Police Must Attend Accidents Says Peters

Rt Hon Winston Peters has called on the Government to ensure that Police have both the resources and the commitment to attend motor accidents.

The New Zealand First Leader said today that he was astounded to learn that in parts of Auckland, police officers were giving up investigating some accidents and that accident victims are being told that they are on their own.

“Attending accidents is one of the basic police tasks and there are very good reasons for this. A defective or stolen vehicle might be involved and the driver could be a potential offender.

“It is a regrettable fact that some vital areas of policing are being ignored because of staff shortages or officers are being caught up in work created by stupid government policies, like rounding up mental health patients who should not be on the streets in the first place.”

Mr Peters said the most essential duty of any government was the safety and protection of the people and there had been a gradual erosion of these rights under the present Labour-led government.

“We are now moving down a dangerous road where the police are giving up policing and this situation cannot be tolerated any longer. The situation demands action now,” said Mr Peters.

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