10.11.2007
By WILLIAM ROBERTSON
Wanganui Chronicle
A WANGANUI-built boat bound for Auckland takes with it a number of innovations that will aid maritime police work on the Waitemata Harbour.
Trials of the new police launch, Deodar III, have been extremely successful , according to Colin Mitchell, general manager of Q-West Boat Builders Ltd.
Senior Sergeant Martin Paget, officer in charge of the Auckland maritime police unit, they were pleased with the stable and roomy new boat.
Police had been testing the new vessel throughout this week. Weve found these particular boats are more than able to meet our needs, Mr Paget said.
The Deodar III is a catamaran rather than a standard single-hull vessel, and its design brought advantages.
It’s quiker, can carry more people and is easier to launch, he said.
It was fitted with the latest electronics that police would use to locate targets and navigate with.
The large dinghy on the back of the vessel was innovative and had a particularly unusual launching capability.
Mr Paget said it would enable police to get to very shallow water more easily, board other boats with far less risk and go about discretely when necessary.
Castlecliff-based company Q-West was contracted to build all NZ police maritime vessels over the next decade. The contract represented an earning potential of $12 million.