These men and women performed outstandingly in the most trying of conditions. They put their all on the line to make this operation work.

The scenes witnessed by our entire country were confronting and, for the vast majority of New Zealanders – frontline officers included, are images that will take a long time to dissipate, if at all.

They represent the reality of damage from the effects on our society of Covid-19 and the deliberate spread of misinformation about it via the internet.

The clear intention of the conspiracy theories and calculated deception about Covid was, and remains, to divide communities.

While the true depth of that division is not yet fully known, this protest left no doubt that fringe elements took advantage of genuine protesters and essentially kicked them out of their own protest.

Police spent 23 days attempting to negotiate and de-escalate and soon came to realise there was an entrenched group within the protest ranks that would never leave without being forced to.

A significant number of these people had resorted to the disgusting levels of violence and thuggery we all witnessed. That may have surprised many Kiwis, but it did not surprise Police.

I have said it many times during the past month – some were just spoiling for a fight. Well, they got it.

Police meticulously planned the operation and prepared for a variety of contingencies, a key one being to wait until the numbers on the lawn had dropped to a manageable size. When it did, they moved in and, ultimately, used the type of force that would never have been acceptable in the early days of this event.

To take just one day – albeit a long, tiring and very physical one – to bring the mayhem to a halt is testament to the planning and execution.

However, planning is only as good as those who implement it. Without the professional, courageous and relentless actions of the Police staff deployed to rid the capital’s iconic centre of chaos and disorder, a plan would remain just a plan.

So, well done to you all – from raw recruits to 40-year veterans, you stood up and delivered in a way we can all be incredibly proud of.

People from all over New Zealand have contacted the Police Association asking for their gratitude to be passed on to you all.

March 2, 2022, will, whether we like it or not, be remembered in the history of Aotearoa, but also in the history of our Police for a job bloody well done.

From the President

Some were just spoiling for a fight. Well, they got it.