Cook Islands Police Service
The Cook Islands Police Service is the police force of the Cook Islands. The current Commissioner of Police is Maara Tetava who was first appointed in 2009 and in 2011 was reappointed.
Operations
On 19 October 2016, an escaped prisoner fatally shot his ex-wife and her new partner before turning the gun on himself in Rarotonga. A review of the incident was conducted by former Commissioner Tevai Matapo and retired Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Denis McDermott. The police service is implementing the recommendations of the review including forming a Tactical Support Unit to respond to firearms incidents as earlier recommended by a New Zealand Police review in 2015.Radio New Zealand reported on 16 May 2017 that twenty percent of the police force had resigned, over the last year, over concerns that they were the most poorly paid government workers. New officers earn NZD$14,000.