Toss the Boss 2017 - Superintendent Paul Basham

Superintendent Paul A Basham

Paul joined the New Zealand Police in 1985 aged 18. After his initial training he was posted to South Auckland where he completed his probationary service as a Uniform Branch patrol officer before joining the Criminal Investigation Branch in 1988 and qualifying as a Detective in 1991.

Working on a wide variety of serious criminal investigations, Paul remained in the Criminal Investigation Branch until 1995 when, on promotion, he returned the Uniform Branch as a patrol Sergeant in Otara for eighteen months. In 1996 Paul transferred back to Criminal Investigation Branch as a Detective Sergeant where he remained for a further two years leading a number of major criminal investigations.

In 1998 Paul gained international experience when he took up a position in the Netherlands as a war crimes investigator with the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Living in Holland, but working principally in Bosnia Herzigovina and travelling all over the world, Paul describes this time in his career as 'life-changing' and he remained with the War Crimes Tribunal for five years returning to the New Zealand Police in 2003.

Taking promotion to Detective Senior Sergeant in 2006, Paul moved to Police National Headquarters in Wellington and worked in the area of Intelligence and National Security. In February 2008 Paul was promoted to Detective Inspector and appointed the officer in charge of the Wellington City Criminal Investigation Branch.

Throughout this period (2006-2009), Paul undertook tertiary study and he graduated with a Masters Degree in Strategic Studies (MSS) in 2009.

In 2010 he relieved as the Area Commander in the Wairarapa for 12-months before returning to the CIB in Wellington. In late 2012 he was appointed the Area Commander for Kapiti Mana based in Porirua. He spent most of 2016 relieving as the Acting District Commander for Wellington until his most recent appointment to the role of District Commander (Southern District) which includes all of Otago and Southland.

Paul is married to Colleen and has two children, Georgia (18) and Jack (13). He enjoys Mountain Bike riding and Deer Hunting.

Please give generously to support Superintendent Paul Basham to raise funds for the Malcam Charitable Trust today!