Kris

FAAFOI

Police Spokesperson

14 January 2013 MEDIA STATEMENT

Back-Up For Police Common Sense

The Government needs to prioritise police and community safety in 2013 by putting an end to one-person police stations, says Labour’s Police spokesperson Kris Faafoi.

Police safety in the provinces is again being questioned following the brutal attack on solo Constable Perry Griffin in Kawhia over the weekend.

“Labour’s policy is to ensure all one-person police stations are bolstered so there are at least two officers in our small towns supporting their community and each other.

“Giving our officers back-up on the ground is something we can control. It’s not going to minimise all risks, but having someone to call in a crisis counts,” Kris Faafoi says.

“National’s Budget cuts have put frontline Police under increasing pressure. Labour doesn’t want to see provincial New Zealand short-changed for progress in the cities.

“National promised 300 extra police in South Auckland at the last election, an admirable goal, but it raided the provinces to achieve that. Labour wouldn’t have.

“In our last years in Government we budgeted for an extra 1250 police staff, 1000 of whom were sworn. We know that those extra numbers significantly boosted police morale and safety,” Kris Faafoi said.

labour.org.nz

ENDS

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