Crime stats: Nats won't let police get on with job
new-zealand-labour-party
Thu Oct 01 2009 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Crime stats: Nats won't let police get on with job
Thursday, 1 October 2009, 11:32 am
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Crime stats: Worry that National won't let police get on with job
New Zealanders should be worried that Government demands for cost cuts may be distracting police from doing their primary job of making our communities safer, says Labour law and order spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove.
Commenting on the crime statistics in the year ended 30 June, Clayton Cosgrove said the total crime rate, particularly violent crime, had worsened in the past year, both in terms of the number of recorded offences and on a population basis.
“In the previous year, following a huge increase in police resources funded by the Labour government, crime actually decreased by one percent on a population basis,” Clayton Cosgrove said.
“This year it has gone up 2.8 percent on a population basis, with all violence offences increasing 6 percent. This will be a real shock to New Zealand communities who believed National’s pre-election promises.
“When in Opposition National talked tough on law and order and drummed up fear in our communities with inaccurate claims about large increases in violence.
“But instead of increasing police resources now they are in office, National has actually demanded that police find $21 million in cuts. Communities can rightly ask how National’s demand for a 10 percent reduction in the police vehicle fleet or a reduction in firearms training can possibly result in greater community safety.
“While it is impossible to say for certain that police are being distracted from their primary job, we know for certain that each police district has been forced to expend great effort to find their share of the cuts,” Clayton Cosgrove said.
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“Some districts are reporting back that they can’t meet their new National-imposed budget targets. As far as Labour is concerned, we need our police to have their eyes on crime, not on making budget cuts.”
Clayton Cosgrove said it is a tragic irony for New Zealand that National while in Opposition talked up the number of murders occurring in New Zealand. “Well, things are getting worse, not better. In 2007-08 there were 54 murders, but in this calendar year alone, since 1 January, 62 New Zealanders have been murdered already. If that continues more than 80 will be murdered by the end of the year.”
Clayton Cosgrove said since becoming the Government National had indulged in law and order window-dressing rather than putting in the resources needed. “Policies like boot camps for young offenders, token changes to remands in custody, and pointless debate over the three strikes policy won’t reduce crime.
“Police need resources, not rhetoric and posturing. That’s why Labour funded 1000 extra front-line police over its last three years in office, plus 250 support staff, and funded the infrastructure needed for staff to do their job effectively.
“”National is clawing back on infrastructure, and has only promised to fund 220 extra police over three years. To make matters worse, several communities will lose previously-allocated staff to fulfil National’s ill-considered promise to put 300 extra police into Counties-Manukau.”
Clayton Cosgrove said the crime rate, including violent crime, had worsened under the first six months of a National government (a 4.9 percent increase in violent crimes from 1 January to 30 June this year on a population basis compared to a 1.5 percent increase in the last six months last year).
“National promised safer communities, but the reality is now becoming apparent. Our communities are becoming less safe because of National’s policies.
“National needs to let police get on with doing their job. There is no way that police, off their own bat, would have decided to get rid of 340 of their vehicles, or to take staff away from districts to which they had already been allocated to send somewhere else just to make the Government look good.
“Canterbury, Tasman, Wellington and Northland all had bigger increases in crime in the past year than Counties-Manukau. The bottom line is that the police, not National, should decide where staff should be allocated. I have great faith in police ability to protect community safety and solve crime. The Government should be backing them up, not diluting their focus on what really matters.”
ENDS
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