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indicated in any way we were not willing to cooperate.”
Why, then, was the anti-terrorism unit sent in?

THE SPECIAL TACTICS Group is not used lightly. Police have an approval system designed to ensure the group, its unique skills and specialist equipment are only used appropriately. The “Special Tactics Group request for assistance” form is intended to lead to what is known as an “appreciation” — a formula-led breakdown of the risks posed by a particular operation.

The sergeant who took the stand spoke from behind the shield of anonymity. He explained that the STG was for situations posing “high risk to the police or high risk to members of the public”. He said it operated an “assertive component” armed with automatic weapons, using battering rams and explosives to breach doors. Davison wondered, of all the cases he'd been involved in, what on earth was there here which could justify a raid of this sort?

The fact the raid was organised in great secrecy and haste emerged quickly. Wormald's second in command, McMorran, originally dated the formal STG request for assistance on January 9, 2012. But the first briefing from Wormald did not occur until January 17 — eight days later. The STG sergeant said there was never any explanation given of why the group wasn't actually talked to about the raid until just three days before it took place.

The date and time of the raid was set for January 20 at 7am — already a fixture in planning three days prior to the raid — to help in the “execution of a search warrant”. The primary objective was to: “Secure suspect as soon as possible to prevent destruction of evidence.” Also noted by the sergeant were possible links to the Head Hunters criminal gang, through bodyguard Wayne Tempero — an obscure link through a relative, the court was told. Davison followed the sergeant's notes, which included information from Wormald of a former police dog handler working at the mansion — and a serving member of the police's specialist VIP protection staff. The name “Regan Stewart” was listed in the notebook. What does it say, asked Davison, that either former or current police staff are working at Dotcom? The sergeant replied it could have given those subject to a search warrant an insight into how to exploit police vulnerabilities. But it meant more, he conceded.

Davison: “It didn't occur to you that, if these people were either former or even current serving members of the NZ

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