After Robert “Bob” Mitchell joined Police in 1962, he quickly established himself as a forward-thinking leader who was never content with the status quo.

During his 36-year career, Bob spearheaded many initiatives that transformed the way Police approached critical functions such as forensics, disaster response and technology integration.

“Bob was a true leader because he had a unique ability to empower others to achieve more than they could on their own,” says Simon Schollum, a long-time colleague of Bob’s and former manager of Auckland Forensic Imaging and Reprographic Services.

Born in Wellington in 1941 and educated in Christchurch, Bob returned to his birth city to begin his Police career, “when we had only two incident cars for the whole of the city”. He became a sergeant in 1969 and, in 1972, spent three years in Niue as the island officer, which comprised 12 other roles including film censor and postie.

From 1976, he headed Wellington search and rescue (SAR) and then became Police co-ordinator of SAR and civil defence. In 1978, the then inspector was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study overseas disaster contingency planning and disaster victim identification (DVI).

The knowledge Bob gained led to New Zealand's first DVI team being established. The unit played a crucial role in the recovery and identification efforts after the November 28, 1979, Mt Erebus air disaster.

The day before Air NZ Flight TE901 slammed into Antarctica’s highest mountain, killing all 257 on board, Bob had been at a refresher course with the DVI team. The following night, he and 10 other officers boarded an Air Force Hercules headed for the ice on Operation Overdue. 

They arrived to a nightmarish scene. Pieces of the DC10 were scattered across the mountain as far as the eye could see and bodies were strewn throughout the wreckage.

As officer in charge, Bob soon devised a “process to grid”. He divided the crash site into a grid using a chess method, each square being 30 x 30 metres. The 96 squares were each assigned a number and anything recovered within that grid number was labelled as such.

The DVI team then began working around the clock in the perpetual sunlight. The men had a strict deadline – they had two weeks before the ice runway melted. Bob returned to McMurdo Station where he co-ordinated with police headquarters, the team on Erebus and recovery headquarters at Scott Base.

Bob recorded in his job sheet that “all remaining bodies left ice at 0150 hours on Tuesday, December 11, 1979” and by the end of Operation Overdue, 214 people had been identified.

“This mission, which required exceptional strategic planning and unwavering resilience, showcased Bob’s leadership skills and ability to work under extreme conditions. He earned respect among his peers and laid a solid foundation for future DVI activities,” says Simon.

His method became a template for all subsequent air disaster recoveries.

In 1981, Bob was made an MBE in recognition of this work and received the New Zealand Special Service Medal (Erebus) in 2007.

“This mission, which required exceptional strategic planning and unwavering resilience, showcased Bob’s leadership skills and ability to work under extreme conditions. He earned respect among his peers and laid a solid foundation for future DVI activities.” - Simon Schollum

He said he had spent most of his life trying to come to terms with that 14-day nightmare. “I deliberately force the tragic circumstances of the crash from my mind [but] the operation was extremely rewarding in terms of Police experience.”

Bob’s foresight extended beyond disaster response. He also recognised the growing importance of technology in policing and the role computerisation would play in gathering, retaining, analysing and presenting evidence, says Simon.

In the 1980s, he spearheaded the creation of the country’s first electronic crime lab. Under his leadership, the lab became a hub for innovation in digital forensics and evidence processing. It proved invaluable as criminals increasingly relied on technology.

Bob also encouraged collaboration across districts. SOCOs and photographic services shared capabilities and technology, leading to improved crime-scene processing. It also resulted in new forensic intelligence to track repeat offenders and better capabilities to enhance and process surveillance-video images.

Other initiatives followed, such as the Integrated Forensic Group, which saw specialists collaborate on complex cases and led to cross-discipline training to share advancements in crash and crime-scene processing.

Anticipating the impacts of digital imaging, Bob helped establish a modern reprographic service centre that produced high-quality court presentations. The innovation ultimately transformed how police presented evidence in courts, says Simon.

Bob constantly paved the way for meaningful change, often anticipating a need before it became apparent to others. “If Bob had ever become commissioner, this would be a fundamentally different police force,” Simon says. “He was remarkably effective at making things happen.” 

Superintendent Robert Mitchell retired from Police in 1999. He then completed a business information degree and started a forensic computing company. His family later moved to London where Bob wrote two books on chess with a Russian Grand Master.

He still plays the game, though not often. Bob has bowel and lung cancer. Six months ago, he was sent home for palliative care. His wife, Margaret, says he is starting to fail, “but he is still with us”.

Simon visited Bob recently. Bob proudly shared his many scrapbooks chronicling his time in Police.

“Bob was not merely an accomplished police officer, but the embodiment of dedication and vision, carving out a better, safer future for those who would come after him,” says Simon.