Service To The Public Won't Suffer, Says Simich

  • Clem Simich
Police

Service to the public won't be diminished by changes being considered to district staffing plans, says Police Minister Clem Simich.

"The quality of service to the public is the primary consideration, and neither the Commissioner nor I will tolerate any reduction in frontline service," he said.

"The changes under consideration are currently in draft form only, and no final decisions have been made. What Police are trying to do is enhance service to the public, and make the frontline more effective. Anything which fails that test will be looked at very closely."

Mr Simich said it was important the public realised that the Government had no influence over the way staff were allocated within police districts, and that such matters were determined solely by the Commissioner and his district managers.

"By next year New Zealand will have more sworn police officers than ever before in history. What the Government wants to do is ensure New Zealanders reap the benefit of that."

"Crime is going down and police staffing is going up. Police should not be afraid to do things differently if it means capitalising on the gains already made," Mr Simich concluded.