By Lynley Smith of Challenge Weekly, New Zealand
Special to ASSIST News Service

March 11, 2007

AUCKLAND, NZ -- A "thank you" contingent of City Impact Church young people who gathered outside the North Shore police centre in Mairangi Bay, Auckland, on a Sunday night could well have been greeted with riot gear and batons..

Sergeant Ian McMeeking, officer in charge of the shift on duty that night, said a phone call to the police warned of a group of "young protesters" approaching the police station. Fortunately the group arrived before the warning could be actioned.

"They did seem a bit apprehensive as we approached," said the church outreach manager Shelley Vitali. "We had rung to say we were coming but they obviously didn't know what to expect."

That is not surprising.

It is not often 150 to 200 young people descend on a police station with good intentions, in this case baskets of food, flowers, drinks and hot pizzas, all to congratulate the staff on the great job they are doing.

"It ended out a very pleasant surprise," said Sergeant McMeeking.

Ms Vitali said about a third of the church's youth got together to present the gifts, which had been gathered by the whole youth group.

"The majority of police are great people doing a great job," she said. "We knew there had been an incident the day before at a party, and we just wanted to go in there and make a difference, to show the police there are some young people who appreciate them."

The initiative was part of the church's Paint the Town Red programme of outreach to communities.

North Shore police commander Inspector Les Paterson confirmed both the delight of the police in the gifts and the trigger for the initiative, a nearby beach party on the Saturday attended by about 1000 people.

Police closed down the party, organised by a radio station and liquor company, at 4.45pm.

"People had drunk too much and fights were beginning to break out, so we decided to defuse the situation," Inspector Paterson said.

"Police have a legal responsibility to prevent breaches of the peace."

Five arrests were made.

He said while the gifts were really appreciated, the police had rules about accepting gifts.

"I think the pizzas were eaten by the night shift, but the non-perishables were handed on to a struggling local school in the name of the church," he said.

"I guess they got a double strike."