24 June 2009 Media Statement

Collins ducks responsibility for “additional risk”

Police say that the $21 million cut to resources forced on them by National creates “an additional risk” for New Zealanders, but Police Minister Judith Collins is fobbing responsibility off as an operational matter, Labour law and order spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove says.

“Police Commissioner Howard Broad honestly and forthrightly admitted at today’s law and order select committee that the $21 million in so-called ‘savings’, resulting in 300 police vehicles being taken off the road, would create additional risk,” Clayton Cosgrove said.

“Of course, the Commissioner put a brave face on it, and told the committee his aim was to try to eliminate the additional risk, but he shouldn’t even have been made to answer the question in the first place.

“Judith Collins ducked the question about guaranteeing there wouldn’t be any delays in police responses given the $21 million cut,” Clayton Cosgrove said.

“Quite unbelievably, she told the committee that it would be inappropriate for her to provide a guarantee when the police had told her they could re-allocate vehicles without affecting services.

“The fact is that the requirement for $21 million in cuts is a requirement her government has forced on police,” Clayton Cosgrove said. “It wasn’t the Commissioner’s initiative. He was told to find the $21 million, and now the police know that if anything goes wrong, the Police Minister will be nowhere to be seen.

“Judith Collins is washing her hands of responsibility. Police can’t do their job if they can’t get to the scene of the crime quickly and efficiently. There is no doubt they will do their very best, but when they don’t succeed, as will inevitably happen with 300 cars off the road, they will probably be blamed by Judith Collins for giving her bad advice. Her brazenness and cynicism is remarkable.”

Clayton Cosgrove said Judith Collins was forced to “sort of come clean” at today’s select committee about the number of extra police National was funding.

“She has falsely claimed that National is putting 600 extra police on the beat. Today she tried to maintain that fiction, but she also had to admit, however, that some 380 of these were funded by Labour. National’s contribution is just 224.”

ENDS

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