Alexandra policeman Senior Sergeant Mike Cook has been appointed the new area commander for the rural Otago area.
He will assume the rank of inspector when he takes up the position in mid-March, after returning from leave.
Snr Sgt Cook's appointment was announced yesterday, along with the appointment of Inspector Barry Taylor to the position of Southland area commander.
Snr Sgt Cook has been the officer in charge of Central Otago as the district's area sub-commander.
He takes over from former rural Otago area commander Inspector Phil Jones.
Snr Sgt Cook's position of area sub-commander has been advertised.
In a statement yesterday, acting district commander Inspector Dave Campbell said the appointments of Snr Sgt Cook and Insp Taylor would ensure an extensive record of police experience and skills would benefit the community and fellow police staff in the Otago and Southland regions.
"They both have many years of policing experience, knowledge, and skills, and are both extremely well-placed to lead their respective areas," Insp Campbell said.
Originally from Auckland, Snr Sgt Cook served as a detective and detective sergeant in the Auckland CIB for 10 years and was officer-in-charge at several stations in the Auckland area before taking a position as sergeant at Queenstown in 2002.
In January 2004, he was appointed as Central Otago's sub-area supervisor at the rank of senior sergeant, the position which based him in Alexandra.
Since then, he has regularly relieved in the position of area commander for rural Otago.
In the statement released yesterday, Snr Sgt Cook said he was looking forward to the challenges ahead of policing Otago's rural areas.
"We have a great mix of police staff across the area who all contribute a range of skills, experience, and dynamics in policing their respective communities," he said.
"Rural Otago has gained a number of new police staff from the most recent rounds of staff allocations, and I look forward to seeing these new positions making a difference within our communities, especially in the area of youth crime, community policing, and road safety," he said.
Insp Taylor has been in the police force for 28 years, serving entirely within Southland in appointments at the Invercargill and Gore stations, as well as the North Invercargill Policing Centre.
He has relieved at all of Southland's police stations, has been a member of the Southland Search and Rescue Squad, and has served in the CIB for 17 years.
Insp Taylor also held security liaison roles with the New Zealand Olympic Committee at the Australian Youth Olympics in 2007 and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
