The DPS routinely carry firearms, in contrast to the regular police which generally do not. A 1993 report for the U.S. World Factbook of Criminal Justice Systems stated DPS officers have access to semi-automatic pistols. In May 2008, the DPS were testing a Holden CaptivaSUV, to replace the unmarked Holden sedans in use at the time.
2002 - Operation Links, 400 police, including members of the DPS, protected players including Tiger Woods during the New Zealand Open.
Incidents
When the prime minister travels by road the DPS normally have a vehicle following behind, closer than is generally safe, to prevent other vehicles getting in between. The close proximity of the escort vehicle has caused a few minor nose-to-tail accidents, such as twice in six weeks during 2000, and on Ponsonby Road on 9 December 2005.
– A DPS officer accidentally discharged his pistol into a briefcase aboard an foreign VIP aircraft, on the ground in Christchurch. Police stated, "The bullet lodged in the battery pack of a police radio in the briefcase."
2000 – Prime Minister Helen Clark criticised the DPS handling of a state visit by Chinese President Jiang Zemin the previous year – the DPS sought to minimise the president's exposure to protesters and save the government any embarrassment, which Clark rebuked by saying it was not in the spirit of democracy.
17 July 2004 – Helen Clark's motorcade travels at speeds of up to 172 km/h, to catch a flight at Christchurch after a flight from Timaru was cancelled. The Timaru District Court acquitted a DPS officer of all six charges relating to dangerous driving, and the Police Complaints Authority praised a subsequent review of the Diplomatic Protection Squad standard operating procedures and urgent duty driving.
13 April 2005 – A door blew open on a six-seater charter airplane carrying Prime Minister Helen Clark. DPS officers Constable John Burridge and Senior Constable Dave Reid spent fifteen minutes holding the door closed with the aid of a baton, until the plane landed safely. Both officers later received Police silver merit awards for their actions.
2007 – Two breaches lead to a review of security at Helen Clark's Mount Eden home, after taggers were able to put graffiti on the house, and a man who had robbed a dairy was able to hide in the garden while changing his clothes.
November 2008 – New Prime Minister John Key's property in Parnell, Auckland caused some security problems for the DPS due to the large size, and the pricing and availability of accommodation for officers.
February 2009 – On Waitangi Day, Prime Minister John Key is manhandled by a protester as he walks towards a marae after getting out of his car. The incident caused speculation about the efficiency of the DPS.
December 2017 – Newly-appointed Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's Auckland property caused some security issues due to the small size of the property and because no close proximity accommodation has been sought yet, so the DPS rotate sittings in un-marked vehicles.
