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New Zealand Police

The New Zealand Police (Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa) is the national police service and principal law enforcement agency of New Zealand, responsible for preventing crime, enhancing public safety, bringing offenders to justice, and maintaining public order. With about 15,000 personnel, it is the largest law enforcement agency in New Zealand and, with few exceptions, has primary jurisdiction over the majority of New Zealand criminal law. The New Zealand Police also has responsibility for traffic and commercial vehicle enforcement as well as other key responsibilities including protection of dignitaries, firearms licensing, and matters of national security.

Policing in New Zealand was introduced in 1840, modelled on similar constabularies that existed in Britain at that time. The constabulary was initially part police and part militia. By the end of the 19th century policing by consent was the goal. The New Zealand Police has generally enjoyed a reputation for mild policing, but there have been cases when the use of force was criticised, such as during the 1981 South Africa rugby union tour of New Zealand and the United States.

The current minister of police is Mark Mitchell. While the New Zealand Police is a government department with a minister responsible for it, the commissioner and sworn members swear allegiance directly to the sovereign and, by convention, have constabulary independence from the government of the day.

The New Zealand Police is perceived to have a minimal level of institutional corruption.

Origins and history
Policing in New Zealand started in 1840 with the arrival of six constables accompanying Lieutenant Governor William Hobson's official landing party to form the colony of New Zealand. Early policing arrangements were along similar lines to the UK and British colonial police forces, in particular the Royal Irish Constabulary and the New South Wales Police Force. Many of its first officers had seen prior service in either Ireland or Australia. The early force was initially part police and part militia.

The Constabulary Act 1846 aided at "preserving the peace, and preventing robberies and other felonies, and apprehending offenders against the peace." The Armed Constabulary Act 1867 focused the force on dealing with unrest between the indigenous Māori and the encroaching European settlers and the force grew to 200 musket-trained men. The armed constabulary took part in military actions against Māori opponents Riwha Tītokowaru in Taranaki and Te Kooti in the central North Island in the dying stages of the New Zealand Wars.

From the police force's beginnings in 1840 through the next 40 years, policing arrangements varied around New Zealand. Whilst the nationally organised armed constabulary split its efforts between regular law enforcement functions and militia support to the land wars, some provinces desired local police forces of their own. This led to a separate Provincial Police Force Act being passed by the parliament. However, provincial policing models lasted only two decades as economic depression in the 1870s saw some provinces stop paying their police as they ran out of money. Eventually, the government decided a single nationally organised police would be the best and most efficient policing arrangement.

The New Zealand Police Force was established as a single national force under the Police Force Act of 1886. The change in name was significant, and provincial policing arrangements were dis-established and their staff largely absorbed into the newly created New Zealand Police Force. At the same time, the government took the important step to hive off the militia functions of the old armed constabulary, and form the genesis of today's New Zealand Defence Force, initially called in 1886 the New Zealand Permanent Militia.

Just a decade later, policing in New Zealand was given a significant overhaul. In 1898 there was a very constructive Royal Commission of Enquiry into New Zealand Police. The Royal Commission, which included the reforming Commissioner Tunbridge who had come from the Metropolitan Police in London, produced a far-reaching report which laid the basis for positive reform of New Zealand Police for the next several decades. A complete review of police legislation in 1908 built significantly off the Royal Commission's work.

A further police force act, in 1947, reflected some changes of a growing New Zealand, and a country coming out of World War II. The most significant change in the structure and arrangement for police came after the departure of Commissioner Compton under a cloud of government and public concern over his management of Police in 1955. The appointment of a caretaker civilian leader of police, especially titled "controller general" to recognise his non-operational background, opened the windows on the organisation and allowed a period of positive and constructive development to take place.

In 1953 police horses were retired. In 1958, the word force was removed from the name when legislation was significantly revised.

On 1 July 1992, the Traffic Safety Service of the Ministry of Transport was merged with the police. Up until that time, the Ministry of Transport and local councils had been responsible for traffic law enforcement. In 2001, the police re-established a specialist road policing branch known as the "highway patrol". Today the police are mainly responsible for enforcing traffic law, while local councils can appoint parking wardens, who can enforce traffic rules regarding parking and special vehicle lanes. In 2010, after some calls to split traffic enforcement again from standard police duties, it was decided that it would remain part of their duties, partly due to the public having shown "enormous support" for it remaining this way.

The Police Act 1958 was extensively reviewed starting in 2006, after a two and a half-year consultative process the Policing Act 2008 came into effect on 1 October 2008. The process included the world's first use of a wiki to allow the public to submit or propose amendments. The wiki was open for less than two weeks, but drew international attention.

More recently, the New Zealand Police has been involved in international policing and peacekeeping missions to East Timor and the Solomon Islands, to assist these countries with establishing law and order after civil unrest. It has also been involved in community police training in Bougainville, in conjunction with Australian Federal Police. Other overseas deployments for regional assistance and relief have been to Afghanistan as part of the reconstruction effort, the Kingdom of Tonga, Thailand for the tsunami disaster and Indonesia after terrorist bombings. New Zealand Police maintains an international policing support network in eight foreign capitals, and has about 80 staff deployed in differing international missions.

Female officers
In 1936, there was "a proposal to establish a women police branch in New Zealand", and former principal of the women's section of the South Australia Police, Kate Cocks (1875–1954), attended to speak to the member of the government, the commissioner of police, and a gathering of women's societies. Cocks was the first of two female officers in December 1915 with the SA Police, until her retirement in 1935, with the largest women's section of all Australian state law enforcement agencies.

Women were first admitted to the police in 1941 but were not issued uniforms. One of the first intakes was Edna Pearce, who received the badge number S1 when she was finally issued a uniform in 1952. Pearce made the first arrest by a female police officer in New Zealand. By January 1949, officer R. M. Hadfield did a cross-Tasman interchange, working for two months in Sydney, a month in Melbourne, and Tasmania. At the time, female officers wore only small badges under their coat lapels.

In 1992 less than 10% of the New Zealand Police Force were women.

In 2020, hijabs were introduced as part of the uniform for Muslim women.

Organisation
The Police National Headquarters provides policy and planning advice as well as national oversight and management of the organisation. Although headed by a Commissioner, the New Zealand Police is a decentralised organisation divided into 12 districts.

Each district has a geographical area of responsibility and a central station from which subsidiary and suburban stations are managed. As of March 2019, there are 327 police stations around the country with nearly 12,000 staff who respond to more than 600,000 emergency 111 calls each year.

The Commissioner is in overall charge of the New Zealand Police. Assisting the Commissioner are two chief officers in the rank of Deputy Commissioner: Deputy Commissioner-Resource Management; and Deputy Commissioner-Operations.

Five chief officers in the rank of Assistant Commissioner and the Director of Intelligence report to the Deputy Commissioner-Operations. The Assistant Commissioner-Investigations/International is responsible for the National Criminal Investigations Group, the Organised and Financial Crime Agency New Zealand (OFCANZ), Financial Crime Group, International Services Group and Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police Secretariat. The Investigations and International Group leads the prevention, investigation, disruption and prosecution of serious and transnational crime. It also leads liaison, overseas deployment and capacity building with international policing partners. The Assistant Commissioner-Operations is responsible for Community Policing, Youth, Communications Centres, Operations Group, Prosecutions and Road Policing. The remaining three Assistant Commissioners command geographical policing areas – Upper North, Lower North and South. Each area is divided into three to five districts.

District Commanders hold the rank of superintendent, as do sworn National Managers, the road policing manager in the Waitemata District, responsible for the motorway network and traffic alcohol group. Area Commanders hold the rank of inspector as do Shift Commanders based in each of the three Communications Centres. District Section Commanders are typically senior sergeants. The New Zealand Police is a member of Interpol and has close relationships with the Australian police forces, at both the state and federal level. Several New Zealand Police representatives are posted overseas in key New Zealand diplomatic missions.

It is acknowledged, by both police and legislation, that important and valuable roles in the performance of the functions of the police are played by: public agencies or bodies (for example, local authorities and state sectors), persons who hold certain statutory offices (for example, Maori Wardens), and parts of the private sector, especially the private security industry. It is also acknowledged that it is often appropriate, or even necessary, for police to perform some of its functions by working in co-operation with citizens, or other agencies or bodies.

Districts
The New Zealand Police is organised into 12 districts: nine in the North Island and three in the South Island. Each district is subdivided into between two and four areas:

 * Northland – based in Whangārei; divided into two areas: Far North (Kerikeri) and Whangarei-Kaipara (Whangārei).
 * Waitematā – based in Henderson; divided into three areas: North (Orewa), West (Henderson), and East (Rosedale).
 * Auckland City – based in Auckland Central; divided into three areas: West (Avondale), Central (Auckland Central), and East (Mount Wellington).
 * Counties-Manukau – based in Manukau; divided into four areas: West (Ōtāhuhu), Central (Manurewa), East (Flat Bush), and South (Papakura).
 * Waikato – based in Hamilton; divided into three areas: Hamilton City, Waikato West (Huntly), and Waikato East (Thames).
 * Bay of Plenty – based in Rotorua; divided into four areas: Western Bay of Plenty (Tauranga), Eastern Bay of Plenty (Whakatāne), Rotorua, and Taupō.
 * Eastern – based in Hastings; divided into two areas: Hawke's Bay (Hastings) and Tairāwhiti (Gisborne).
 * Central – based in Palmerston North; divided into three areas: Taranaki (New Plymouth), Whanganui, and Manawatū (Palmerston North).
 * Wellington – based in Wellington; divided into four areas: Wellington City, Kapiti-Mana (Porirua), Hutt Valley (Lower Hutt), and Wairarapa (Masterton).
 * Tasman – based in Nelson; divided into three areas: Nelson Bays (Nelson), Marlborough (Blenheim), and West Coast (Greymouth).
 * Canterbury – based in Christchurch; divided into three areas: Christchurch Metro, Canterbury Rural (Rangiora) and Aoraki (Timaru).
 * Southern – based in Dunedin; divided into three areas: Otago Coastal (Dunedin), Otago Lakes-Central (Queenstown), and Southland (Invercargill).

Communications centres
New Zealand Police operate three communications centres that are responsible for receiving 111 emergency calls, *555 traffic calls and general calls for service and dispatching the relevant response. The centres are:
 * Northern Communications Centre, based in Auckland and responsible for the northern half of the North Island, down to Hicks Bay, Desert Road south of Turangi, and Awakino
 * Central Communications Centre, based in Wellington and responsible for the southern half of the North Island, from Mokau, Taumarunui, the Desert Road north of Waiouru, and Te Araroa in the north
 * Southern Communications Centre, based in the Christchurch Central Police Station, responsible for the South Island.

The Police Digital Services Centre, a new digital services and communications centre, opened in Paraparaumu in November 2018.

Ranks
A police employee becomes a constable by swearing the oath under section 22 of the New Zealand Policing Act 2008. Upon doing so the constable receives certain statutory powers and responsibilities, including the power of arrest. While constables make up the majority of the workforce, non-sworn staff and volunteers provide a wide range of support services where a constable's statutory powers are not required. Rank insignia are worn on epaulettes. Officers of inspector rank and higher are commissioned by the Governor-General, but are still promoted from the ranks of non-commissioned officers. A recently graduated constable is considered a probationary constable for up to two years, until he or she has passed 10 workplace assessment standards. The completion of the above is known as obtaining permanent appointment. Detective ranks somewhat parallel the street ranks up to detective superintendent. Trainee detectives spend a minimum of six months as a constable on trial after completing an intensive selection and induction course. During these initial six months they are required to pass four module based exams before progression to detective constable. They are then required to continue studying with another six exam based modules as well as a number of workplace assessments. Once the detective constable has completed all of this they are then required to sit a pre-requisite exam based on all of the exam based modules they have previously sat. If they are successful in passing this they attend the Royal New Zealand Police College where they complete their training with the Detective Qualification course before receiving the final designation of detective. All of these requirements are expected to be completed within two to three years.

The rank of Senior Constable is granted to Constables after 14 years of service and the Commissioner of Police is satisfied with their conduct. Senior Constables are well regarded within the New Zealand Police for their extensive policing experience, and are often used to train and mentor other police officers.

Detective and detective constable are considered designations and not specific ranks. That is, detectives do not outrank uniformed constables. Nevertheless, a police officer with a detective designation will generally assume control of a serious crime scene rather than a uniform staff member regardless of rank.

To promote to the rank of a sergeant, constables must have a good understanding of general policing and pass the Core Policing Knowledge examination. Once completed, they are then eligible for promotion.

Authorised officers are non-sworn staff who do not have the power of arrest. They work as jailers, guards, transport enforcement officers and specialist crime investigators, such as electronic crime investigators and forensic accountants. They wear black uniforms, rather than the blue uniforms of sworn officers. The number of authorised officers increased following the recommendation of a 2012 review of the police that they be used to take some of the workload from sworn officers.

Insignia and uniform
New Zealand police uniforms formerly followed the British model closely but, since the 1970s, a number of changes have been implemented. These include the adoption of a medium blue shade in place of dark blue, the abolition of custodian helmets and the substitution of synthetic leather jackets for silver buttoned tunics when on ordinary duty. The normal headdress is a peaked cap with blue and white Sillitoe tartan band and silver badge. Baseball caps and Akubra wide-brimmed hats are authorised for particular duties or climatic conditions. Stab resistant and high visibility vests are normally worn on duty. The body vests are also marked with Sillitoe tartan markings.

AOS and STG members, when deployed, wear the usual charcoal-coloured clothing used by armed-response and counter-terror units around the world. In 2008, a survey found strong staff support for the re-introduction of the white custodian helmets worn until 1995, to reinforce the police's professional image.

Communications
Police officers communicate with each other via Apple iPhones. For shorter, fast communication, front-line police officers also use radios.

In 2009 New Zealand Police began moving from using analogue two-way radios to trialling digital encrypted radios in the Wellington region. The trial was perceived as having been successful and New Zealand Police planned to roll out digital encrypted radios to all regions. However, this has not progressed as planned and only the main centres of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch have digital encryption.

Drones
In 2012, the police began using drones also known as unmanned aerial vehicles. By 2013, drones had been used only twice; in one case a drone was used in a criminal investigation and led to charges being laid in court. Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff said "organisations using drones needed good privacy policies – or possibly a warrant".

Helicopters
The Air Support Unit, commonly known as Eagle, is based in Auckland at Auckland Heliport, Pikes Point, Onehunga and operates three Bell 429 GlobalRanger helicopters. In October 2017, the Eagle became a 24/7 service and in July 2019 the Bell 429 helicopters entered service to replace the AS355 Squirrels. In February 2020, an Eagle helicopter was based in Christchurch at Christchurch Airport for a five-week trial.

Maritime Units
Two maritime units are also operated – the launch Deodar III in Auckland and the launch Lady Elizabeth IV in Wellington, supported by various smaller vessels.

Road Vehicles
The Skoda Superb Station Wagon is the current generic road vehicle of choice for the police. In the past they have used the Holden Commodore, Ford Falcons and the Nissan Maxima. The Superb was introduced in April 2021 after the Holden brand was discontinued. As of June 2023 police began road trials of the new plug-in hybrid BMW I4. The highway patrol mainly used the Holden Commodore LT variant along with the Holden VF Commodore SV6 and Evoke which are slowly being replaced with the new Skoda Superb. The police also use unmarked models of the Holden Cruze, Holden Commodore, Toyota Camry and the Hyundai Ioniq. Liveries are chequered Battenburg markings orange-blue (older models – VT, VX and VZ Commodores) or yellow-blue (newer models, Captiva, Commodore VE and VF, trucks and vans), as well as cars in standard factory colours with hidden emergency lights, commonly referred to as unmarked or undercover.

Since 2008 the orange-blue livery is being phased out, and all marked patrol vehicles were expected to have the yellow-blue livery as well as LED light bars by 2014. Both Commodore sedan and wagon bodies are used – normally in V6 form. With Holden's announcement it would cease operations in 2021, new vehicles have been investigated. A request for proposal was issued in July 2020 and 27 different vehicle models were evaluated. In November 2020, the police announced that the Skoda Superb would supersede the Holden Commodore, with the first cars being introduced in April 2021. Dog handlers have fully enclosed utility or station wagon vehicles, which may be liveried or unmarked, with cages in the rear and remotely operated canopy doors to allow the handler to release their dog if away from the vehicle.

The police also use vans and trucks as Team Policing Units, command centres, mobile police stations and for the riot squad and armed offenders squad (AOS). The AOS also has its own vehicles, commonly the Toyota Land Cruiser and prior to that the Nissan X-Trail and the Toyota Highlander (all unmarked and equipped with bullbars). They briefly used the Holden Acadia with unique markings in the upper/middle North Island.

The police use SUV-type vehicles mainly for use in rural New Zealand but can also be used in urban areas. The vehicles used are the Holden Equinox, the Colorado, and Skoda Kodiaq.

The police and Ministry of Transport (see history above) have used a wide range of different cars and motorbikes over the years.

Current police vehicles in use

 * Hyundai Ioniq 2022–Present
 * Mitsubishi Triton 2023–Present
 * Ford Ranger - 2024 - Present
 * BMW i4 2023 –Present
 * Skoda Superb 2021–Present
 * Skoda Kodiaq 2021–Present
 * Holden Equinox 2020–Present
 * Holden Acadia 2019–Present
 * Toyota Landcruiser 2001–Present
 * Toyota Highlander 2004–Present
 * Toyota Hilux 2015–Present
 * Holden Cruze 2014–Present
 * Holden Captiva 2009–Present
 * Holden Colorado 2006–Present
 * Toyota Camry 2006–Present
 * Holden Commodore 1980–Present

Previous police vehicles used

 * Humber Super Snipe 1938–1960
 * Vauxhall Velox 1950–1962
 * Ford Zephyr 1954–1967
 * Holden Standard/Special 1958–1968
 * Vauxhall Velox PB 1962–1965
 * Ford Falcon 1962–2000
 * Holden Kingswood 1968–1982
 * Vauxhall 3.5 Cresta 1969
 * Holden Belmont 1969–1987
 * Leyland P76 1976–1978
 * Ford Sierra 1984–1988
 * Mitsubishi V3000 1986–1989

Current police motorcycles

 * Yamaha MT-09 Tracer, Yamaha FJR1300AP 2021–Present
 * BMW R1150, BMW R1200 2000–current
 * Honda ST1300 2014–Present

Previous police motorcycles

 * BSA 650 Police Special 1969–1971
 * Triumph Trophy 650 1970s
 * Norton Commando 750 1970s
 * Various Japanese and European motorcycles including Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, BMW 1979–2000

Weapons
New Zealand Police officers carry OC spray (pepper spray), batons and tasers (stun guns). The only officers who routinely carry firearms are members of the Diplomatic Protection Squad, and those with dog and airport units. All officers are trained to use Glock 17 pistols and Bushmaster XM15 M4A3 Patrolman AR-15 type, semi-automatic rifles and wear a holster attachment in case they do need a pistol. Since 2012, frontline vehicles have had a locked box in the passenger foot-well containing two loaded and holstered Glock 17s and, in the rear of the vehicle, a locked case with two Bushmaster rifles and ballistic vests. Vehicles are fitted with alarms in case windows are broken. Each officer carries vehicle keys and safe keys.

The Police Association claims the carrying of handguns is inevitable. In January 2013, a Waikato officer was attacked by at least five men after he deployed his OC spray and Taser. His radio was taken from him and his pistol was 'misplaced' during the attack. The Police Association's request for routine carrying of firearms for all officers after this incident was dismissed by the Police Commissioner. The current firearm training and issuing policy has been criticised. Not all police officers receive regular firearm training and not all vehicles contain a firearm. In October 2015, unarmed officers at a routine police checkpoint at Te Atatū South who pursued a vehicle that sped off from the checkpoint were shot at from the offender's vehicle. In December 2015, the Police Association referred to the incident while requesting that all frontline officers receive firearm training and that their vehicles contain a secured firearm. This was rejected.

In July 2015, the Police Commissioner announced that Tasers would be routinely carried by police officers. Tasers were first trialled in 2006 and in 2010 were rolled out throughout New Zealand with all frontline vehicles containing an X26 or X2 Taser in a locked box. As of February 2024 police have begun rolling out the new Taser 10 weapon system across the country to replace the outdated Taser X2. In 2012, figures showed that a 'disproportionate number of people' targeted by police Tasers were mental health patients.

Police officers receive regular Police Integrated Tactical Training (PITT) with different levels of training, depending upon an officer's role and responsibilities. In 2017, a training model was introduced, and the number of officers trained as so-called 'Level 1 responders' increased to 79%. Level 1 includes training with pistols, rifles, tasers, defensive tactics, handcuffs, OC spray and batons. In 2019, Level 1 responder live-fire training and simunitions training increased by 50%. Police annually release a report of their use of force including OC spray, Tasers and firearms.

Since 2019, all officers wear a Body Armour System (BAS). This is a stab-resistant vest with equipment pouches that can be fitted with ballistic hard armour plates. The BAS replaced the stab resistant body armour (SRBA) introduced in 2006 and the ballistic Hard Armour Plate (HAP) which could be worn over the SRBA.

Notable incidents

On 8 October 1941, four police officers were killed by South Island farmer Stanley Graham, 40, who fired at them as they attempted to seize arms from his West Coast home at Kowhitirangi. After widespread searches, two policemen and a local civilian saw Graham carrying his rifle and ammunition belts on 20 October. He was shot by Constable James D'Arcy Quirke with a .303 rifle, from a distance of 25 metres, while crawling through a patch of scrub. He died early the next morning in Westland Hospital, Hokitika.

The police investigation into the murders of Harvey and Jeanette Crewe in 1970 was a turning point in the public's perception of the police. A royal commission subsequently found that the police had planted evidence and framed Arthur Allan Thomas for the murder. Writer Keith Hunter believes this introduced "a cynicism (in attitudes towards the police) that infects us today."

During the 1981 Springbok tour, the police formed three riot squads known as Red Squad, Blue Squad and White Squad to control anti-apartheid protesters who laid siege to rugby union fields where the touring team was playing. Police were described as being heavy-handed with their batons as they tried to 'subdue' protesters opposed to the Springbok tour. The tour had a significant effect on public perceptions of the police who since this time "have never been viewed with the same general benign approval".

In July 1985, the New Zealand Police arrested two French Action Service operatives after the Rainbow Warrior was bombed and sunk in Auckland harbour. The rapid arrest was attributed to the high level of public support for the investigation.

In October 2007 at least 17 people were arrested in a series of raids under the Suppression of Terrorism Act and the Arms Act 1983. The raids targeted a range of political activists allegedly involved in illegal firearms activity. The case dragged on for nearly four years and cost taxpayers millions of dollars. Much of the surveillance evidence was found to have been gained illegally and charges against all but four defendants were dropped. The remaining four were charged with firearms offences, found guilty and sentenced to terms of imprisonment and home detention.

On 20 January 2012, the police flew in by helicopter and arrested Kim Dotcom and three others in Coatesville, Auckland, in an armed raid on Dotcom's house following United States cybercrime indictments against him for on-line piracy via his internet file sharing company, Megaupload. Assets worth $17 million were seized including eighteen luxury cars, giant screen TVs and works of art. According to Dotcom, about 80 police officers were involved in the operation; the New Zealand police claimed it was between 20 and 30. The incident became controversial when a district court judge ruled that the warrants issued for the property seizures were invalid and it turned out the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) had broken the law when asked by police to spy on Dotcom.

Police killed on duty
Since 1 September 1886, 33 police officers have been killed by criminals.

A member of the New Zealand Police, Sergeant Stewart Graeme Guthrie, was the last New Zealand civilian recipient of the George Cross, which is awarded for conspicuous gallantry. He fired a warning shot near a gunman at Aramoana on 13 November 1990, but was killed by a return shot from the gunman, who also killed twelve others. , 29 police officers have been killed by criminal acts, and about 17 by accident, while in the performance of their official duties. The most recent policeman to die was Constable Matthew Dennis Hunt, who was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop.

Civilian deaths involving police
In June 2012 the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) released a comprehensive report on deaths in police custody. There were 27 deaths in the last ten years – ten of which were suicides. Seven deaths occurred when police were overly vigorous in the use of restraint. Another seven were "caused by the detainee's medical condition" which got dramatically worse in police custody, and three deaths were drug related when police failed to ascertain the detainees were on drugs. Of the 27 deaths, the IPCA said only four "involved serious neglect of duty or breaches of policy by police". On top of deaths in custody, police have shot and killed seven people in the last ten years. One was an innocent bystander, and another two were not carrying firearms but were carrying other weapons. The police were exonerated in all seven cases.

Numerous people have also died in collisions during or shortly after police car chases. In the five years after December 2003, 24 people died and 91 received serious injuries in police pursuits. Over this period, the IPCA made numerous recommendations to change police protocols, but the death rate continued to climb. In 2010, 18 drivers fleeing police were killed. Fourteen of the deaths were triggered by pursuits over minor offences rather than serious crimes. That year police conducted the fourth review of pursuit policy in six years and ignored key recommendations of the Independent Police Conduct Authority making only minor changes to the policy. Over the next 12 months, 15 drivers died in the course of police pursuits. 14% of pursuits result in a crash either by the police or the offender but police guidelines do not provide a predetermined speed at which officers should pull out of a pursuit. The IPCA has now recommended that pursuit policy would should require officers to "state a reason for beginning a pursuit," and recommended compulsory alcohol and drug testing of police officers involved in fatal incidents.

Counter-terrorism and military assistance
Since 2005 the NZ Police's main counterterrorism and threat assessment group is the National Security Investigations Team, previously known as the Special Investigation Group. The NSIT is composed of four teams in regional centres, with a remit that covers early intervention in cases of extremism, soliciting informants, and building relationships with communities. Public information on the NSIT was released in relation to criticism of its handling of right wing terrorism in the lead up to the Christchurch terror attack.

The NZ Police are accountable for the operational response to threats to national security, including terrorism. If an incident escalates to a level where their internal resources are unable to adequately deal with the issue (for example, a major arms encounter or a significant terrorist threat), the Police Incident Controller may call on extra assistance from the New Zealand Defence Force and in particular NZ's Special Forces, the military focused New Zealand Special Air Service and terrorism focused Commando Squadron (D Squadron). Control of the incident remains with police throughout. As of 2009, the two military counter terrorist units have never been deployed in a domestic law-enforcement operation. Military resources such as Light Armoured Vehicles have been used and requested before, such as during the Napier shootings, and Royal New Zealand Air Force helicopters from No. 3 Squadron are often used to assist in search and rescue and cannabis eradication operations.

In 1964, the Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) was created to provide a specialist armed response unit, similar to the Metropolitan Police Service's SC&O19 in the United Kingdom. In addition to the AOS, the New Zealand Police maintain a full-time counter-terrorist unit, the Special Tactics Group (STG). Similar to the FBI's Hostage Rescue Team, the STG train in dynamic entry and other tactics vital in high-risk situations. The STG train with the SAS and are the last line of law enforcement response available before a police Incident Controller calls in support from the Defence Force.

Crime statistics
Crime statistics are documented in the police annual report. The police also publish bi-yearly statistical summaries of crime for both New Zealand as a whole and each police district. In early 2005, crime statistics for both recorded crime and recorded apprehensions for the last 10 years were published by Statistics New Zealand. These statistics provide offence statistics related to individual sections of legislation and appear to be the most detailed national crime statistics available today.

Controversies
During the early years of the present century several controversies put the Police under close scrutiny. Some have been investigated by the Independent Police Conduct Authority; others have received significant publicity.

INCIS
The Integrated National Crime Information System (INCIS) was a computer software package developed by IBM in the early 1990s to provide improved information, investigation and analysis capabilities to the police. Deputy Police Commissioner, Barry Matthews, was responsible for its implementation and acknowledged that police requested 'hundreds and hundreds of changes' to the system as the programme was being developed. It never worked as required and ended up costing $130 million before it was finally abandoned in 2000.

The wasted resources and on-going problems surrounding the failure of the project were a huge distraction for the police. When it was about to be scrapped, Police Association president Greg O'Connor said "The reality of it is that the sooner ... the huge distraction that is Incis is gone, the better." Funding wasted on INCIS subsequently led to budget cuts in other areas so that infrastructure such as cars and communications centres were poorly resourced.

Photographing young Maori (Rangatahi)
In 2021, police were accused of racially profiling Māori and young people by taking photos of any youth apprehended during the course of patrols or considered "suspicious" on a mobile app called "OnDuty" connected to the National Intelligence Application (NIA) system. Police claim the photos were a necessary part of combatting crime through more effective intelligence sharing.

Communications centres
In 2004 and 2005, the police were criticised over several incidents in which callers to the Police Communications Centres, particularly those using the 111 emergency telephone number, received inadequate responses. In October 2004, the Commissioner of Police ordered an Independent Review into the Communications Centres under sustained political scrutiny after the Iraena Asher incident received a lot of publicity and a whistle-blowing employee resigned. On 11 May 2005, the Review Panel released its report which criticised the service for systemic failures and inadequate management. The report expressed ongoing concerns for public safety.

Police acted on the recommendations of the review with a number of initiatives, including increasing communications centre staff numbers and then initiating a demonstration project for a single non-emergency number  centre, to reduce the load on the 111 service. The single non-emergency number 105 was launched on 10 May 2019.

Historical sexual misconduct by police
In 2004, a number of historical sexual misconduct allegations dating from the 1980s were made against both serving and former police officers. In March 2006 assistant police commissioner Clinton Rickards and former police officers Brad Shipton and Bob Schollum were charged with raping and sexually abusing Louise Nicholas in Rotorua during the 1980s. The defendants claimed all sex was consensual and were found not guilty on 31 March 2006. In February 2007 the same three men faced historical charges of kidnapping and indecent assault for the pack rape of a 16-year-old girl with a whisky bottle that took place in the early 1980s, and again they were acquitted. Throughout both trials, the jury were unaware that Brad Shipton and Bob Schollum had been convicted of a previous pack rape in 2005 and were already serving prison sentences for this crime.

Rickards was forced to resign from the police but was paid $300,000 as part of his termination package. Complaints about inappropriate sexual behaviour by police officers led to a three-year inquiry conducted by Dame Margaret Bazley. Her highly critical report was released in 2007.

Poor prosecution of sexual abuse cases
In 2008 there was a public scandal regarding the failure of police to investigate a backlog of sexual abuse cases in the Wairarapa. The then head of the Masterton Criminal Investigation Bureau, Detective Senior Sergeant Mark McHattie, received an unspecified disciplinary "outcome" and has since been promoted to head of the Auckland CIB's serious crime unit.

Spying on community, union and activist groups
In 2008, the police's Special Investigation Group came under considerable media scrutiny after it was revealed Christchurch man Rob Gilchrist had been hired by officers to spy on individuals and organisations including Greenpeace, Iraq war protestors, student associations, unions, animal rights and climate change campaigners.

Detention of youth in police cells
The Independent Police Conduct Authority launched a wider investigation into the treatment of young people in police cells and in October 2012 issued a report which found that the number of young people being held has more than doubled since 2009. It said that "youths in crisis are being locked up in police cells and denied their human rights." Practices that "are, or risk being, inconsistent with accepted human rights" include: being held in solitary confinement; having cell lights on 24 hours a day; family members being prevented access; and not being allowed to see the doctor when they have medical or mental health problems. The IPCA made 24 recommendations into how police can improve the detention and treatment of young people in custody.

Bullying
In 2019, it was reported that there had been claims of bullying within New Zealand Police.

Taranaki death in custody, June 2020
On 3 June 2020, three police officers in the town Hāwera in the Taranaki region were charged with manslaughter in relation to the death of a 55-year-old man who died in police custody in early June 2019. The man's death had been investigated by the Independent Police Conduct Authority.

Armed response teams
On 9 June 2020, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster announced that the police would be scrapping their armed response teams after public feedback and consultation with the Māori and Pasifika communities. Public discussion around the armed response teams was influenced by concerns about police-community relations in light of the murder of George Floyd, which sparked protests around the world including New Zealand.

Alo Ngata's death
On 27 August 2020, the Independent Police Conduct Authority criticised the Police's handling of the detention of Alo Ngata, who died in police custody in July 2018 after he had been incorrectly fitted with a spit hood. Ngata had been arrested for assaulting an elderly pensioner named Mike Reilly in Auckland's Freemans Bay and had violently resisted arrest. While the IPCA considered the Police's use of force to be reasonable, they found that the police had failed to assess his well-being while in custody. Both Ngata and Reilly's family have asked the police to release footage from the Police helicopter showing Ngata assaulting Reilly.

CIPEM interview technique
In December 2022, the IPCA launched an independent investigation into the police’s Complex Investigation Phased Engagement Model (CIPEM) following two complaints. CIPEM is an investigation tactic used by police since 2019 to crack cold cases by encouraging suspects who refuse to talk to police to talk to police, involving a more relaxed than normal interviewing style. CIPEM has been attributed to extracting a false confession by a suspect in relation to the murder of Lois Tolley. Justice Simon France ruled the confession to be inadmissible in court due to being improperly obtained. France determined the interviews to be ‘a sustained pursuit of a particular truth’.

2020s pay dispute
On 17 April 2024, 75% of the New Zealand Police Association's membership voted to reject the New Zealand Government's latest pay offer, which included an overtime rate, NZ$1,500 cash payment and a pay increase for the third year. The Police Association had rejected a similar offer in September 2023.

On 15 July 2024, independent arbitrator and employment law specialist Vicki Campbell settled the pay dispute in the Government's favour. The Government's pay offer includes a $1500 lump sum payment and staggered wage, allowance increases between November 2023 and July 2025, and overtime pay from July 2025. In response, the Police Association President Chris Cahill expressed disappointment with the outcome of the pay mediation process and expressed concern that unsatisfactory pay would affect staff recruitment and retention.

Staff retention
During the 2020s, the New Zealand Police force experienced significant staff retention issues, with many staff leaving to work in Australia for higher wages. In late October 2023, RNZ reported that Australian police forces were recruiting NZ Police personnel by offering attractive pay and housing packages. By 30 October, figures released by Australian police showed that 77 former NZ police had migrated to Queensland while almost 20 had migrated to the Northern Territory. NZ Police Association president Chris Cahill estimated that 3,000 New Zealand police officers had immigrated to Australia in the past six years. By mid-March 2024, The New Zealand Herald reported that 50 of 200 former NZ Police officers who had resigned in 2023 were already working as police officers in Australia. The Herald reported that another 70 police officers were planning to emigrate from New Zealand, having been enticed by tax-free sign-on fees and relocation costs of up to $25,000.

In August 2023, NZ Police deputy commissioner Wally Haumaha downplayed concerns that New Zealand could lose a lot of Māori police officers to Australia, claiming that many New Zealand emigrants "get mokemoke (homesick) for whānau (family) and end coming back to the NZ Police as rejoins." In April 2024, Police Minister Mark Mitchell admitted that New Zealand was unable to compete with Australian police job officers, stating that "we cannot compete with that. Australia have got a much bigger and a healthier and stronger high-wage economy than we have, and that's one of the big jobs that we've got as the incoming government is to strengthen our economy and start to head towards being a higher wage economy that at least goes some way towards competing with Australia."

On 17 July 2024, the NZ Police announced that it would ease recruitment standards by allowing restricted license holders and non-citizen residency visa holders to join the force.

title: New Zealand Police


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Aerial warfare

Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare. Aerial warfare includes bombers attacking enemy installations or a concentration of enemy troops or strategic targets; fighter aircraft battling for control of airspace; attack aircraft engaging in close air support against ground targets; naval aviation flying against sea and nearby land targets; gliders, helicopters and other aircraft to carry airborne forces such as paratroopers; aerial refueling tankers to extend operation time or range; and military transport aircraft to move cargo and personnel.

Historically, military aircraft have included lighter-than-air balloons carrying artillery observers; lighter-than-air airships for bombing cities; various sorts of reconnaissance, surveillance, and early warning aircraft carrying observers, cameras, and radar equipment; torpedo bombers to attack enemy vessels; and military air-sea rescue aircraft for saving downed airmen. Modern aerial warfare includes missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. Surface forces are likely to respond to enemy air activity with anti-aircraft warfare.

History

The history of aerial warfare began in ancient times, with the use of man-carrying kites in Ancient China. In the third century it progressed to balloon warfare. Airships (notably zeppelins) served in military use in the early years of the 20th century.

Heavier-than-air airplanes first went to war in the Italo-Turkish War in 1911, initially for aerial reconnaissance, and then for aerial combat to shoot down enemy reconnaissance planes. Aircraft continued to carry out these roles during World War I (1914-1918), where the use of planes and zeppelins for strategic bombing also emerged. The rise of fighter aircraft and of air-to-air combat led to a realisation of the desirability of achieving air superiority. Closer integration of attacking aircraft with ground operations ("battlefield support") also developed during World War I.

During World War II (1939-1945), the use of strategic bombing increased, while airborne forces, missiles, and early precision-guided munitions were introduced. Aircraft carriers gained particular importance in the trans-oceanic projection of air power.

Ballistic missiles became of key importance during the Cold War, were armed with nuclear warheads, and were stockpiled by the United States and the Soviet Union to deter each other from using them.

Drone warfare using relatively cheap unmanned equipment proliferated in the 21st century, particularly after the start of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020.

Aerial reconnaissance
Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. This role can fulfil a variety of requirements, including the collection of imagery intelligence, observation of enemy maneuvers and artillery spotting.

Air combat manoeuvring
Air combat manoeuvring (also known as ACM or dogfighting) is the tactical art of moving, turning and situating a fighter aircraft in order to attain a position from which an attack can be made on another aircraft. It relies on offensive and defensive basic fighter manoeuvring (BFM) to gain an advantage over an aerial opponent.

Airborne forces
Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and "dropped" into battle, typically by parachute. Thus, they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have the capability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning. The formations are limited only by the number and size of their aircraft, so given enough capacity a huge force can appear "out of nowhere" in minutes, an action referred to as vertical envelopment.

Conversely, airborne forces typically lack the supplies and equipment for prolonged combat operations, and are therefore more suited for airhead operations than for long-term occupation; furthermore, parachute operations are particularly sensitive to adverse weather conditions. Advances in helicopter technology since World War II have brought increased flexibility to the scope of airborne operations, and air assaults have largely replaced large-scale parachute operations, and (almost) completely replaced combat glider operations.

Airstrike
An airstrike or air strike is an offensive operation carried out by attack aircraft. Air strikes are mostly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, and attack helicopters. The official definition includes all sorts of targets, including enemy air targets, but in popular use the term is usually narrowed to a tactical (small-scale) attack on a ground or naval objective. Weapons used in an airstrike can range from machine gun bullets and missiles to various types of bombs. It is also commonly referred to as an air raid.

In close air support, air strikes are usually controlled by trained observers for coordination with friendly ground troops in a manner derived from artillery tactics.

Strategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in a total war with the goal of defeating the enemy by destroying their morale or their economic ability to produce and transport materiel to the theatres of military operations, or both. It is a systematically organized and executed attack from the air which can utilize strategic bombers, long- or medium-range missiles, or nuclear-armed fighter-bomber aircraft to attack targets deemed vital to the enemy's war-making capability.

Anti-aircraft warfare
Anti-aircraft warfare or counter-air defence is defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air-based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures (e.g. barrage balloons). It may be used to protect naval, ground, and air forces in any location. However, for most countries the main effort has tended to be 'homeland defence'. NATO refers to airborne air defence as counter-air and naval air defence as anti-aircraft warfare. Missile defence is an extension of air defence as are initiatives to adapt air defence to the task of intercepting any projectile in flight.

Missiles
In modern usage, a missile is a self-propelled precision-guided munition system, as opposed to an unguided self-propelled munition, referred to as a rocket (although these too can also be guided). Missiles have four system components: targeting and/or missile guidance, flight system, engine, and warhead. Missiles come in types adapted for different purposes: surface-to-surface and air-to-surface missiles (ballistic, cruise, anti-ship, anti-tank, etc.), surface-to-air missiles (and anti-ballistic), air-to-air missiles, and anti-satellite weapons. All known existing missiles are designed to be propelled during powered flight by chemical reactions inside a rocket engine, jet engine, or other type of engine. Non-self-propelled airborne explosive devices are generally referred to as shells and usually have a shorter range than missiles.

In ordinary British-English usage predating guided weapons, a missile is "any thrown object", such as objects thrown at players by rowdy spectators at a sporting event.

UAVs
The advent of the unmanned aerial vehicle has dramatically revolutionized aerial warfare with multiple nations developing and/or purchasing UAV fleets. Several benchmarks have already occurred, including a UAV-fighter jet dogfight, probes of adversary air defense with UAVs, replacement of an operational flight wing's aircraft with UAVs, control of UAVs qualifying the operator for 'combat' status, UAV-control from the other side of the world, jamming and/or data-hijacking of UAVs in flight, as well as proposals to transfer fire authority to AI aboard a UAV. UAVs have quickly evolved from surveillance to combat roles.

The growing capability of UAVs has thrown into question the survivability and capability of manned fighter jets.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Aerial warfare


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Conference call

A conference call (sometimes called an audio teleconference or ATC) is a telephone call in which someone talks to several people at the same time. The conference call may be designed to allow the called party to participate during the call or set up so that the called party merely listens into the call and cannot speak.

The more limited three-way calling is available (usually at an extra charge) on home or office phone lines. For a three-way call, the first called party is dialed. Then the hook flash button (or recall button) is pressed and the other called party's phone number is dialed. While it is ringing, flash/recall is pressed again to connect the three people together. This option allows callers to add a second outgoing call to an already connected call.

Features
Conference calls can be designed so that the calling party calls the other participants and adds them to the call; however, participants are usually able to call into the conference call themselves by dialing a telephone number that connects to a "conference bridge," which is a specialized type of equipment that links telephone lines.

Companies commonly use a specialized service provider who maintains the conference bridge, or who provides the phone numbers and PIN codes that participants dial to access the meeting or conference call. These service providers can often dial-out to participants, connecting them to call and introducing them to the parties who are on-the-line. The operators can also take additional information such as question and answer details and also enable and disable advanced conferencing features such as muting lines, muting participants and enabling a recording feature. An operator can often be summoned to conference call hosted by a service provider using a combination of keys on a users' (sometimes only the moderator) telephone keypad. The most common recall function is *0. (asterisk and the zero/operator key)

Usage
Businesses use conference calls daily to meet with remote parties, both internally and outside of their company. Common applications are client meetings or sales presentations, project meetings and updates, regular team meetings, training classes and communication to employees who work in different locations. Conference calling is viewed as a primary means of cutting travel costs and allowing workers to be more productive by not having to go out-of-office for meetings.

Conference calls are used by nearly all United States public corporations to report their quarterly results. These calls usually allow for questions from stock analysts and are called earnings calls. A standard conference call begins with a disclaimer stating that anything said in the duration of the call may be a forward-looking statement, and that results may vary significantly. The CEO, CFO, or investor relations officer then will read the company's quarterly report. Lastly, the call is opened for questions from analysts.

Conference calls are increasingly used in conjunction with web conferences, where presentations or documents are shared via the internet. This allows people on the call to view content such as corporate reports, sales figures and company data presented by one of the participants. The main benefit is that the presenter of the document can give clear explanations about details within the document, while others simultaneously view the presentation. Care should be taken not to mix video and audio source on the same network since the video feed can cause interruptions on sound quality.

Business conference calls are usually hosted or operator-assisted, with a variety of features.

Conference calls are also beginning to cross over into the world of podcasting and social networking, which in turn fosters new kinds of interaction patterns. Live streaming or broadcasting of conference calls allows a larger audience access to the call without dialing into a bridge. In addition, organizers of conference calls can publish a dial-in number alongside the audio stream, creating potential for audience members to dial in and interact.

Legislation
The UK government has changed flexible working rights since 2014, so that employees who have been working full-time for a company or organisation can lawfully request flexible working. In recent years, there have been a number of different types of flexible working options as a result of conference calling technology enabling employees to work remotely.

In November 2011, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a 732-page Order on InterCarrier Compensation (ICC), including rules governing revenue sharing. Citing Section 251(b)(5) of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the FCC mandated that terminating access rates for all calls (not just conference calls) be leveled in 2012 and 2013, then reduced in three increments over the subsequent three years until they reached $0 in 2017. These mostly sub-1 cent charges are replaced with an access recovery charge (ARC) that is added onto every customers' bill by their phone carriers. In other words, every phone company will get to keep the terminating access charges they had to pay out to connect each call while charging consumers more whether they make calls or not. This order has been challenged at the Federal Appeals Court by several parties.

As for revenue sharing, the order adds a measure for high volume call traffic which triggers an immediate terminating access charge reduction to the lowest rate of any carrier in that state.

In the United Kingdom, the 0870 prefix was originally used by UK-based free conference calling providers in order to receive a rebate from every call from a telephone company that owns the number. However, in April 2009 Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, announced that the rebate that is payable to the telecom's supplier when an 0870 number is used would be removed. Systems were soon moved to 0844 and 0871 prefixes in order to retain the revenue sharing arrangement, this means that whilst you wouldn't pay the conference call provider directly, you would dial an expensive premium-rate number to access your conference call.

Recently in the UK, a very small number of conference call providers have begun to use 03 numbers, which are included in bundled minutes under Ofcom regulations. This has provided the option to hold conference calls without any costs whatsoever, as call are included in the minutes bundles provided by most UK network operators. There is a general trend for companies in the UK to more to 03 numbers for inbound services because these numbers are more palatable to the caller.

Flat-rate
Flat-rate conferencing services are being offered which give unlimited access to a conference bridge at a fixed monthly cost. Because telecommunication carriers offer free long-distance bundled with local service, this alternative is gaining widespread popularity for budget conscious businesses and non-profits.

In the UK, there are conference services offered on a pay-as-you-go basis where the cost of the phone calls (using 0843/0844, or 0871/0872 non-geographic revenue sharing numbers) from each of the participants covers the cost of the conference service. With this service type there is no monthly charge and usually no contracts to sign.

Prepaid
Prepaid conference call services allow businesses and individuals to purchase conferencing services online, and conduct conference calls on a pay-as-you-go basis. Typically, a conference call PIN and its associated calling instructions are displayed immediately online after being purchased and/or sent via email. Generally, prepaid conference call services are used with a landline telephone, mobile phone, or computer, and there is no need to buy additional expensive telecommunications hardware or add/switch long-distance service. Some services allow one to start or join a conference call from virtually any country worldwide—with appropriate telephone access.

Large telecommunications providers such as AT&T, Embarq (formerly Sprint), Verizon and other large to medium conferencing service providers maintain a dominant position in the conferencing niche; servicing many of the world's biggest brands. However, the Internet and improved global VoIP networks have helped to significantly reduce the barrier of entry into this niche.

Free
Free conferencing is different from traditional conference calling in that it has no organizer fees, no human operator, and allows for multiple people to connect at no cost other than that of any other phone call (local or toll). Companies that provide free conference call services are usually compensated through a revenue-sharing arrangement with the local phone company, sharing the termination charge for incoming calls to a phone carrier.

In the case of free conference calling, the conferencing company strikes an agreement with the local phone company that hosts the conferencing bridge (equipment connecting lines) to receive a share of the terminating access charge received for connecting the call. At large carriers such as AT&T and Verizon, they keep these access charges for their own conferencing services in addition to charging the customer for the conference service. With free conference calling, as mentioned above, there are no organizer fees so these services do not double-dip: the consumer pays for a regular call with the same three components – origination, transport, and termination – of any call. In other words, the call costs the same as any other call under the customer's calling plan, but the conferencing is included for free to the host and participants of the conference call.

A distinct difference between sound quality of paid and free conference calls has been noted by customers who have claimed to hear background noises when using the free conferencing services, which rarely happens on paid conference calling services.

Premium-rate
Here participants dial in on a premium-rate number such as a toll free number in the US. The conference is typically hosted by the party that perceives value in the call in order to justify the cost: this could be a business owner, a non-profit board member, an educator, lawyer, or expert in any given field. That person then usually pays for the cost of the call. Premium conferencing can also be used for charitable fundraisers.

Premium conferencing feature sets include:

 * Reservationless or operator assisted conferencing
 * Host PINs
 * Name announce
 * Roll-call (unique and superior)
 * Moderator/participant codes
 * Live web-based call management with mute/unmute, drop one/all, and dial out
 * Recording with .wav file access through an online account
 * High-quality on-demand transcriptions (with 4-hour turnaround on request)
 * Customizable, "branded" greetings(unique)
 * Broadcast mode
 * Q&A facilitation
 * Polling and polling reports
 * Sub-conferencing
 * Dial-out with or without requested response
 * Web based screen sharing options
 * 24/7 availability

Standards
The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defined a technical specification (TS 24.147) for conferencing within the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) based on the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), SIP Events, the Session Description Protocol (SDP) and the Binary Floor Control Protocol (BFCP, aka RFC4582).

title: Conference call


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Interstate 184

Interstate 184 (I-184) is a short auxiliary Interstate Highway in Boise, Idaho, United States. The only auxiliary Interstate in Idaho, it is a spur route of I-84 that connects the freeway to Downtown Boise, terminating at US Highway 20 (US 20) and US 26 on the west side of the Boise River.

The western section of the freeway, named the Boise Connector, opened to traffic in December 1968. It was designated as I-180N until a renumbering of I-84 that was approved in 1979. I-184 was extended to a new interchange with US 20 and US 26 in 1992 as part of a new Downtown Boise connector and bridge.

Route description

I-184, also known as the Boise Connector or just the "Connector", is a short, six-lane urban freeway that travels between a junction with I-84 and the west side of Downtown Boise. Its western terminus is the "Flying Wye" interchange with I-84 and US 30 in southwestern Boise, which includes a braided ramp for adjacent exits on both freeways. I-184 travels northeast and crosses over a spur railroad near an interchange with Franklin Street on the south side of the Boise Towne Square shopping mall. The freeway then intersects Curtis Road near the Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center and turns due east along Fairview Avenue, which acts as a frontage road. On the west side of the Boise River in Rotary Park, I-184 terminates after an interchange with US 20 and US 26, which serve northwestern Boise and Garden City on Chinden Boulevard. US 20 and US 26 supersede I-184 and cross into Downtown Boise, where they split into the paired one-way Front and Myrtle streets.

I-184 is the only auxiliary Interstate Highway in Idaho and the state's shortest, at 3.62 mi. The highway is maintained by the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD), which conducts an annual survey of traffic on certain highway segments that is expressed in terms of annual average daily traffic (AADT), a measure of traffic volume for any average day of the year. The sole traffic recording device on I-184, tracking eastbound traffic near Cole Road, reported a daily average of 78,034 vehicles on the highway in 2022. From 2015 to 2022, traffic volumes increased by 3 percent—slower than other area roads—and congestion is typically worse near the Flying Wye interchange during the evening rush hour. According to the ITD, the average speed of traffic on the freeway in 2022 was 66 mph, above the posted speed limit of 60 mph.

History
The Boise Connector was planned in the early 1960s to connect the Boise freeway bypass to Downtown Boise and its inner neighborhoods. One version of the plan proposed a full loop bisecting Downtown Boise to carry I-80N, but it was rejected in favor of a less costly spur route. The westernmost section of the connector, including a sprawling wye interchange with I-80N, began construction in July 1965 and cost $9.5 million to build. It was opened to traffic on December 12, 1968, a year before the rest of the bypass, and initially terminated at Garden Street.

The freeway was numbered Interstate 180N (I-180N) until October 13, 1979, when I-184 was adopted to match I-84, which was planned to succeed I-80N effective May 1, 1980. It was the only signed suffixed auxiliary Interstate Highway in the nation. Parts of the connector were signed as part of State Highway 55 (SH-55) until it was realigned onto Eagle Road in September 1990. Eastbound traffic on US 30 was also used a section of I-180N before merging onto Main Street and Fairview Avenue. This concurrency was eliminated in 1980, when US 30 was relocated onto I-84.

Construction of the Broadway–Chinden Connector, which would connect I-184 with downtown Boise, began in January 1988 and cost $60 million to complete. The new bridge across the Boise River was opened on August 7, 1992, replacing a pair of smaller bridges to the north. The westernmost segment of I-184, including the Flying Wye interchange, was rebuilt from 1999 to 2004 to accommodate an additional set of lanes. The project cost $86 million (equivalent to $ in ) and was delayed approximately six months due to financial constraints and delays in bridge construction in the initial phase of the project.

title: Interstate 184


text:
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Black-capped chickadee

The black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) is a small, nonmigratory, North American passerine bird that lives in deciduous and mixed forests. It is a member of the Paridae family, also known as tits. It has a distinct black cap on its head, a black bib underneath, and white cheeks. It has a white belly, buff sides, and grey wings, back, and tail. The bird is well known for its vocalizations, including its fee-bee call and its chick-a-dee-dee-dee call, from which it derives its name.

The black-capped chickadee is widely distributed throughout North America, ranging from the northern United States to southern Canada and all the way up to Alaska and Yukon. It feeds primarily on insects and seeds, and is known for its ability to cache food for use during the winter. The hippocampus of the black-capped chickadee grows during the caching season, which is believed to help it better remember its cache locations. The black-capped chickadee is a social bird and forms strict dominance hierarchies within its flock. During the winter, these flocks include other bird species. It has the ability to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights, allowing it to conserve energy.

Black-capped chickadees build nests in tree cavities, with the nesting season starting in late April and lasting until late June. They lay on average 6–8 eggs, which hatch after 11–14 days. Juveniles fledge 12–16 days after hatching.

The population of black-capped chickadees is thought to be increasing, and they are considered a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is the state bird of both Massachusetts and Maine in the United States, and the provincial bird of New Brunswick in Canada.

Taxonomy
In 1760, French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson included a description of the black-capped chickadee in his book Ornithologie based on a specimen collected in Canada. He used the French name La mésange a tête noire de Canada and the Latin Parus Canadensis Atricapillus. Although Brisson gave it Latin names, these do not conform to the binomial system and are not recognised by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. In 1766, Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus published the 12th edition of his Systema Naturae, which included 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson. One of these was the black-capped chickadee. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Parus atricapillus and cited Brisson's work. The specific epithet atricapillus is Latin for "black-haired" from ater (black) and capillus (hair of the head).

Though originally placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data and morphology suggested that separating Poecile more adequately expressed these birds' relationships. The genus Poecile had been introduced by German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup in 1829, and the American Ornithologists' Union moved the black-capped chickadee into this genus in 1998. Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the black-capped chickadee is sister to the mountain chickadee (Poecile gambeli).

The following cladogram shows the relationships between the various chickadee species, a subset of genus Poecile:

Until the late 1900s, the black-capped chickadee was considered by some to be conspecific with the willow tit of Eurasia and the Carolina chickadee, due to their very similar appearance. A 1989 study demonstrated that the Willow tit and black-capped chickadee were different species; however, the distinction of the Carolina chickadee remained in question until 2005.

Subspecies
Nine subspecies are currently recognized. They are presented below in the taxonomic order set by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC)
 * Poecile atricapillus turneri (Ridgway, 1884) : Found in southern Alaska and northwest Canada and has the palest colouring of all subspecies.
 * Poecile atricapillus occidentalis (Baird, 1858) : Ranges from southwest British Columbia to northwest California, and is the smallest in size and darkest in colouring of all subspecies.
 * Poecile atricapillus fortuitus (Dawson, 1909) : Ranges from inland southwest Canada to northwest U.S., and is notably buffier than other subspecies.
 * Poecile atricapillus septentrionalis (Harris, 1846) : Ranges from western and central Canada to southern U.S. It is visually similar to P. a. atricapillus but has slightly longer wings and tail.
 * Poecile atricapillus bartletti (Alrich & Nutt, 1939) : Lives only in Newfoundland, Canada, and is the only species with different mtDNA, likely due to geographic isolation. It is larger and darker than P. a. atricapillus.
 * Poecile atricapillus atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) : Nominate subspecies, which ranges from eastern and central Canada to northeastern U.S.
 * Poecile atricapillus garrinus (Behle, 1951) : Lives in western central U.S. It has a brown back and buff rump.
 * Poecile atricapillus nevadensis (Linsdale, 1938) : Lives in western U.S., and is visually similar to P. a. septentrionalis but with paler edges to the wings and tail.
 * Poecile atricapillus practicus (Oberholser, 1937) : Lives in the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern U.S. Similar to P. a. atricapillus, although slightly smaller, less dark on the back, and less prominent white edge to the wings and tail.

Description
The black-capped chickadee has a black cap and "bib" with white cheeks. Its underparts are white with buff-colored flanks. Its back is unstreaked and greenish gray, and the tail and wings are slate gray. It has a black beak and legs, and dark brown irises. Males and females are generally similar, although males have a larger bib. They can also be distinguished based on a combination of weight and tail length. Tarsus length does not significantly differentiate sexes. Males have a wing length of 63.5-67.5 mm, a tail length of 58-63 mm, a bill length of 8-9.5 mm, and a tarsus length of 16-17 mm. Females are on average slightly smaller, with a wing length of 60.5-66.5 mm, a tail length of 56.3-63 mm, a bill length of 9-9.5 mm, and a tarsus length of 16-17 mm. Both sexes weigh 10-14 g. Juveniles are visually similar to adults but with fluffier plumage.

Although range can generally be used to separate them, the black-capped chickadee is very similar in appearance to the Carolina chickadee. The edges of the wings are somewhat paler than the Carolina chickadee, and the bib of the black-capped chickadee has a "messier" border than the Carolina chickadee. The most reliable way to distinguish the two species is by vocalizations. Black-capped chickadees have a slower, hoarser, two-part song, whereas Carolina chickadees have a three-part song.

Black-capped chickadees are also somewhat similar to mountain chickadees and boreal chickadees. Mountain chickadees can be distinguished by a distinct white stripe above their eyes, and boreal chickadees have a brown cap as opposed to the black cap of the black-capped chickadee.

Vocalization

The vocalizations of the black-capped chickadee are highly complex, with 16 distinct types of vocalizations being used to convey an array of information. These vocalizations are likely an evolutionary adaptation to their habitat; they live and feed in dense vegetation, and even when the flock is close together, individual birds tend to be out of each other's visual range.

One of the most recognizable sounds produced, particularly by the males, is the two-note fee-bee song. It is a simple, clear whistle of two notes, identical in rhythm, the first roughly a whole-step above the second. The frequency of their songs typically starts around 400 Hz, and various tones spanning roughly 1 kHz are sung within the song. A decrease of roughly 200 Hz occurs when the first note (fee) is sung, and then another decrease around 400 Hz takes place between the end of fee and the beginning of bee. In spite of these multiple changes in frequency, though, anybody listening to the song only hears a pure, high-frequency tone. This is distinguished from the Carolina chickadee's four-note call fee-bee fee-bay; the lower notes are nearly identical but the higher fee notes are omitted, making the black-capped song like bee bay. The males sing the song only in relative isolation from other chickadees (including their mates). In late summer, some young birds sing only a single note.

Both sexes sometimes make a faint version of the fee-bee song, and this appears to be used when feeding young. During breeding, the male may make this call to attempt to attract a female. During nesting, this call is used by both sexes to call to their partner when not in sight. Distinguishing males and females based solely on their singing is difficult. A bioacoustic analysis performed on both male and female songs revealed that male fee-bee singing fluctuates more, and the absolute amplitude of both sexes is the same.

The most familiar call is the chick-a-dee-dee-dee, which gave this bird its name. This simple-sounding call is astonishingly complex. Scientists have been studying it since the mid-1970s. It is produced by both males and females year-round. It has been observed to consist of up to four distinct units—referred to as A, B, C, and D. A, B, and C are variations of the "chick-a" part of the call, and D is the repeated "dee". These can be arranged in different patterns to communicate information about threats from predators and coordination of group movement. These four notes only ever appear in this consecutive order with each preceding note blending into the next; however, not all four notes always appear in the call. Like other sounds the chickadee produces, it may be heard in multiple variations. The A and B notes are almost identical to one another in both frequency and duration, though black-capped chickadees possess the ability to quickly notice the difference between these two notes. No such similarity is seen between the C and D notes. The C note fluctuates from low to high then back to low, whereas the D note has a constant frequency. While not confirmed, one study found evidence of a function behind the C and D notes: the C note is used indicate the location of food, and the D note is used to distinguish between a member of the same species and a potential predator.

Neither individual notes nor groups of notes have an equal probability of appearing in the chick-a-dee-dee-dee song. Its syntax form may take on several different structures, but the two most commonly heard are [A][D] and [B][C][D]. Calls containing the D note are most frequently heard. A study of the call showed that the number of dees indicates the level of threat from nearby predators. In an analysis of over 5,000 alarm calls from chickadees, alarm calls triggered by small, dangerous raptors had a shorter interval between chick and dee and tended to have extra dees, typically four instead of two. In one case, a warning call about a pygmy owl—a prime threat to chickadees—contained 23 dees. The Carolina chickadee makes a similar call, which is faster and higher-pitched.

Other species have also been observed making use of these chick-a-dee-dee-dee alarm calls. During the non-breeding season, mixed species flocks may form to help with foraging and predator avoidance, and may include nuthatches, woodpeckers, kinglets, and vireos among others. These species will react when a chickadee makes the alarm call. Red-breasted nuthatch have even been observed reacting more strongly to higher-threat alarm calls, indicating some understanding of their syntax.

Black-capped chickadees make a number of other calls and sounds, such as a gargle noise usually used by males to indicate a threat of attacking another male, often when feeding. This call is also used in sexual contexts. Black-capped chickadees learn the gargle noise soon after birth and continues to develop it through to adulthood. This noise is among the most complex of the calls; in one population of chickadees, the gargle contained 2 to 9 instances of 14 distinct notes, all sung within half a second.

Social learning in particular is largely influential to the development of the gargle. Beginning 30 to 35 days after birth, strings of low-amplitude precursor or sub-gargles are produced for about a minute. At this time, they learn to produce such sounds by listening to their parents and siblings. Three chickadee populations were observed at three different sites over 8 years, and all of them produced vocalizations that were very similar to one another. Strings of juvenile sub-gargles are almost perfectly continuous and both low and unstable in frequency, yet lacking multiple syllables. When their vocal abilities are fully developed, a stable frequency is produced and a variety of syllables is heard that vary in length.

Other calls which have been noted include a "broken dee", "variable see", hiss, snarl twitter, "high zee", and tseet. Some of these calls are used during breeding to attract a mate or reinforce a pair bond, such as the "broken dee" and "variable see". Others, such as the snarl and twitter, are used territorially.

Black-capped chickadees in an environment with ambient noise at the same frequencies as their songs are able to adjust the frequency of their songs to effectively communicate with the surrounding population. When interacting with other chickadees close by, the males matched their frequencies; however, when the surrounding environment was noisy with other species, the males adapted by increasing the frequency of their songs. Another survey, though, showed that male chickadees sometimes intentionally match the tones of competing chickadees as a way of showing aggression. Dominant males in a population often compete with lower-ranked males, and singing contests are a way male chickadees decide who gets to mate. When a male loses a contest, particularly a higher-ranking male in the population, he will often have difficulty finding a mate.

Distribution and habitat
Black-capped chickadees are non-migratory and can be found throughout much of North America. They range from western Alaska, through southern Yukon and throughout the Canadian provinces, from British Columbia in the west to the Maritimes and Newfoundland in the east. The distribution continues into the United States, with its range extending to northern California in the south-west, through northern Nevada and New Mexico, continuing through the midwestern United States to New Jersey. It can also be found in the Appalachian Mountains at higher elevations. In British Columbia, the black-capped chickadee is absent on Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, Haida Gwaii, and parts of the Sunshine Coast, where it is replaced by the chestnut-backed chickadee. They are typically most common at elevations below 750 m, although they have been known to occur at up to 3200 m.

Black-capped chickadees inhabit wooded areas, including both coniferous and deciduous forests, urban parks, willow thickets, and suburban areas. They do not vary their habitat between breeding and non-breeding seasons, although in the winter irregular bird migration and dispersal may occur.

Diet and foraging
Insects (especially caterpillars) form a large part of their diet in summer. The birds hop along tree branches searching for food, sometimes hanging upside down or hovering; they may make short flights to catch insects in the air. Seeds and berries become more important in winter, though insect eggs and pupae are eaten when available. Black-capped chickadees have also been known to eat the fat off of dead mammals. Sunflower seeds are readily taken from bird feeders. The birds take a seed in their beak and commonly fly from the feeder to a tree, where they proceed to hammer the seed on a branch to open it.

Like many other species in the family Paridae, black-capped chickadees commonly cache food, mostly seeds, but sometimes insects, also. Items are stored singly in various sites such as bark, dead leaves, clusters of conifer needles, or knothole. Memory for the location of caches can last up to 28 days. Within the first 24 hours, the birds can even remember the relative quality of the stored items.

This caching behaviour has led to black-capped chickadees having larger hippocampi compared to other chickadees, who themselves have relatively larger hippocampi compared to other caching birds in the Paridae family. This variation in size also exists within the black-capped chickadee population based on the region they inhabit, with those who live in harsher climates (such as Alaska) having larger hippocampi. However, no variation exists between the sexes. The size of the hippocampus within black-capped chickadees also varies throughout the year, being the largest in October, and the smallest in February. While the exact reason for this seasonal change is unknown, it is believed that the hippocampus grows to allow the chickadee to remember its cache locations, and then shrinks as those caches are used up.

Foraging behaviour in the winter tends to decrease, primarily being affected by lower temperatures and stronger winds. In parts of the black-capped chickadee's range with very cold winters, such as Minnesota, survival rates are affected by access to supplemental food. Chickadees with access to bird feeders are twice as likely to survive the winter than those without access to this supplemental food. This difference in survival rates occurs primarily during months with severe weather when the temperature drops below -18 C for more than five days. In Pennsylvania, with milder winters on the southern edge of their range, differences between populations with and without feeders suggest that feeders influence movements of chickadees rather than actual survival.

Metabolism
On cold winter nights, these birds can reduce their body temperature by as much as 12 °C (from their normal temperature of about 42 °C) to conserve energy. Such a capacity for torpor is not very common in birds. Other bird species capable of torpor include the common swift (Apus apus), the common poor-will (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii), the lesser nighthawk (Chordeiles acutipennis), and various species of hummingbirds.

Movement and roosting
During the winter, chickadees often flock together. Many other species of birds – including titmice, nuthatches, and warblers – can often be found foraging in these flocks. Mixed flocks stay together because the chickadees call out whenever they find a good source of food. This calling-out forms cohesion for the group, allowing the other birds to find food more efficiently. Black-capped chickadees sleep in thick vegetation or in cavities, usually singly, though they may occasionally roost clumped together.

Their flight is slightly undulating with rapid wing beats. Flights are typically short bursts of less than 15 m with a speed around 20 kph. They tend to avoid flying through large open areas and will instead be found flying along tree-lines or through forests.

Molt
Chickadees molt once a year; no molt prior to breeding occurs in the spring. The molt usually lasts two to three months, starting in July or August. The postjuvenal molt at the end of the first summer of life is partial, involving only the body feathers and wing coverts. In subsequent years, the postnuptial molt at the end of each reproductive season are always complete, involving all feathers. Molting chickadees are not often seen, preferring to remain silent and hidden from view.

Dominance hierarchy
During the winter, the species forms flocks through which dominance hierarchies can be easily observed. Dominance hierarchies play an important role in determining the social behaviours among the birds in these flocks. Chickadees with higher social rankings have better access to food during the winter, which leads to them having a better body condition, increased territory size, and higher reproductive success. The hierarchies are linear and stable; once a relationship is established between two birds, it stays the same for many years. In general, older and more experienced birds are dominant over younger ones, and males are dominant over females. Dominant and subordinate members differ in their foraging strategies and risk-taking behaviours. Dominant individuals control access to preferred resources and restrict subordinates to foraging in novel, riskier, or suboptimal environments. A 2011 study demonstrated that this results in subordinate individuals being less cautious approaching novel foods and objects compared to their dominant counterparts. This is similar to subordinate primates, which feed on novel food more readily than the dominant individuals because they are more used to eating suboptimal and unfamiliar food. No difference is observed in ability to learn novel foraging tasks between dominant and subordinate individuals.

Breeding

Black-capped chickadees start to form breeding pairs in the late fall and into the winter. In the spring, the winter flocks will disperse into the constituent pairs. Black-capped chickadees are largely monogamous during this time, although occasionally males are observed mating with multiple females. Females prefer dominant males, and greater reproductive success is closely related to the higher ranking of the male.

The black-capped chickadee nests in tree cavities 1 - 7 m above ground. The pair either excavates the hole together, uses a natural cavity, or reuses an old woodpecker nest. This species will also nest in a nest box. Nest sites are typically chosen by females, but excavation of the cavity is done by both sexes. The nest itself is built by the female only and consists of a base of coarse material such as moss or bark strips, and lining of finer material such as mammal hair. The nesting season is from late April through June, with higher-ranking females nesting before lower ranking ones. Eggs are white with fine dots of reddish brown concentrated at the larger end. On average, eggs are 1.52 x. Clutch size is six to eight eggs. Incubation lasts 11–14 days and is by the female only, which is fed by the male. If an unusual disturbance occurs at the nest entrance, the incubating female may utter an explosive hiss, like that of a snake, a probable adaptation to discourage nest predators.

Hatchlings are altricial, and are born featherless with their eyes closed. Nestlings are fed by both sexes, but are brooded by the female only (when the male brings food to her, which she passes on to the young). Young leave the nest 12–16 days after hatching, in great part because the parents start presenting food only outside the nest hole. The young are still fed by the parents for several weeks, but are capable of catching food on their own within a week after leaving the nest.

Black-capped chickadees usually breed only once a year, but second broods are possible if the first one is lost. First breeding is at one year of age. Maximum recorded lifespan is 12 years, although most live roughly 2.5 years.

Black-capped chickadees may interbreed with Carolina chickadees or mountain chickadees where their ranges overlap. Interbreeding with boreal chickadees has also been documented, though it is more rare.

Predators and parasites
Black-capped chickadees are primarily subject to predation by birds of prey, including owls, hawks, and shrikes. Nest-predation also occurs, primarily by raccoons, squirrels, opossums, and snakes. Nest sites are also sometimes raided by house wrens, who will destroy chickadee eggs in order to reuse the location for their nest.

Like many birds, black-capped chickadees are susceptible to West Nile Virus. They are also known to be affected by blood parasites, including those that cause malaria, but particularly high rates of infection have not been detected. Black-capped chickadees are also known to be affected by avian keratin disorder.

State and provincial bird

The black-capped chickadee is the state bird of Maine and Massachusetts and the provincial bird of New Brunswick. In 2022 the black-capped chickadee was named the official bird of Calgary, Alberta. The bird is prominently featured on the standard Maine vehicle registration plate.

Conservation
The IUCN classifies the black-capped chickadee as least concern due to its wide distribution and large populations. While the exact population is unknown, yearly bird counts such as the Christmas Bird Count indicate that the population is increasing.

Black-capped chickadees are known to suffer from human-related mortality causes such as flying into windows or dying from ingesting pesticide. Additionally, pets such as cats pose a threat to chickadees.

title: Black-capped chickadee


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Omake

Omake (御負け, usually written おまけ) means extra in Japanese. Its primary meaning is general and widespread. It is used as an anime and manga term to mean "extra or bonus". In the United States and United Kingdom the term is most often used in a narrow sense by anime fans to describe special features on DVD releases: deleted scenes, interviews with the actors, "the making of" documentary clips, outtakes, amusing bloopers, and so forth. However, this use of the term actually predates the DVD medium by several years. For at least the past fifty years in Japan, omake of small character figurines and toys have been giveaways that come with soft drinks and candy and sometimes the omake is more desired than the product being sold.

In English, the term is often used with this meaning, although it generally only applies to features included with anime, tokusatsu, and occasionally manga. It is thus generally limited to use amongst fans of Japanese pop culture (sometimes called otaku); like many loan words from Japanese, omake is both the singular and plural form.

Description
Omake often include comedy sketches where the characters behave out of character, break the fourth wall, or subtly address opinions of the fandom known to the writers. Sometimes scenes from the TV show or OVA are humorously re-dubbed. One example, included on the Video Girl Ai DVD, replays scenes from the OVA series with new voice-acting in a rural accent. Other times, the same actors voice a new script that is more sexually suggestive, often ludicrously so. Omake can also consist of non-canonical, and often comedic crossover clips that sometimes occur at the end of episodes of two shows airing concurrently from the same studio, such as recent Kamen Rider and Super Sentai programs.

For anime, these are often presented in super deformed style, in the same way manga omake often is. For example, the anime OVA Gunbuster features super deformed characters trying to explain what the writers know to be mostly pseudo-science, or talking about their relationships with each other in a way they do not in the series itself. In the anime series Reborn!, one of the characters named Haru Miura has an interview with each of the characters of the anime in chibi forms, and the characters' answers to the questions are often something they would never say in the anime or the manga. For live action programs, although not animated, the expressions and sound effects used for comedic purposes can often be inspired by the omake found in the animated mediums.

The term "omake" has use also in video games; the Sega game Shenmue II for the Dreamcast had a hidden folder on the game disc labelled "Omake", found by placing the disc into a computer, containing exclusive wallpapers and conception art.

Another example of an omake in popular culture is related to Square's Final Fantasy IX. The secret "Blackjack" minigame after completion of the game is accessed by means of a button combination. The Final Fantasy "Playonline" site has a secrets section for Final Fantasy IX, which requires passwords given in the official Piggyback guide to enter. The password needed to reveal the button combination for the Blackjack minigame is E-OMAKE. The minigame itself is an omake.

In some fiction writing communities based on forum sites, the term "omake" refer to derivative stories posted in a story thread, usually by users other than the author of the thread, and as a general rule are non-canonical by default. Members of these communities occasionally refer to having written or posted an omake with the term "omaked".

Omake occasionally appears in fanfiction about anime or manga, after the story itself, usually as a humorous "alternative ending". An example of this is that at the end of each episode of Dance in the Vampire Bund is a 20–30 second chibi skit called "Dance with the Vampire Maids".

title: Omake


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Democratic Alliance (Hong Kong)

The Democratic Alliance, previously the Yuen Long Tin Shui Wai Democratic Alliance, was a pro-democracy, pro-ROC political group in Hong Kong established in 2003 and dissolved in 2021. The final chairman of the alliance was Johnny Mak Ip-sing, who was also a member of Yuen Long District Council.

History
The alliance was established in 2003 by a group of pro-Kuomintang politicians under the initiatives of the Legislative Council member Albert Chan Wai-yip after he split from the Democratic Party and wanted to consolidate his political base in the New Territories West.

The group filed five members in the Yuen Long District in the 2003 District Council elections, and won three seats in the Yuen Long District Council, while Albert Chan Wai Yip himself retained his seat in the Tsuen Wan District. The Democratic Alliance became part of Albert Chan's radical pro-democracy alliance People Power in 2011. Johnny Mak became the only People Power candidate win a seat in the 2011 District Council elections. In 2012, the Democratic Alliance broke apart from the People Power as Johnny Mak wanted to lead a candidate list in the coming 2012 LegCo elections. The group failed to win a seat in the New Territories West constituency.

title: Democratic Alliance (Hong Kong)