Their return to the ocean can barely be heard over the waves breaking gently on the shore. The two officers approach a group of friends milling around a black SUV to check on their catch.
Two others are still diving in the shallows. After a bit of a chat, the officers ask to look in the car boot. His efforts to dispose of the evidence, his refusal to give officers his name and his general demeanour escalate the situation. Police are called. At the same time, divers emerge from the water in short wetsuits and booties, one holding a green sack of kina. They place those in the back of the black SUV. One of the group cracks open a beer. As the wait continues, two cars pull up, one with a tino rangatiratanga flag.
A passenger winds down the window and calls out. Police sirens can be heard approaching, the cars do a U-turn and head to another bay further up the road. The first police car arrives.
Aitken approaches and explains the situation to the officer. Gilmour explains that if it looks like overkill, three are part of the team policing unit, and always travel in a group, accompanied by a couple of community cops from the Kilbirnie station.
The man gives his details to police, but by returning fish to the sea, he has escalated the incident from a fine he would have received in the mail to being summonsed for an interview with Aitken and Gilmour the following week. Weekends are busier than weekdays. It started after a routine patrol to Eastbourne where he noticed a man in the bush, which he thought was strange. With a legal catch and no reason to hold him, he sent the man on his way. The haul was destined for a distributor in Auckland.
