Boasting in South Auckland, silent elsewhere

While Police Minister Judith Collins visited Counties-Manukau to boast of fulfilling National’s pledge to put 300 new cops in the district, she failed to admit that eight of New Zealand’s 12 police districts will have fewer cops at the end of 2011 than they had in 2009, says Labour’s Police spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove.

“National went into the last election with a sham law and order policy,” Clayton Cosgrove said. “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.

“The other 380 were funded under the former Labour Government’s supply and confidence agreement with New Zealand First. They were all allocated around the country, but Judith Collins took 80 of them off the other districts to make good her boast in her home patch.

“The fact that eight police districts will have fewer police by the end of 2011 than in 2009 and that two more will simply keep the same number proves how cynical National’s so-called commitment to law and order has been,” Clayton Cosgrove said. “Only two, Canterbury and Counties-Manukau, will actually get more police.

“We are now about to see the grim results of National’s lack of funding for extra police. 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 murder, had been escalating under National after years of being static or declining.

ENDS

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