The Ardern-Peters Government is playing Russian Roulette with public safety as it continues to make a mess of law and order, with Police Minister Stuart Nash admitting today that he doesn’t bother to read official advice, National’s Police Spokesperson Chris Bishop says.

“In an extraordinary performance before the Justice Select Committee this morning, Mr Nash confirmed he hadn’t bothered to read a briefing from Police titled ‘Alternative Five Year Phasing Options for 1800 New Police’.

“It just beggars belief that he didn’t bother to read a paper from officials providing advice on his flagship policy to add 1800 cops to the beat.

“If that wasn’t bad enough, he also confirmed that when he does read advice, he simply ignores it if it doesn’t suit him.

“Mr Nash’s own Cabinet paper says that the Ministry of Justice and Department of Corrections estimate between 650 and 900 extra prison beds will be needed as a result of adding more cops to the beat.

“But this advice doesn’t suit the Government because it doesn’t want to build the required prison beds.

“Instead of reading and taking on the advice of officials, Mr Nash, who clearly thinks he knows better, continues to make pie in the sky statements about how the extra police will prevent crime and won’t impact the prison population.

“Being ‘determined’ to prevent crime is not enough to ensure public safety.

“Any responsible government would take the advice of officials and build the required number of prison beds so that dangerous criminals can be taken off the streets.

“The arrogance of this reckless and incompetent Government is putting the safety of New Zealanders at risk.”

© Scoop Media