Cynicism of National’s ‘hot air’ promise on extra cops revealed

Eight of New Zealand’s 12 police districts will have fewer police by the end of 2011 than in 2009, proving how cynical National’s so-called commitment to law and order has been, says Labour Law and Order spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove.

“Two of the other districts will keep the same numbers, and only two, Canterbury and Police Minister’s Judith Collins’ home patch of Counties/Manukau, will actually get more police,” Clayton Cosgrove said.

“National went into the last election with a sham law and order policy. It promised to fund 600 extra police, and said it would put 300 of them into South Auckland.

“Counties/Manukau is the only part of the promise it has kept. It can’t keep the rest of the promise because the reality is that it has provided funding for only 220 new police, not the 600 extra it promised,” Clayton Cosgrove said.

“We are now about to see the grim results. Wellington will suffer most --- with 46 fewer cops by 2011 than it had in June last year following Labour’s extra funding.

“Auckland police district will be down 32, Southern down 22, Waikato 18, Waitemata 10, Central nine, Eastern seven, and Bay of Plenty one. Northland and Tasman stay the same. All these districts had been allocated extra police by the last Labour Government, but now won’t get them.”

Clayton Cosgrove said National’s “law and order con” on Kiwis was made even worse by the fact that the crime rate, particularly violence, had been escalating under National after years of being static or declining.

“Waikato’s rate of violent offending, for example, went up 11.8 percent and total crime 10.4 percent in 2009. So National’s stripping 18 police from the district. Auckland’s crime rate went up 3 percent and its rate of violent offending went up 8.1 percent. Now they’re going to lose 32 police.

“Where’s the sense in that? There is none. It shows the cynicism of National’s law and order rhetoric,” Clayton Cosgrove said.

“Even in Southern, where crime declined marginally (0.4 percent) in 2009, there was a 4.6 percent increase in violent crime. Southern Kiwis are now losing 22 police Judith Collins is filching as part of her strategy to beef up her home patch.”

ENDS

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