Thursday, 12 May 2005

Alexander: Police being led by lemmings

Police statistics appear to be more political propaganda than an accurate record of crime in New Zealand and having an incompetent Police Minister is doing nothing to make up for that in terms of public confidence, United Future law and order spokesman Marc Alexander said today.

"There are more questions than answers arising from the scathing review of the police 111 system out yesterday," he said.

"Why should the public find the much-touted fall in police crime statistics believable when the reported savaged the credibility of 111 call statistics as being inaccurate?

"Why when problems relating to the 111 system was highlighted for years, did it take overseas consultants to point out the deficits and for the Government to respond?

"Why should anyone believe the Government's commitment to police and be assured police competence when porngate, recruitment problems, lack of leadership and over-stretched police resources all gives the public no reason to have confidence?

"The worst of it is that one the day we would have liked some answers from the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Police Minister, not one of them fronted," he said of the absence of all three from Parliament today.

"That said, I have never come across a situation where a police minister's involvement actually makes things worse," he said.

ENDS

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