Only 12% of new police going to ‘front line’
Chester Borrows MP
National Party Police Spokesman
3 April 2008
Only 12% of new police going to ‘front line’
Police Minister Annette King should tell the public the real story behind the size of increase in police on the front line, says National Party Police spokesman, Chester Borrows.
“She’s been crowing for ages about how she’s boosting the number of ‘frontline’ police – in her own words, ‘responders, general duties’ staff – by 1,000.
“But it’s time she admitted what is really happening, in light of what frontline police themselves said this week in response to the 2007 crime statistics:
‘Despite the Government’s ‘1000 new frontline police’ promise, the reality is that in most areas real ‘frontline’ numbers – general duties shift staff and other primary response police units – have barely moved. Primary response units are the police officers that deal with violent crime and disorder. They are the police whose presence quells disorder and deters serious offending. It is no coincidence that violence and disorder offences are continuing to rise while frontline response staff numbers remain tight.’
“When the Police Association President Greg O’Connor shows such concern, we know there’s a severe credibility problem for the Government.
“And the figures seem to back that up.
“The Police response to select committee questions, and answers to written parliamentary questions, suggest that only a small proportion of the additional police is being posted to the front line.”
An answer to a written parliamentary question shows that only 45 (12%) of the 387 new ‘frontline’ police in the second tranche were to be ‘responders, general duties’. The police response to select committee questions shows 65 staff (20%) were to be posted to headquarters and service centres.
“The remainder were to go into youth and family, analysts, recruitment, support services, and investigation support – all worth areas of police work but, by the Minister’s own definition, they are not frontline police.
“The reality is that, despite what Labour has been saying, very few police have been added to the front line.
“National pointed out last year that only 32% of the first tranche went to the front line, and now it’s dropped to only 12% for the second tranche.
“That’s worrying, especially when this week’s statistics show violent crime has risen 12% since 2006 and 43% since Labour became the Government.
“It’s time Annette King told the public and the police the real story on frontline numbers.”
ENDS
Attached: Police
Association press release, answers to parliamentary
questions
--
8496 (2007). Chester Borrows to
the Minister of Police (21 May 2007): How many, if any, of
the 1000 new police officers that the Government promised at
the last election will be front line police?
Police
Minister Annette King replied: I am advised that detailed
staff allocations for the second and third years of the
increase in Police staff numbers have not yet been
completed. The allocation of additional sworn staff during
the first year (2006/07) is shown on the attached table:
Allocation of 353 of the 1000 additional sworn staff
during the 2006/07
year of the 100 new sworn members
Government promised at the
last
election
Allocation Additional sworn
staff
Frontline - responders, general
duties
etc 112
Road Policing
related 38
CIB/investigation support 29
Other
specialists 12
Community focused 40
Youth and Family
focused 28
Organised Crime and
related 17
Prosecutors 13
Analysts/Intel/Deployment 9
Deployed
offshore 3
Recruitment and staff support related
25
Other 27
Total 353
20045 (2007). Chester
Borrows to the Minister of Police (04 Dec 2007): Further to
the response to question for written answer 8496 (2007),
have staff allocation for the second or third years of the
increase of staff numbers been completed and if so, where
will the additional staff be allocated?
Police Minister
Annette King replied: I have been advised that the
allocation of additional staff for the 2007/08 year is shown
on the attached table. Details of the third tranche are
currently being prepared as part of the 2008/09 budget
process. Final decisions on allocations of these staff have
not yet been made.
Additional staff allocation for the
2007/08
year
Classification Sworn Non-sworn Total
Responders,
General duties 44 1 55
Road Policing
49 6 55
CIB/Investigation Support 32 30 62
Community
focused 86 0 86
Youth &
Family
focused 44 0 44
Organised Crime
6 0 6
Prosecutors 4 4 8
Analysts/Intel/Deployment
7 6 13
Recruitment and Training 6 6 12
Support
Services 8 28 36
Other 15 5 20
Total 301 86 387
11847
(2007). Chester Borrows to the Minister of Police (05 Jul
2007): Further to her response to question for written
answer 8496 (2007), why were there 112 ‘frontline’ new
sworn staff in the 2006/07 year, when her press release of 8
December 2005 stated that there will be “1,000 more sworn
frontline staff” over the next three budgets?
Police
Minister Annette King replied:The member fails to
acknowledge staff other than general duties staff as
frontline. "Frontline" also includes other police staff such
as those involved in road policing, the CIB,
community-focused work, young people and families, and those
deployed offshore periodically.
15327 (2007). Chester
Borrows to the Minister of Police (31 Aug 2007): Further to
her response to question for written answer 11847 (2007),
can she confirm that the limitation of the term
‘frontline’ to 112 officers, and excluding those
involved in road policing, CIB and community work, was made
by her or her officials in response to question for written
answer 8496 (2007), and not by the questioner; if so, will
she now explain the difference between this number and her
statement in December 2005 that there would be “1,000 more
sworn frontline staff”?
Police Minister Annette King
replied:The 112 staff in the answer to question for written
answer 8496 (2007) are refered to as 'frontline -
responders, general duties etc'. It was the member who
incorrectly shortened this to 'Frontline'.