Police officer who stole police-issued firearm starred in police recruitment series

A police officer who stole a police-issued firearm starred in a police recruitment series, and was awarded the Commissioner's Award for leadership in his recruit wing, it can now be revealed.RNZ earlier revealed a police officer had been charged with stealing a police-issued firearm and being in unlawful possession of a police-issued firearm.On Tuesday, the officer Steven John Karehana pleaded guilty to the charges. Following his guilty plea an interim suppression order was lifted. Karehana will be sentenced in December.The summary of facts said Karehana graduated from Police College in October 2024, and was stationed in Whanganui.Do you know more? Email sam.sherwood@rnz.co.nzAt the time of the offending he was assigned to a team that was based out of an agency site on Victoria Ave, Whanganui.In March, 2026, police carried out an audit of police-owned firearms in the Central District policing area.The audit confirmed a glock was missing, presumed stolen on or about 11 February, 2026. The glock is worth $1204.The summary said the glock was one of several police firearms that were stored among four locked gun safes on the ground floor of the Whanganui Police Station.Prior to the gun going missing, Karehana asked an associate if they would be able to get rid of a gun if he delivered one to them. The associate said they would.About 7.15am on 11 February, Karehana entered the Whanaganui Police Station to begin his shift which started at 8am. He then took two glocks and two M4 rifles from the gun safe and put them into lockboxes in a police car.He and his colleague for the day then went to the Victoria Ave site. Karehana returned to the police station alone about 1.40pm and accessed the gun safe which housed the glock."The defendant removed the glock and placed it into his backpack before leaving the building and driving home," the summary said."A short time after arriving at his home address in Martin, the defendant delivered the glock to the associate."This associate subsequently supplied the glock to another associate and obtained $10,000 cash for it."Karehana did not know that his associate was going to on sell the weapon, the summary said. That evening Karehana was given $5000.The glock was recovered by police in June.When spoken to by police, Karehana denied the allegations.The 42-year-old starred in the police recruitment video series, Ride Along.His parts in the series appear to have since been removed from YouTube, and his name has been removed from a press release about the series.In one episode seen by RNZ, Karehana spoke of his journey to joining the Police."I guess for me it was a long journey. Took me around about 20 years from my first application to being accepted into police college, and I've been out for about four months now."So I first applied in 2003, and I was denied because of what had happened in my youth, and I applied probably every five years after that until I got a job as a painter, and I stayed in that job for 16 years."It wasn't until I went and worked for my iwi, and through that journey, it reignited the love and passion for my community and my people."A screen grab from Ride Along.NZ Police/YoutubeHe said being an older recruit he brought "different life skills, life experiences to the police"."My why for joining is to be a role model for our people."By showing them rather than just talking about it, it can go a long way into helping build those relationships once again."Karehana's name has also been removed by Police from a press release put out in October 2024 celebrating Wing 378.The original version, seen by RNZ, said he was awarded the Commissioner's Leadership Award."This is the beginning of our journey in the New Zealand Police, but for all of us graduating, there are many people who have sacrificed and worked hard to allow us to be here, and we are very grateful. We could not have done it without you."The call to service is one few answer, but it is a selfless sacrifice to put community above self and by graduating today we have all joined a proud and selfless organisation."