Kris
FAAFOI
Police Spokesperson

5 December 2012 MEDIA STATEMENT

Police Redundancy Costs Skyrocket

Taxpayers are footing a massively increased redundancy bill as a result of National’s cuts to the police budget, says Labour’s Police spokesperson Kris Faafoi.

“This year’s Budget has put Police bosses under serious pressure to cut costs – but National’s targets haven’t come cheap.

“In just two years the Police bill for redundancy payments has gone from $180,980 to $1.75 million dollars.

“Lay-offs forced upon Police by budget cuts are a double whammy. Not only are Police losing back office staff which forces more front line officers into admin work, but the massive increase in costs for redundancy payments is being funded out of operational budgets.

“That’s a double negative for tax payers. Kiwis don’t want to see jobs lost and they don’t want to see redundancy payments translated into fewer front line resources for their communities.

“National’s promise to deliver safer communities is being undermined by its own short-sighted budget cuts,” Kris Faafoi said.

labour.org.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media

"Unlawful, Unjustified And Unreasonable": Report Into Urewera Raids Finds Police Acted Unlawfully

Independent Police Conduct Authority Chair Judge Sir David Carruthers said today that the decision by the then Commissioner of Police to undertake the operation in Ruatoki Valley and elsewhere on 15 October 2007 was reasonable and justified.

“However, the road blocks established by Police at Ruatoki and Taneatua were unlawful, unjustified and unreasonable... Police had no legal basis for stopping and searching vehicles or photographing drivers or passengers,” he said...

The report also showed that the detention of the occupants at five properties examined by the Authority was unlawful and unreasonable. More>>