Increasing Threat of Gun Violence on Manukau Counties DHB Agenda

With a series of armed incidents in South Auckland making headlines, the Manukau Counties DHB is reviewing its emergency closure plans to deal with such events.

The issue was outlined in the minutes of a DHB meeting late last year after board member Garry Boles raised concerns about an increased risk of gun violence in the community.

Counties Manukau Health CEO Margie Apa explained that Middlemore Hospital has escalation procedures that include different levels of alert and how to initiate a lockdown.

Apa said it had discussed with New Zealand Police how it could close Hospital Rd if necessary, manage the site and restrict visitors. The report says: “We have to constantly keep reviewing these procedures and this will be on the new head of security’s work plan.”

The board asked that escalation procedures be verified with the New Zealand police to make sure they were sufficient and to determine what they might need to do to improve them and report back in Apa’s next report to this month’s board meeting.

A report from Counties Manukau Health’s chief security officer was also expected to be included in the CEO’s report.

Recent incidents in the area involving firearm crime highlight the concerns of board members.

In November there were a series of firearm incidents in Ōtara. Auckland also saw two aggravated robberies, involving firearms, last month.

According to a spokesperson for Counties Manukau Health, the “increased risk of gun violence in the community” raised by Boles was not related to any particular event or incident on the DHB property.

They said it is constantly reviewing its processes to make sure they are suitable for all incidents, armed or not.

The spokesperson said the lockdown procedures are designed to cover events where a patient has been injured outside of the hospital, but there is a risk to their safety during treatment.

They said that the DHB has a strong working relationship with the police and that they participate in their security procedures.

A police spokesman said the firearm incidents are not new and are not limited to a single region.

“The police have made a series of arrests for firearms matters and will continue to hold those who commit crimes accountable. The police work closely with our partner agencies on a variety of matters, including advising on operational matters.”

And it appears that the Auckland District Board of Health has also been working on its own closure procedures. A report from last month’s board meeting shows that it has submitted its own Code Black response for critical security incidents.

According to the DHB, the procedures are designed to respond to kidnappings, firearms, offensive weapons (not firearms) and chemical, biological, radioactive or explosive devices or substances that require the support of emergency services.