Chester Borrows MP
National Party Police Spokesman

27 August 2008

Labour’s U-turn betrays police trust

The Labour Government’s last-minute U-turn on its promise to allow police officers to serve their communities as local councillors is a disgrace, says National’s Police spokesman, Chester Borrows.

“This is nothing less than a betrayal by this Government of the trust police officers put in them.

“Police believed until the very last minute that Labour opposed NZ First’s bid to deny them the right to serve on councils, but that was before they snuck their U-turn clause into the Policing Bill.

“There was virtually no comment made of the clause in the review consultation.

“Then they waited till MPs were in the middle of question time in the House yesterday before notifying the Bills Office of the change.

“By keeping their change of mind so secret, Labour deprived the Police Association of any further say.

“This is the latest U-turn on this issue by Labour.

“First, they supported NZ First’s bid to overturn the status quo.

“Then, on July 2, Police Minister Annette King told the Law & Order Select Committee that she and her party had changed their minds.

“So what’s happened since? Why did Annette King take this matter back to caucus? Who got rolled there?

“Was it because of some dark little deal with NZ First over the emissions trading scheme? Or was it because Labour’s caucus do not want to see police officers serving their communities in this way?

“Whatever the real story, this is just more interference by this Labour Government in the everyday lives of New Zealanders.

“Labour and NZ First have just denied police officers an everyday democratic right enjoyed by every other person in this country.”

ENDS

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