 11 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
2. "Three officers shot at, one killed - report". New Zealand Herald. 7 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
3. "Wellington-Funeral of Sergeant Derek Wootton". NZPA Images. 16 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
4. "Motions — New Zealand Police—Death of Sergeant Derek Wootton". Hansard. New Zealand Parliament. 22 July 2008. p. 17231. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
5. "Motions — New Zealand Police—Death of Sergeant Don Wilkinson". Hansard. New Zealand Parliament. 11 September 2008. p. 18811. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
6. Booker, Jarrod (13 July 2010). "Six-year-old Gage 23rd dog to die on duty". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
7. "Man jailed for killing police dog". New Zealand Herald. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
8. Details mostly from the Memorial webpage of the New Zealand police. Accessed 2008-10-27.
9. "Neil McLeod". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
10. "John McGuire". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
11. "John Doyle". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
12. "Vivian Dudding". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
13. "James Dorgan". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
14. "Thomas Heeps". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
15. "William Cooper". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
16. "Frederick Jordan". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
17. "Percy Tulloch". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
18. "Edward Best". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
19. "John Kehoe". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
20. "William Hughes". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
21. "Wallace Chalmers". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
22. "Neville Power". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
23. "James Richardson". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
24. "Brian Schultz". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
25. "Donald Stokes". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
26. "Gilbert Arcus". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
27. "Peter Murphy". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
28. "Barry Gibson". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
29. The London Gazette: no. 51059. p. 11343. 11 September 1987. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
30. "Robin Dudding". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
31. "Peter Umbers". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
32. "Stewart Guthrie". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
33. "Glenn McKibben". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
35. Gay, Edward and NZPA (16 July 2008). "Police form guard of honour for fallen officer". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
36. "Lester Stretch". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
37. "Heroes among us: Our top kiwis named for NZ Bravery Awards". New Zealand Herald. 29 January 2005. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
38. "Duncan Taylor". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
39. http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/7225708/Remembering-Duncan
40. "NZ policeman killed by stolen car". SBS Australia. 11 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
41. "Derek Wootton". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
42. Milne, Rebecca (14 September 2008). "Single shot among many killed officer". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
43. "Don Wilkinson". New Zealand Police. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
44. "Police name officer shot dead". New Zealand Herald. 7 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-06.http://www.police.govt.nz/sites/default/files/publications/remembrance-day-2014.pdf
45. "News and Notes". Lyttelton Times. 27 September 1851.
46. "Canterbury". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle X (502). 18 October 1851. p. 134. Retrieved 18 October 2008.
47. (McGill 1992, p. 247)
48. "News of the Week". Otago Witness (643). 26 March 1864. p. 13. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
49. "Cemetery Details". Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
50. (Hill 1995, p. 11)
51. "The Grey River Argus". Grey River Argus. XXXII (7376). 1 June 1892. p. 2. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
52. "Untitled". Evening Post XLII (118). 14 November 1891. p. 2. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
53. "Deadly tragedy to be commemorated". Upper Hutt Leader. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
54. "Surf Bathing Accident". Grey River Argus. 19 January 1916. p. 3. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
55. "A Policeman's Fate". Evening Post. 24 February 1926. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
56. "The Inquest". Evening Post. 24 February 1926. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
57. "Constable Killed". Otago Daily Times. 11 August 1939.
58. "Constable Killed". New Zealand Herald. 25 February 1942.
59. "Policeman drowned". Otago Daily Times. 28 February 1976. pp. 1, 3.
60. "Tears for constable 30 years on". Dominion Post. 7 April 2008. Archived from the original on 2009-04-13. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
61. "Police News" (PDF). New Zealand Police Association. May 2008. p. 97. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
62. "Police launch capsizes in storm; two dead". Otago Daily Times. 3 July 1986. p. 1.
63. "Fall kills policeman". Otago Daily Times. 18 December 1990. p. 2.
64. "Investigation 90-012T". Transport Accident Investigation Commission. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
65. "Investigation 93-020". Transport Accident Investigation Commission. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
66. "Annual Report year ended 30 June 2005". New Zealand Police. 2005. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
67. "Plane crash inquest winds up". TVNZ. 31 March 2006. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
68. "Investigation 05-002". Transport Accident Investigation Commission. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
69. "Pamela Brien". NZHerald. 22 March 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-20.

References

• "Policeman 27th killed in line of duty". New Zealand Herald. 11 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
• "Policeman 28th killed in line of duty". New Zealand Herald. 11 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
• "Chronology: NZ officers killed on duty". TVNZ. 11 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
• "Police toll". stuff.co.nz. 11 September 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-10-15. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
• "Remembrance Day 2007 and Roll of Honour 1889-2007" (PDF). New Zealand Police. 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
• Hill, Richard Synyer (1995). "The Iron Hand in the Velvet Glove". Dunmore Press. ISBN 0-86469-244-7.
• McGill, David (1992). "No Right to Strike". Wellington, NZ: Silver Owl Press. ISBN 0-9597979-2-0.
• New Zealand Police memorial webpage