Rotorua is to get a new Police Station that will enable local Police to serve the community better, Police Minister Judith Collins announced today.

Demolition of the existing station, which is more than 40 years old, is scheduled to take place in May 2012 and construction will begin soon after. The new station is expected to be operational by October 2013.

The overall project cost, which will be subject to a competitive tender, is expected to be $18.5 million.

A new shared facility between Police and Child, Youth and Family in Whakatane will ensure that child victims in the area receive the best care and protection, Police Minister Judith Collins said.

The new facility, which opened today, is the latest shared agency centre dedicated to reducing child abuse, bringing perpetrators to justice and keeping victims safe.

Over the past decade multi-agency centres or co-locations have opened in Auckland, Counties-Manukau, Hamilton, Tauranga, Whanganui and Petone.

Police Minister Judith Collins today opened the new Manurewa Police Station, and paid tribute to the work of local Police in reducing crime.

The station, which cost around $6 million, will be the base for 173 Police staff. The building replaces the old station which was too small for the growing number of Police in Manurewa.

Around 50 of the 300 new frontline officers deployed by the Government in Counties-Manukau are based at Manurewa.

“With all those extra officers, the Manurewa Police team outgrew the old station,” Ms Collins said.

A new trade training complex at Christchurch Men’s Prison will prepare prisoners to help in the rebuilding of Christchurch, Corrections Minister Judith Collins said today.

The three workshops will provide training in plumbing, roofing and drainlaying, painting and decorating, and automotive engineering to around 130 extra prisoners annually.

Ms Collins, who officially opened the workshops this morning, says prisoners will be prioritised for training based on their upcoming release date and their willingness to help in Christchurch.

On the 93rd anniversary of the end of the First World War, Veterans’ Affairs Minister Judith Collins has today paid tribute to those who fought and died in the conflict.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the Allies signed an Armistice with Germany ending hostilities after more than four years of war.

“Today we commemorate the end of the First World War, and remember the men and women who served our nation,” Ms Collins said.

Minister to host inaugural SCPEM meeting

Police Minister Judith Collins will chair the inaugural meeting of the Standing Council on Police and Emergency Management (SCPEM) in Auckland this week.



The meeting will be held on 11 November and will be attended by more than 70 New Zealand and Australian Police and Emergency Management Ministers, Police Commissioners and senior officials.



SCPEM, established by the Council of Australian Governments in September 2011, forms part of the new Ministerial Council arrangements recommended in the Hawke Review.

The interception of a large amount of the drug GBL is proof of the success Police and Customs achieve in the fight against crime, Police Minister Judith Collins and Customs Minister Maurice Williamson said today.

Last month Customs officers intercepted a package from Hong Kong at the International Mail Centre.

The package contents were declared as a cleaning chemical. But analysis showed the 24.24 kg of liquid was the Class ‘B’ Controlled Drug Gamma Butyrolactone commonly known as GBL or Fantasy.

Police Minister Judith Collins today praised the Police security operation during the 2011 Rugby World Cup, saying Police had done an outstanding job of ensuring the safety of tens of thousands of fans.

The Police operation, which involved around 1300 staff from throughout the country during the Cup, began to wind down after the Wellington street parade for the All Blacks on Wednesday.

Two new Bills introduced into Parliament today will enhance prison security and improve the management of both prisoners and offenders on community sentences, Corrections Minister Judith Collins said.

The Corrections Amendment Bill and the Administration of Community Sentences and Orders Bill make a number of changes to the legislation that governs the corrections system.

Veterans’ Affairs Minister Judith Collins today presented a $2000 education grant to the inaugural winner of a nationwide multimedia contest commemorating the Battle of Passchendaele.

Whangaparaoa College student Eve Bain, 17, received the prize from the Minister at a ceremony at Auckland Museum marking the 94th anniversary of the battle.

The competition was launched by Ms Collins to commemorate the Battle of Passchendaele which was fought in Belgium as part of the Allied offensive on the Western Front in 1917.

A survey showing New Zealanders are feeling safer is a tribute to the hard work and professionalism of Police, Police Minister Judith Collins said.

The latest trust and confidence survey results released by NZ Police show public confidence in Police has increased from 75 percent in 2009/10 to 77 percent in 2010/11.

The survey also shows an increase in people's sense of safety in their neighbourhoods and town centres.

The Government’s pledge to increase the number of prisoners engaged in work training and skills development by 1000 has been achieved a year ahead of schedule, Corrections Minister Judith Collins said today.

The Prisoner Skills and Employment Strategy, launched by the Government in 2009, aimed to increase the number of prisoners engaged in work training and skills development by 1,000 over three years.

An audio-visual link between Manukau District Court and Mt Eden Corrections Facility went live today, Justice Minister Simon Power and Corrections Minister Judith Collins announced today.

AVL technology allows prisoners to appear in court by video link rather than in person. It is used mainly for procedural hearings, such as list appearances, call-overs, and bail hearings. It can be used for trials, but only with the consent of the defendant.

Increased pressure on criminals and a greater focus on crime prevention has contributed to a further drop in the recorded crime rate, Police Minister Judith Collins said.



Reported crime dropped 7 percent on a per head of population basis during the fiscal year ended 30 June 2011, statistics released today show. This compares to a 1.3 percent drop in the year to 30 June 2010 and a 6.7 percent drop for the 2010 calendar year.

A Memorandum of Understanding between Police and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) will widen the net in the fight against financial crime, Police Minister and Minister Responsible for the SFO Judith Collins said.

The MOU was signed in Wellington today. It covers a range of law enforcement activities between the two agencies, and envisages joint operations on major financial crime investigations, prosecutions and asset recovery.

Police Minister Judith Collins today paid tribute to Police who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Ms Collins attended a service at the Royal New Zealand Police College at Porirua to mark Police Remembrance Day.

Police Remembrance Day is held annually in New Zealand, Australia and throughout the Pacific to honour the fallen.

Since 1890, 29 Police officers and traffic officers have been slain in the line of duty in New Zealand.

Corrections Minister Judith Collins today opened a new Drug Treatment Unit (DTU) at Whanganui Prison which will provide specialist drug treatment for around 130 prisoners a year.

The DTU is the third such facility opened in the past 16 months. Otago Corrections Facility opened its DTU in June 2010 while Auckland Prison’s DTU was opened in November last year. The Whanganui DTU brings to nine the number of DTUs in New Zealand prisons.

A shared facility between Police and Child, Youth and Family in Hamilton will strengthen their support for victims of child abuse, Police Minister Judith Collins said.

The new facility, which opened today, is the latest shared agency centre dedicated to reducing child abuse, bringing perpetrators to justice and keeping victims safe.

Mothers who have a baby while in prison will be able to keep the child with them for two years following the opening of two Mother and Baby Units this week.

Corrections Minister Judith Collins today opened a Mother and Baby Unit at Christchurch Women’s Prison. Tomorrow Ms Collins will open a unit at Auckland Region Women’s Corrections Facility.

Until now, mothers who had babies while in prison were able to keep the infant with them for only nine months.

Whangaparaoa College student, Eve Bain, 17, has won the inaugural Battle of Passchendaele Multi-Media Competition, Veterans’ Affairs Minister Judith Collins announced today.

The annual competition was launched by Ms Collins to commemorate the Battle of Passchendaele which was fought in Belgium as part of the Allied offensive on the Western Front in 1917.  

During the battle New Zealand suffered its greatest loss of life in a single day in New Zealand history.

Cash and assets worth around $48 million have been seized under new legislation enabling Police to confiscate the proceeds of crime, Police Minister Judith Collins said today.

The Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act, which took effect in December 2009, enables Police to seized assets believed to be the proceeds of crime without first securing a criminal conviction.

“I am very pleased to report that the Police have been highly successful in investigating and seizing assets funded by criminal activity since this Government passed the legislation," Ms Collins said.

Veterans Affairs Minister Judith Collins today paid tribute to the New Zealand airmen who fought in the Battle of Britain, one of the crucial turning points of the Second World War.

Ms Collins joined veterans, His Excellency Lieutenant General, The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae, GNZM, QSO, Governor-General of New Zealand, Government representatives, members of the NZ Defence Force and the wider Defence Community, and members of the Diplomatic Corps at the National War Memorial in Wellington to mark the 71st anniversary of the battle.