New police recruits have more convictions

new-zealand-national-party

Thu Jul 12 2007 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

New police recruits have more convictions

Thursday, 12 July 2007, 9:41 am
Press Release: New Zealand National Party

Chester Borrows MP
National Party Police Spokesman

12 July 2007

More people with convictions are being accepted into Police College as Police struggle to find the numbers to meet their election promise of 1,000 extra on the frontline, says National's Police spokesman, Chester Borrows.

He is releasing figures which show that of the new recruits accepted last year, 25 had convictions, compared to three in 2003. Most were dealt with by the Youth Court and by diversion, but three were classified as criminal convictions, including for theft, using a document and wilful damage, while none of the three in 2003 were criminal convictions.

"There is a pattern emerging here and it is a very disturbing one - Labour is allowing the quality of police recruits to drop.

"Labour said its promise of 1,000 extra police - made in a rush to get NZ First's support on confidence and supply - would not result in a compromise on quality, but these numbers prove that is exactly what has happened.

"They follow an internal Police report which says the performance of recruits has fallen significantly since mental ability entry tests were changed three years ago.

"When we get former Police College instructors saying the calibre of recruits has fallen because of the Government's target, then that is cause for real concern.

"We must not let Labour's desperation to meet the promise of extra police allow the acceptance of sub-standard recruits, including the recent one who needed to be taught how to write the alphabet.

"This is not a numbers game, it's a quality game, and that's where Labour is failing the public.

"These figures are further evidence of just how unrealistic Labour's promise was.

"After all, it was Helen Clark who said before the last election "Some political parties are promising thousands of new police. Such promises are simply not credible'. "

ENDS

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