Sergeant settling in

Kate Pirovano
Kate Pirovano
With Queenstown Airport becoming busier, a new officer in charge of police at the airport, Sergeant Kate Pirovano, has arrived to help keep law and order.

She brings more than 14 years of policing experience to the role, which has been empty since Sgt Steve Hutt left in the middle of last year.

"It's good just to have a change," she said.

"I've done liquor licensing, general duties stuff and I thought it would be a good change to be out here at the airport. With its growth and expansion, it's quite an exciting time, really."

In the role since December, Sgt Pirovano is the head of a four-person security team which is on the look-out for any suspicious activity, bags, unruly behaviour or anything else out of the ordinary.

"The main thing is assisting the border security agencies and general security of the airport, and we also command and control any major emergencies here," she said.

"My predecessor put in good, really robust systems for dealing with emergencies and its always really good with the growth of an operation like this to keep checking that they are still suitable for the geographical layout of the place."

So far, Sgt Pirovano has had to deal with only minor incidents, including a custody handover, possession of cannabis or ammunition, outstanding fines and arrest warrants.

Sgt Pirovano is not the only one who is happy with her new role - the airlines and agents also like having a police presence at the airport.

"I think they feel that the police presence tends to calm people down a bit and makes their job a whole lot easier."

 

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