20 September 2016

Underfunding Police puts public and frontline staff at risk

Understaffing and underfunding of regional Police stations are putting the public and frontline staff at risk, the Green Party said today.

RNZ reported today that Police were unable to respond to a brawl brewing in the Tokoroa District Court in May because of staffing pressures, forcing staff to lock themselves, the Judge and members of the public in the courtroom for safety.

“The debacle in Tokoroa is symptomatic of a much wider problem of an overworked and under-resourced Police force in the regions,” said Green Party justice spokesperson David Clendon.

“Police association members have been raising their concerns about their growing workload and a lack of adequate staffing for years, but the Government has its fingers in its ears.

“Just last month Levin staff were told that there is no longer such a thing as a ‘minimum staff number’. This means there will be more situations like Tokoroa where there are simply not enough people to do the work that needs to be done to keep communities safe.

“Instead of demanding that Police do more with less, Minister Collins needs to support the men and women working on the frontline and commit proper funding for Police staff and resources,” said Mr Clendon.

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