Police commission Auckland street art to recruit new officers

Police yesterday unveiled a street art installation on the corner of Day street and Karangahape Road, Auckland. The artwork is part of a nationwide initiative to recruit new young officers.

The installation features two Auckland officers, Constable Madeline Roberts and Constable Julia Vahry, and is the work of renowned artist Otis Frizzell.

Otis has recreated a high adrenaline foot chase which takes advantage of the three dimensional space. The two officers are seen performing a pincer movement from both ends of an alleyway to apprehend a fleeing and violent offender.

"Telling extraordinary stories through street art allows us to challenge young people to think about becoming an officer in a new way,” says Assistant Commissioner Allan Boreham.

"The best young people have many career paths open to them. Those who are motivated to help their communities often pursue positions in education and health. Many young people, women particularly, who would make excellent officers sometimes overlook the Police as a career choice and we've set out to change that.”

The artwork is the second of four such installations in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch – each of which pays tribute to the extraordinary work performed by police officers within their communities everyday.

Julia and Madelines' extraordinary stories, which inspired the foot chase artwork, are outlined further below.

Constable Julia Vahry is General Duties Officer in Auckland City and says she thrives on the excitement her career offers.

While the foot chase artwork provides a window into the more exciting aspects of the job, Julia says it's her ability to communicate and gain the trust of those around her that give her an edge in most situations.

"For example, with a domestic violence case, soft skills help to get to the heart of the issue faster. If you build rapport it aids understanding and helps prevent events recurring in the future."

The foot chase street mural has been installed in consultation with Auckland Council and with the full consent of the property owners.

Constable Julia Vahry's story

Constable Vahry was recently involved in a foot chase where a young male offender 'gapped-it' after a spree of car vandalism. Julia says, "In situations like that, I think ‘what if it was my car, or my grandmother’s car?”

Julia made chase without hesitation. Although she was wearing her stab proof vest weighed down with her equipment, she kept pace for what seemed like a marathon.

“It was a stalemate really. The offender wasn't getting away, and I wasn't making any gains,” she says. 


The chase coincided with one of Auckland’s severe storms. It was pitch black and Julia's only visibility of the fleeing perpetrator was provided by staccato shots of lightning.

"I saw him ahead of me and with each crack of lightning, I just ran in that direction."

Eventually, the youth realised he wasn't going to get away and changed tactics. He forced entry into an elderly women's living room. Julia responded by calling for back-up from a police dog handler.

"The offenders' lungs must have been burning. I know mine were, but I could hardly feel it with all that adrenalin running through my body. That's why you have to train hard if you want to get into Police College - you never know when you'll be pushed to your limit."

Constable Madeline Robert’s Story

Constable Madeline Robert's foot chase story started as a regular callout to pick-up two trespassers in Panmure. Slowing the patrol car to attend to the situation, the first offender fled immediately. Madeline’s partner took chase, leaving her to deal with the second offender. 


“Being a woman, I find a loud set of vocal chords is the often the best way to control a male offender. The guy was initially compliant but as I was putting him into cuffs, he bolted upright and ran. I'm not one to back down from those situations. I had my pepper spray and baton, and just ran after him,” she says. 


Mid-flight, the offender turned and lashed out at her. Madeline used her baton to defend herself, at which point he took flight again.

The situation came to a head when the offender ran into a closed alleyway. Then in an uncanny moment, the first offender (closely pursued by Madeline's partner) ran into the same alleyway from the opposite direction. 



"I could almost hear the Benny Hill theme music playing in the background. I couldn't work out whether we were lucky or whether the offenders were just plain dumb. Whatever the case, with two officers on location and nowhere to run - both men gave themselves up,” says Madeline.

Both Madeline and Julia had different motivations for joining Police. But ultimately they say it comes down to a desire to help people in your community. They hope other young women will be inspired by their experiences so they may consider joining too.