Police Budget 2015 – ‘King of Pain’ for Regional Policing

Is the government trying to put a mask over yet another frozen police budget, asks New Zealand First Police Spokesperson Ron Mark.

“They are talking up a $164 million increase in operational spending, but overall police are getting less. Basically, another frozen budget - and they have put up with five years of that.

“Words like decrease occur 16 times in the Treasury document versus just 11 times for words like increase. The Budget’s ‘summary of financial activity’ shows the overall police budget is $15 million less than 2014/15, something the government failed to mention in its budget news summary.

“Given last year would have reflected the Cricket World Cup where’s the real increase? In fact, by the end of this decade, police core outputs will fall to be less than this Budget. It’s needed to pay for deferred capital expenditure, so it is no wonder the downloadable file is version seven.

“Like the rest of this government’s Budget, National is raiding the future to pay for the now.

“It leaves police stretched. They have been forced to review the smaller stations from Bluff to the Waikato and up in Northland. Thirty stations have already been closed. It will be our rural communities that’ll suffer as they lose police to the cities.

“Then we get to policing by speed camera being pushed by some Police brass. This from the same government who pushed policing by iPad when the public just want police in the community chasing down the bad guys,” says Mr Mark.

ENDS

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