In an interview with the Otago Daily Times, Police Commissioner Mike Bush said part of the legacy of the deadly attack was buying more firearms to give all frontline police staff access.
"We’ve certainly stepped it up, bought even more equipment, more tactical options for our staff, and we continue to improve the training," he said.
Before the attack on March 15, 2019, not all frontline staff had immediate access to firearms in their vehicles.
There were some staff who, if they had been required to respond to the attack, would not have had access.
"We’ve bought a lot more firearms for operational staff, so every frontline vehicle is equipped.
"I do believe everyone who was responding had what they required, but not everyone had the same level of access.
"We want to make sure now, regardless of what operational role you’re in, you have that kind of equipment."
Along with better access, he believed officers were better at assessing a situation to determine if firearms were necessary.
"It’s something you have to practise.
"We can’t keep the community safe if we can’t keep ourselves safe first."
The ongoing royal commission of inquiry into the attack means there are many issues he cannot discuss.
One area, in particular, where had had to choose his words carefully was around the threat of white supremacist and extreme Right groups, and how well they were being monitored before the attack.
"We’ve been very proactive at addressing any threats from that environment, as well as any other quarter," he said.
"We’ve been putting people in front of courts who are a threat, from right across the spectrum, including right-wing extremism."
There had been a significant increase in the amount of information flowing in from the public about right-wing extremists since March 15.
"We’re certainly looking at a lot more people who may pose a threat.
"We take real care around the fact that offences like this do motivate others to commit similar offences, and that’s a real concern."
Part of investigating extremists was boosting resourcing concerned with using social media and the internet to find possible threats.
"It’s a really good tool for understanding where a threat might come from. We have increased our resource in that area."
Police also had strong links with international law enforcement agencies, and they worked together to tackle what Mr Bush described as "a global threat".
"Collectively, we spend a lot of time looking online for these kinds of threats.
"We have to be absolutely vigilant and not allow any complacency in terms of ensuring nothing like this ever happens again."
