Police Minister must clear up vest confusion

new-zealand-national-party

Fri May 11 2007 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Police Minister must clear up vest confusion

Friday, 11 May 2007, 2:38 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party

Chester Borrows MP
National Party Police Spokesman

11 May 2007

Police Minister Annette King must tell the 56% of frontline police officers who do not yet have a stab-resistant vest exactly when they will be getting them, says National’s Police spokesman, Chester Borrows.

“Frontline officers who do not yet have a vest must be totally confused by what is going on.

“Annette King told me on Tuesday, in an answer to a written question, that the vast majority of staff would have vests by the end of July.

“She said: ‘By the end of July 2007, it is anticipated that 95-98% of response staff will have stab-resistant body armour issued.’

“But today, Deputy Commissioner Rob Pope is reported as saying the deadline for when all officers are expected to have the vests has now been re-adjusted to the end of the year.

“Does the Minister seriously expect police, who are under daily threat of being stabbed, to believe that she will be rolling out 3,698 vests in the next 10 weeks but that it will take a further five months to roll out the remaining 138?

“After the stuff-ups so far in this process, I have serious doubts about this.

“The fact of the matter is that no frontline officer should be kept waiting for this protection.

“As Waikato District Commander Superintendent Kelvin Powell said today, the officer in hospital with a punctured lung ‘would not have been so seriously injured if he had been wearing a vest’.

“Only one of the three officers involved was wearing a vest, making the other two obvious targets.

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“Annette King must work harder to get these vests to frontline officers.”

ENDS

Attachment: answer to parliamentary question

Answers to Parliamentary questions

19917 (2006). Simon Power to the Minister of Police (12 Dec 2006): How many stab resistant vests are being purchased and at what cost?

Annette King (Minister of Police) replied: I have been advised that 6,910 vests are being purchased. The approved budget to date is $6,400,000.

07007 (2007)Chester Borrows to the Minister of Police (April 24): How many, if any, stab-resistant vests are still yet to be distributed to frontline staff?

Police Minister Annette King replied: Response staff are the priority recipients of stab-resistent body armour in each district. I am advised that, as at 27 April 2007, 3074 staff had been issued with stab-resistent body armour. By the end of July 2007 it is anticipated that 95-98% of response staff will have had stab-resistant body armour issued."

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