Rotorua Police pick up award and acknowledge council partnership

A highly successful partnership with Rotorua District Council and Events & Venues Rotorua for policing the city's annual Raggamuffin music festival, has contributed to local Police senior sergeant Brent Crow picking up a national award.

Mr Crow has received the NZ Police Research Symposium's Crime Science Award from Police Minister Judith Collins.

The award follows a presentation to the Police Research Symposium in Wellington recently where Mr Crow spoke on public order event policing, using Rotorua's popular Raggamuffin festival as a case study.

Visiting crime science researchers from the UK and the United States also commended Mr Crow on his presentation with one calling it "an excellent example of international best practice."

Mr Crow said yesterday that Rotorua police had improved the policing strategy around Raggamuffin to improve public safety.

"Year-on-year we have developed initiatives and strategies, and engaged with partners like the Rotorua District Council to make it better."

He said his award confirmed the Rotorua Police approach to event policing was "best practice and world standard."

"It was pretty surprising and very humbling. It's not just about me ... it's about the efforts of the Rotorua Police over the last three years, and our relationship with the Rotorua District Council and others," he said.