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Issue No. 380 May 2014

Working the waves

Senior Constable Maurice Horne, left, from Marlborough, and Senior Constable Craig Pickering, Wellington Maritime Unit, on patrol in Marlborough Sounds.
Photo: Screentime

The work of Police to keep people safe in a country with more than 15,000km of coast, 180,000km of rivers and plenty of lakes provides the dramatic backdrop to another reality TV programme, Water Patrol.

The first of the 13 Screentime-produced episodes screened on TV One on 22 April.

This new series features high-profile and often tragic water-related Search and Rescue operations such as the March 2013 Kawhia plane crash and other North Island drownings.

The series was filmed in Northland, wider Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wellington and Tasman.

It follows SAR specialists, Wellington and Auckland Police Maritime Units, the Police National Dive Squad and local officers in holiday hotspots including Piha, Muriwai, the Coromandel, Bay of Islands, Rotorua and Taupo.

Sea rescues, water safety prevention checks at sea and on beaches, and policing drunken behaviour around waterways all feature - set in some stunning locations.

More than 530,000 viewers watched the first episode, giving Water Patrol top spot on the TV ratings across all networks that night.

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