Latest news with #TonyHill
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Police axing, redeploying roles around Canterbury
Arthur's Pass station is the only one to close. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver Canterbury Police has released its controversial restructuring proposal, which includes cutting and redeploying roles around the district. Superintendent Tony Hill said Arthur's Pass station is the only one to close. However, sole charge station positions in St Andrews, Pleasant Point and Rakaia as well as two- and three-officer stations at Lincoln, Leeston, Amberley, Oxford and Culverden will also be scrapped. Family harm teams, drug and harm prevention officers, and school community officer positions are also proposed to be culled across Canterbury. The restructure will centralise services at larger stations and boost the number of beat cops with rural liaison officer roles also created. Feedback closes on 18 August.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Culverden locals angry about proposed removal of town's two police officers
Hundreds of North Canterbury locals turned out to a fiery meeting in Culverden on Wednesday night, angry about a proposal to remove the town's two police officers. Photo: RNZ / Anna Sargent Hundreds of North Canterbury locals turned out to a fiery meeting in Culverden on Wednesday night, angry about a proposal to remove the town's two police officers. A proposed restructure in the region could see rural police services focused around two 24/7 hubs in Rangiora and Rolleston. Residents who packed out the gym at Culverden's Amuri Area School said this would leave them more vulnerable. They said the restructuring meant police were either an hour's drive away in Rangiora or 90 minutes away in Rolleston and that was too far. Police said locals would be no worse off under the new model. The owner of Culverden's local Four Square, Andrew Whittleston, said the town should retain its two police officers. "Being in a local shop we're so vulnerable for all sorts of theft. We've had callouts where the local police have been there in the shop before I've even got there. You can't tell me that response is going to be the same in Rangiora," he said. "They are saying the station will still be open, there may be officers around the area but we're still going to lose that rapport and that knowledge." The public meeting was organised by Federated Farmers, who said the proposed changes would mean fewer officers on the ground . District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said the restructure, which had been 18 months in the making, was a "refocusing" rather than a reduction in sworn officers. District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill. Photo: RNZ / Anna Sargent Some roles would be disestablished but those officers would be encouraged to apply for other roles and a new rural liaison officer role would be created, he said. Hill said the restructure only proposed closing the sole-charge station at Arthur's Pass and other stations would remain open, but with a different model of policing that would reflect current demand. Culverden veterinarian Annabel Harris said the town did not want to lose its visible police presence. "We don't believe that people coming from an area like Rangiora, even if they are staying at the motels or wherever, that they'll have that same connection and presence, and that calming effect and that controlling effect that that provides," she said. "I think what we've currently got in place is a great example of community policing working well. And we don't want to lose that." Culverden locals Annabel Harris (L) and Adam Williamson. Photo: RNZ / Anna Sargent Culverden farmer Adam Williamson said having local officers around helped deter crime. "That's ultimately what's happening here in our view, that the visibility of these local guys and any rural police really, their biggest job is preventing the crime in the area," he said. But Superintendent Tony Hill said the aim of the restructure was to have more front-line staff visible and available to communities He told the public meeting the police service would not be worse in Culverden. "I thought isn't it great that the community really value our two staff that are here. I think what they really value is the service we provide and under the proposal we still have that capability to do that great problem solving that rural staff do, and also improve our response times in there," he said. Hill said almost two-thirds of the calls from Culverden were actually about policing on the roads. He said the meeting had given officers a lot to think about and they would take all concerns into consideration. The restructure proposal went out to all Canterbury police staff for feedback last week, with consultation closing on 18 August. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Federated Farmers' comments on police 'not helpful', district commander says
District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill. Photo: RNZ / Simon Rogers Police are accusing Federated Farmers of scaremongering over a proposed restructure in rural Canterbury. But the farming lobby group is furious about a proposal it says will see local police services cut in favour of hubs in Rangiora and Rolleston. North Canterbury Federated Farmers' president Bex Green told Morning Report on Tuesday she understood the proposal would mean some areas would have reduced policing and others would see the local rural police officers changing to rural liaison officers working office hours, while Arthur's Pass and Culverden would have no local officers at all. But District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill told Morning Report the restructure, which had been 18 months in the making, only proposed closing the sole-charge station at Arthur's Pass. Other stations would remain open but with a different model of policing that would reflect current demand, he said. Hill said the proposal was a "refocusing" rather than a reduction in sworn officers. Some roles would be disestablished, but those officers would be encouraged to apply for other roles. "What we're proposing is that if their current role is a rural role... we are proposing standing up road policing roles in the area for that very purpose. "We know for places like Culverden almost two-thirds of their calls for service are actually about policing on the roads. "Hurunui's a classic example. Seven people died on the roads there last year - that's a horrific number and we want to see some change in it." A new rural liaison officer role would be created. Hill said he believed it was a model that would help the police "manage demand effectively into the future". "Actually, I think it probably reflects what the community's needs are." Federated Farmers should have come to the police to confirm the details of the proposal, Hill said. "What's not helpful is they haven't come to us for opinion before they've jumped into the media and shared their views on it. "We encourage anyone who would like to know more about this to come directly to us instead of drumming up particularly scaremongering in the community." Federated Farmers is furious about a proposal it says will see local police services cut. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson But Green said Federated Farmers was disappointed to have learnt of the changes through the media, and would have liked to see community consultation. "We want some answers, we want to know and understand how [the proposal] is going to work." She said most of the communities in the area would have reduced policing under the proposal. "The police live in our community, they know the people and understand the community. A lot of what they do here is crime prevention and proactiveness - that is really huge for our community, if we lose that, it is going to be really difficult." Green said the nearest police stations to Culverden were in Hanmer Springs and Waikari, 30 minutes' drive from Culverden. "Should one of them be on leave or attending another call, we are left with one police officer." To bring someone back up from Rangiora would take more than an hour. "In an emergency, every second counts - if you need help, you need it now, not an hour later." She said the cuts hurt given the government's promise of more frontline police . "I think that is probably happening in the cities, but taking away the rural presence… is not the way to go about it." Public meetings would be held at the Amuri Area School Gym, Culverden and the Leeston Rugby Club Hall at 6pm on Wednesday night. In a statement, Hill said the district restructure proposal went out to all Canterbury staff for feedback last week, with consultation closing next week. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Cosmopolitan
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
If you love Karen Pirie, this is exactly what happens to her in the next 6 books the show is based on
In case you missed it Karen Pirie is officially back on our screens for series two, three years after we were introduced to the Scottish detective series in 2022. The second series kicked off on 20 July and sees Lauren Lyle back in action as the titular detective Karen Pirie as she investigates the decades old disappearance of oil heiress Catriona Grant. After a dead body is discovered in a bog, it blows the once highly publicised case wide open, giving fresh hope to Catriona's parents their child and grandchild may still be alive. And another thing you may not have realised is the ITV series is in fact based on a series of books by Scottish author Val McDermid. McDermid has sold over 19 million copies of her novels worldwide across the Karen Pirie series, the Dr Tony Hill series and her many other projects. So far two of the books from the Karen Pirie novel series have been adapted into two seasons of show, but there's actually six more books in the series with plenty more cases for Karen and the team to solve. Curious to know what else is in store for Karen? Here's everything you need to know about all eight books in the Karen Pirie series. The first book in the series follows Karen as she investigates the 25-year-old murder case of Rosie, a young woman who was found raped, stabbed and dead in a graveyard. Four young students found her and were quickly put high up the suspect list. However, in the present timeline when two of these students end up dead it seems someone is carrying out their own form of justice and it's a race against the clock to make sure the other two don't end up dead, as well as finding Rosie's killer. Five years after the original novel was published Val McDermid returned with the second book in Karen's story. This is the book the second ITV series is based on and follows a similar plot line. In the second book, Karen investigating the kidnapping of Catriona Grant and her young son, who went missing 25 years ago, amid political unrest and the miners' strike of 1984. Karen is put onto the case of identifying the remains of a skeleton discovered in a crumbling Edinburgh building. As she delves further into the mystery person's identity, she finds herself in a world of intrigue, betrayal and someone else is taking the law into their own hands. A teenager's car accident that ends in a coma is the catalyst that kicks off an investigation into a 20 year old cold case. The teen's DNA causes two historic investigations to be blown wide open, that of a rape and murder in 1996 and a plane crash in 1994. Meanwhile things are not going well in Karen's personal life, as she deals with the death of a loved one. But it's not all doom and gloom as Karen makes it her mission to help the Syrian refugees. This time around Karen is called to investigate a body and unknown inheritance that are discovered in the Scottish Highlands. As Karen delves deeper into the case, it seems to bring up more questions than answers, with nothing being as it seems. She also finds herself dealing with another case simultaneously that she thought she had already prevented. Still Life sees Karen once again have to balance two cases at once. The first is that of a dead body pulled out of the sea. The victim was the prime suspect in a decades long case in which a civil servant disappeared one day without a trace. Meanwhile she's also investigating a skeleton that has been found in a campervan and Karen believes all the clues hint towards a killer who is still very much at large. In the seventh novel of the series it's not a body that kicks off a cold case investigation. No it's an author's manuscript. The manuscript is eerily similar to the case of Lara Hardie, a Edinburgh University student who disappeared years ago. The manuscript may be the key to solving the case, however its author never finished it. The next book in the Karen Pirie series is due to be released later this year in October and follows Karen as she investigates another cold case. This time around a landslide on a motorway causes the discovery of a body that has been dead for 11 years. The body belongs to journalist Sam Nimmo who was the prime suspect in the murder of his fiancee, however, with them now both dead, who wanted Sam buried? And back in Edinburgh there's another case to solve as the accidental death of a hotel manager is starting to look a more like murder. With a web of lies to untangle will Karen be able to find the answers? Karen Pirie season two is available on ITV1 and ITVX
Edinburgh Reporter
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Val McDermid awarded honorary degree
Scottish author and broadcaster Val McDermid was awarded an honorary degree from University of Edinburgh today, as part of its summer graduation celebrations. Val McDermid, originally from Kirkcaldy, Fife, is one of the UK's most accomplished and respected novelists, an international number one bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than forty languages and sold over 19 million copies worldwide. Her multi-award-winning series and standalone novels have been adapted for TV and radio, most notably the Wire in the Blood series featuring clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan. Her 'Karen Pirie' novels have also been adapted for a major ITV series. Ms McDermid was created an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Edinburgh's School of Literature, Languages & Cultures during this afternoon's ceremony, following a laureation from the University's Director of Marketing and Communications, Theresa Merrick. Scottish crime author Val McDermid was awarded an honorary degree from University of Edinburgh today, as part of its summer graduation celebrations. Pictures Alan Simpson Like this: Like Related
