Release of Police BIM

Police Minister Annette King says she is determined to enhance the Police’s role in the Government’s overall commitment to build safer communities.

Releasing the Police Brief to the Incoming Minister today, Ms King said: “Providing security for all New Zealanders, young and old, requires a continued focus on reducing crime. That has been a strong Government focus for the past six years, but we need to do still more, and that is what we intend to do.

“In the past six years, we have added more than 1400 police staff, the crime rate has reduced 13.8 percent, and crime resolution rates are increasingly steadily. Recorded crime is down to levels last seen over 20 years ago and our resolution rates equate exceedingly well with other police agencies world-wide.

“We must keep that trend going, and clearly the key means to that end will be the Government’s commitment, pursuant to its agreement with New Zealand First, to provide funding over the next three Budgets for an additional 1000 police staff. It won’t necessarily be easy recruiting that many staff, because we will be competing with other sectors and departments, but I am confident we’ll succeed.

“Recruitment of extra police staff, and provision of extra resources they will need, will go a long way toward making our communities safer to live in. I am also keen to see a greater emphasis on partnerships between police, local authorities and community groups. We all need to work together.”

Ms King says the Government’s commitment to providing more police resources more than meets advice in the police briefing around frontline workloads in key locations, the provision of more opportunities for staff to deal with offending at the front end and increasing the visibility and effectiveness of police street work.

"Our commitment to another 1000 staff actually exceeds the Police's own assessment that it needs 300 staff each year in addition to recruitment for attrition. The new staff will address frontline workloads in key locations such as metropolitan Auckland. At the same time the deployment of 250 of the staff into community policing roles will reinforce visibility and provide the public with greater reassurance around safety, especially safety in public places.

"We are also working on a number of areas that will build public trust and confidence in the police. One key example is the $45 million of additional resources that has been directed at curing deficiencies identified by the Independent Review Panel on Communication Centres. I will also be looking closely at the possibility of establishing a nation-wide non-emergency number to help ease the pressure on the 111 communications system, and I expect a detailed report on such an initiative within the next few weeks.”

Ms King says the public can also take confidence from the fact that a programme is underway to enhance integrity and ethics for all police staff. “Obviously this programme will need to take into account any recommendations which may come from the Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct that will report in March next year, but I am heartened by the Police’s own initiatives in this respect.”

Ms King says the briefing also points to the growing importance of trans-national crime as well as national and regional security. “The Government has responded positively in recent years to strengthen the overseas liaison officer network and further developments are likely in the years ahead. Deployments of staff in the Pacific and Afghanistan are further indications of the high regard in which New Zealand Police are held not just at home but internationally.”

The briefing is available at: http://www.police.govt.nz

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