“We knew Phillips had firearms and was motivated to use them.
“We also knew, based on previous actions and behavioural science analysis, that Phillips was unlikely to surrender easily and was prepared to put the children in harm’s way.
“The primary objective was locating and returning the children safely.
“Police focused on two key things to achieve that – finding a campsite or a supply route.“
The family regularly moved around and adapted their behaviour, meaning no sites were found.
“They were detected in transit on occasion but never in circumstances that allowed police to safely intervene.”
McKay said drones, supplied and operated by Airbus, flew for 111 hours over a period of two weeks in April this year.
“Police never stopped trying – thousands of hours were dedicated to the search,” McKay said.
He said the focus of the investigation, which was never fully released to the public, was to find a campsite or a supply route.
He said it was always expected that there would be multiple campsites.
He said because the hunt, dubbed Operation Curly, has now concluded, police would not be releasing any more details ahead of the subsequent and ongoing investigations and reviews.
“I hope the information released today provides some reassurance about the lengths police and its partner agencies went to in order to resolve this complex situation, as well as some clarity on the difficulties faced in achieving that safely.”
Phillips was killed in an early-morning shootout with police on Te Anga Rd, west of Waitomo Caves, early on September 8.
The fugitive father shot at a police officer who confronted him after his quad bike crashed when it was spiked on a rural road. Police were alerted to a night-time theft from rural supply store PGG Wrightsons in Piopio.
Phillips’ eldest child was with him, and his other two children were found later that day at a campsite in western Waikato.
The policeman who was shot suffered serious injuries to his head and shoulder and was later flown to hospital, where he received treatment and – later – visits from both the Police Minister and the Police Commissioner.
McKay said the officer was out of hospital and his recovery was progressing.
He said they are also continuing to hunt for the accomplices they always believed Phillips had, and are following “strong lines of enquiry”.
A week before Phillips was found, CCTV footage showed Phillips breaking into a Piopio superette – one of multiple acts of crime allegedly committed in his time on the run. Detective Senior Sergeant Andy Saunders had told media no one should underestimate Phillips’ ruthlessness.
“Tom will pose a risk to anyone that tries to stop the way he’s living his lifestyle with his children”, said Saunders, who headed the hunt.