Spotting a 157cm tall, slightly-built woman dressed all in black and toting a gun in the police Armed Offenders Squad can surprise. Liz Williams became the first woman in the North Island Central Districts to be accepted for the squad. Now living in Central Otago, Williams, who is also an author, talks to reporter Lynda van Kempen about her latest book.
Central Otago policewoman Liz Williams knows how to poke fun at herself.
A detective sergeant with the CIB, Williams holds the distinction of being the first woman in the Central Districts (Palmerston North, Wanganui and New Plymouth) police area to become a member of the Armed Offenders Squad (AOS).
In her latest book, Five foot and fearless, Ms Williams (40) focuses on how she achieved her long-held ambition to get into the AOS, describing the gruelling selection process and outlining some of the incidents she attended.
Although the frontline policing role is deadly serious, Ms Williams laces her story with self-deprecating humour.
"The book is a mix of seriousness and humour, peppered with the jobs we attended, some humour in those only evident in hindsight," she said.
Multitasking is nothing new for her. She mixes a full-time job as a detective, focusing on two facets, child protection and family violence, with being a wife, mother, writer and artist.
Ms Williams, her husband Mike and their young son live on a lifestyle block in Central Otago. The shift south, two and a-half years ago, for lifestyle reasons, spelled the end of her time with the AOS in Palmerston North.
"Looking back, being in the AOS is one of my greatest accomplishments."
She became a police officer in 1994 and said joining the AOS was always a goal. Her husband was in the squad so she was fully aware of the commitment needed. He said to her one day that he believed she could make the grade as a squad member, so in 2007, Ms Williams "threw my hat in the ring".
"I was aware of the rigid standards; it's extremely physical and hard to get into. They want people who have stamina, are fit, can think on their feet and think for themselves."
She needed good time management to juggle being a parent and working and training to get in the squad.
In her book, Ms Williams notes how supportive her husband was.
"My husband enthusiastically embraced my training regimen. He helpfully filled to the brim a backpack weed-sprayer one sunny Saturday, then sent me off up a rather elevated slope on our small Manawatu lifestyle block to spray weeds all day ... he also found as many other back-breaking physical tasks as he could, assigning me those jobs with a wry smile."
She made it through two "brutal" selection courses at district then national level and then a qualifying course to teach the skills needed. The selection process included tests on aspects of the law followed by endless hours of hard physical activity, while wearing body armour.
The exercises included scenario-based training to test decision-making and teamwork and squad candidates were under maximum stress after only getting a few hours' sleep in several days.
"It's fascinating what a positive mind can do. I was 55kg and carted around a 25kg jerrycan as part of the training/selection.
"If you have an incentive and think positive, it's amazing what your body can achieve."
Ms Williams was elated to be accepted as a squad member.
With a husband who was also in squad, the couple were fortunate to have "amazing family friends who could look after our son when needed - callouts always seemed to be in the early hours of the morning".
"You become a very close team in the AOS and the camaraderie and team work is amazing; it's a privilege to be part of it." The incident that stays in her mind the most was being called to the Napier siege.
"It was terrible, incredible, and so sad, but so worthwhile to be there.Y ou don't want to be sitting back, waiting for news to come in, you want to be there, closing things down.
"And you can imagine the level of feeling, knowing a colleague has been murdered."
The siege started on May 7, 2009, after Jan Molenaar fired on police officers executing a search warrant at his house, killing Senior Constable Len Snee and seriously injuring two constables and a neighbour.
A team of more than 100 police were brought in and they made repeated attempts, under fire, to retrieve the body of the slain officer. The three-day siege ended when Molenaar was found dead inside his home.
"We were brought in to relieve the first shift of AOS and I can remember touching down in Napier, and hearing shots ringing out," Ms Williams said.
"Often we had the upper hand when we attended a callout but this was different ... you're spending a lot of time in position waiting ... lying and waiting, but on alert, which is exhausting and draining. All that time, knowing your colleague - Len Snee - was lying nearby. That brought it all home, hearing his pager still going.
"Returning to work afterwards was surreal. All that high anticipation and then it was over and you go back to life, go back to your office."
Ms Williams' book describes several callouts but also includes lighter-hearted observations on the practicalities of life as a squad member.
"Sadly for me, perhaps, I've written a whole chapter about what a mission it was to go to the toilet dressed in full AOS gear, overalls and kit."
Williams' first book, Does this make my gun look big? , was published in 2007 and contains anecdotes about her days as an air force recruit, and working as as a police officer.
The latest book, published by Penguin, was launched this week.
"Being a writer is not the most well paid job but it's a hobby I really enjoy. I wait for something to inspire me and then write, fitting it in, early in the morning. I'll have a go at fiction one day ... I already have an idea for that."
High achiever
The Liz Williams file:
• Policewoman, wife, mother, writer and artist
• Age: 40
• Home: Lifestyle block in Central Otago
• Raised and schooled: West and South Otago
• Career: Royal New Zealand Air Force 1989-94; Police: 1994-present day (seven months maternity leave), stints as uniformed officer, in the CIB, and member of Armed Offenders Squad (2007-09)
