ISSUE
Friday, August 15, 2025
Volume 16 . Issue 72
South East Asian liaison officer Constable Gurpreet Arora has been conferred the District Commander’s Award. The accolade is in recognition of his hard work in turning the community’s attitudes toward New Zealand Police, which also resulted in recruitments into the force from members of the community.
A policeman for four years now, Constable Arora reckons his present role will turn out to be the highlight of his career with the police force.
Constable Arora began as the South East Asian liaison offer at a difficult time soon after the tragic shooting of liquor store owner Navtej Singh in his store in Manurewa in South Auckland last year.
The pall of gloom that hung over the community after the death and the subsequent hold up in the same shop two months later left a sense of helplessness and growing cynicism about the ability of the police to address increasing crime in the larger Manukau area.
Community services manager, senior sergeant Mike Fulcher, nominated constable Arora for his outstanding skills and ability to work with the community and his commitment to helping turn the negative feelings the community had toward the police into a positive outlook.
Constable Arora consulted with communities of various ethnicities and collected useful information that could go a long way in crime prevention and swifter corrective action.
"It’s a good feeling to know that you’ve done your organisation, family and community proud," Mr Arora told the Eastern Courier. "It was a two-way street with equal input from each side."
Among the proactive initiatives he took were a poster he helped produce and distribute to 265 small retailers in Counties Manukau on the subject of crime prevention measures and talk to them about what they could do to avoid becoming victims of crime.
"Some retailers are taking it on board but not to the extent that we would like," he said. Sergeant Rod Salt had the same thing to say when he spoke to Indian Weekender a couple of months ago at his office at the Auckland Police headquarters.
Constable Arora also played an important role in encouraging over 50 people from various ethnic communities to send in their applications for recruitment in the police force by holding seminars and speaking during cultural events.
South East Asian liaison officer Constable Gurpreet Arora has been conferred the District Commander’s Award. The accolade is in recognition of his hard work in turning the community’s attitudes toward New Zealand Police, which also resulted in recruitments into the force from members of the...
South East Asian liaison officer Constable Gurpreet Arora has been conferred the District Commander’s Award. The accolade is in recognition of his hard work in turning the community’s attitudes toward New Zealand Police, which also resulted in recruitments into the force from members of the community.
A policeman for four years now, Constable Arora reckons his present role will turn out to be the highlight of his career with the police force.
Constable Arora began as the South East Asian liaison offer at a difficult time soon after the tragic shooting of liquor store owner Navtej Singh in his store in Manurewa in South Auckland last year.
The pall of gloom that hung over the community after the death and the subsequent hold up in the same shop two months later left a sense of helplessness and growing cynicism about the ability of the police to address increasing crime in the larger Manukau area.
Community services manager, senior sergeant Mike Fulcher, nominated constable Arora for his outstanding skills and ability to work with the community and his commitment to helping turn the negative feelings the community had toward the police into a positive outlook.
Constable Arora consulted with communities of various ethnicities and collected useful information that could go a long way in crime prevention and swifter corrective action.
"It’s a good feeling to know that you’ve done your organisation, family and community proud," Mr Arora told the Eastern Courier. "It was a two-way street with equal input from each side."
Among the proactive initiatives he took were a poster he helped produce and distribute to 265 small retailers in Counties Manukau on the subject of crime prevention measures and talk to them about what they could do to avoid becoming victims of crime.
"Some retailers are taking it on board but not to the extent that we would like," he said. Sergeant Rod Salt had the same thing to say when he spoke to Indian Weekender a couple of months ago at his office at the Auckland Police headquarters.
Constable Arora also played an important role in encouraging over 50 people from various ethnic communities to send in their applications for recruitment in the police force by holding seminars and speaking during cultural events.
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