Plan for better policing

Life will not be a beach for Whangarei cops who have in the past enjoyed a relaxed patrol style at some of the district's popular coastal communities.

Whangarei and Kaipara area commander Tracey Phillips said a new summer policy will mean working smarter, with more staff on day patrols which return to base after their shifts, rather than having live-in police on the beach beat.

In her monthly report, Inspector Phillips told Whangarei District Council that despite not having a 24-hour presence at those places, she was confident the new roster system would see more police on daily patrols at holiday spots, with three mobile teams rostered to respond to flare-ups.

"We have to work smarter," Ms Phillips said. "We are always going to have the tyranny of distance so the plan is to have more effective coverage."

Hikurangi/Coastal ward council member Greg Martin asked whether doing away with the traditional sleep-overs would diminish what served as a deterrent at trouble-spots and erode established networks.

"My expectation is that we do still have those networks. We will have more staff out there for more hours, but they will be working," Ms Phillips said.