Media Release
22 January 2004

Treatment Of British Bobbies Stinks Says Mark

New Zealand First claims that British police officers recruited to fight crime on our streets are being treated like alien criminals while bogus asylum seekers and refugees are received with red carpet treatment.

Law and order spokesperson Ron Mark said today that the British officers’ children who are enrolling in educational institutions have been told they have to pay full foreign student fees and will not receive concessions.

Mr Mark said that because the police officers had not been given residential status as part of their contracts, their children are being treated as aliens and forced to pay, in one case, $16,000 to attend a polytech.

“This is a shocking state of affairs. These police officers, who are helping fight the losing battle against crime, are being denied basic rights that are granted to people who have no business being here in the first place,“ said Mr Mark.

“The problem that these police officers face is that they are blending into the community, doing a worthwhile job and not becoming a burden on New Zealanders.

“If they had come from the Third World, torn up their passports and claimed asylum or refugee status, government ministers would have fallen on them with countless offers of state houses, free education, health benefits, legal aid and money to set themselves up as taxi drivers.”

Mr Mark said he would also be asking questions about why the imported officers were not being paid the full salaries promised by the Government when they were recruited.

ENDS

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