Police Pleased With Budget Commitment To Extra Staffing

New Zealand Police National News Release
3:51pm 28 May 2009

http://www.police.govt.nz/news/release.html?id=5142

Today's budget announcement gives police the resourcing and tools needed to deliver on the commitment to have 600 extra staff on board by the end of 2011 says Deputy Commissioner Lyn Provost.

The budget provides an extra $162.5m operational funding to police over four years plus a further $20m in capital funding to 2011.

"All 600 new staff will be destined to improve service delivery where-ever they are based," says Mrs Provost.

"Recruiting for the extra 300 staff in Counties Manukau is already underway and the district is on track to be ahead of its constabulary target at the end of this financial year.

"Details on the exact deployment of extra staff in Counties Manukau are being worked on at present and Commissioner Howard Broad is considering a number of recommendations. These include further resourcing for areas such as response, investigations, youth and community services, intelligence and case management.

"The aim of extra staffing in these areas is to improve both public satisfaction with our service and crime resolution rates."

Elsewhere most districts and groups will also benefit from receiving a share of the 300 extra staff being recruited for outside Counties Manukau.

"Recruiting these extra staff is not expected to be a problem given the high level of current interest in joining police and the record low attrition rate. Recruit applicants from other districts wishing to serve in Counties Manukau may be able to shorten the time they may otherwise have to wait to get into any other district."

Mrs Provost added that, although police are outside the staffing cap applying to the core public service, like all agencies the organisation still needs to absorb cost pressures relating to its existing operations.

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