The mighty may have fallen a few times at a Dunedin police open day at the weekend, but they all had smiles on their faces.
The open day, a fundraiser for police Blue Light youth-related activities, drew about 1000 people to guided tours of the central station and other fun activities.
"Dunk a Cop" was a new and popular feature of the latest open day on Saturday.
Tennis balls were flung at a target and Inspector Alastair Dickie, the relieving Southern district operations manager, Constable Jon-Paul Tremain, of Waikouaiti, and Constable Hugh Tait, of Dunedin, were duly drenched for a good cause.
Insp Dickie did slightly more than most, cheerfully taking the plunge into a tub of cold water about 15 times.
As well as supporting Blue Light, the open day also aimed to build closer ties with the community and to celebrate the key role played by community volunteers, including in Search and Rescue and Neighbourhood Watch.
"It's quite refreshing!" Insp Dickie replied.
The inspector had taken only two small precautions before taking part.
He had opted to wear his second-best ("emergency") police hat, which was fading a little more through repeated dunkings.
And he had also slipped a wet suit on under his uniform - making that cold water, and the suspicion of a chilly breeze, a little easier to bear.
Blue Light vice-chairwoman Debbie Hill said the open day was a "ripper", with numbers well up on the about 600 who attended when it had last been held in 2010.
The Fire Service and St John also took part in the open day.
Plunket's car safety campaign was highlighted in a display, and another featured the armed offenders squad.
