Officer retires after half a century

The Police workforce is ageing significantly faster than the general population.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, says Fletcher Clague-Christian, who retired last month after 53 years continuous police service.

Fletcher Clague-Christian retired at age 72, after 53 years Police service. Photo: New Zealand Herald

“We’re lucky to have so many people with terrific experience in policing,” he says. “Some things only come with experience – how you deal with people, what you need to be alert for. Physical fitness is only one part of the job.”

Fletcher, now aged 72, says he was press-ganged into joining the No.8 Sweeney Recruit Wing by his father in 1957.

“He didn’t want a ne’er do well for a son. He marched me down to the police station. The sergeant had his arm over the enrolment form and just said, ‘sign here’.”

Fletcher was happy to give it a go. After seven years in South Auckland he was selected to work as a peacekeeper in Cyprus for 18 months. During that time he met and married his wife and was promoted to sergeant.

Once back in New Zealand he developed a strong community focus in his police work.

After speaking to a Lions club he joined Ōtara Lions and got involved at an international level. “It helped my police work because you know what’s going on in the community,” he says.

He became a senior sergeant in 1972, and spent the bulk of his career policing Auckland’s North Shore.

Although Fletcher was involved in major cases including the murders of Harvey and Jeanette Crewe, his career highlight was much more low key.

“A man I had arrested – for fighting, I think – wanted to introduce me to his fiancée. He wanted to show me he had turned his life around.”

Fletcher says the variety of police work kept him keen. “No matter what you’re doing, every day is different. I would have been bored if even two days were the same.”

Although he had to officially retire at age 55, Fletcher was invited to come back as the crime prevention officer for the North Shore Policing Centre. For the past five years he’s been the property officer.

Since retiring for the last time in June, Fletcher has been “just sort of recovering” and now looks forward to spending time with his two daughters and five grandchildren.