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Police Minister Anne Tolley and Labour Minister Simon Bridges today announced the approval of the Underground Mines Emergency Protocol, developed in response to a recommendation by the Royal Commission on the Pike River Coal Mine Tragedy. 

The protocol provides high level guidance on managing a major underground mine or tunnel emergency.  It sets out the persons and agencies responsible for responding, their key functions, duties, and roles, and the lines of authority for decision making and communication.

Transport Minister Gerry Brownlee and Police Minister Anne Tolley have launched this summer’s road safety campaign, which will focus on preventing deaths and injuries by reducing speed, alongside greater visibility of Police.

For the first time, the reduced speed tolerance is being extended beyond an official holiday period.

A 4km/h speed threshold will be enforced by Police throughout the whole of December and January.

“We want New Zealanders to enjoy their holidays, and to be around to celebrate many more in the years ahead,” Mrs Tolley says.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says proposed changes to taxation allowances will mean that Police officers will not be unfairly penalised.

Around 2,100 Police staff would have been liable for additional tax on their plain clothes allowance.

However, the Minister of Revenue has announced there will be changes to the Income Tax Act which will ensure that these officers don’t have to pay any extra for work-related clothing.

“I welcome the decision to change the Act,” says Mrs Tolley.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says she has written to the Independent Police Conduct Authority, asking it to investigate the “Roast Busters” case in Auckland, particularly the questioning of a thirteen year-old girl in 2011.

“Parents of young girls need to have confidence that complaints to Police about sexual assault are investigated thoroughly and appropriately,” says Mrs Tolley.

“As Minister, I can’t delve into the details of a Police investigation - politicians cannot interfere in Police inquiries.

Police Minister Anne Tolley is to travel to Brisbane and Melbourne from 28 - 31 October for meetings with Australian Police.

The Minister will visit the Queensland and Victoria Police training academies, and meet with State Police Ministers.

“I’ll have discussions on child protection and tackling gangs,” says Mrs Tolley.

“The main reason for the trip is to look at their different training methods for new Police recruits.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says that an amendment to the Policing Act 2008 has been introduced into Parliament under urgency.

The Policing (Constable’s Oaths Validation) Amendment Bill makes a technical change to the Act, which removes any doubt over the validity of the actions of a small number of former constables who have rejoined the Police.

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā hau e whā. 

Ka nui te hari ahau kua tae mai nei, I waenganui a koutou me tēnei hui. No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Good morning everyone and thank you for the invitation to open your annual conference, my second as Minister of Police.

The next few days will no doubt provoke discussion and comment – and that’s very healthy.

Can I first acknowledge your President Greg O’Connor, your Executive and all the delegates here this morning.

The Minister responsible for the Serious Fraud Office, Anne Tolley, says victims of financial crime will be better supported, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the SFO and Victim Support.

The MoU will see the two agencies working together to promote and deliver victim support services, and to keep victims informed about their cases.

SFO and Victim Support will also hold joint training sessions to help share information and best practice.

Police Minister Anne Tolley and Customs Minister Maurice Williamson today congratulated the Police and Customs for a $2 million drug bust.

Just over two kilograms of methamphetamine, $20,000 and vehicles were seized and five people arrested in the Wellington region yesterday after a joint operation between Police and Customs.

The methamphetamine, which has a street value of $2 million, came from Hong Kong concealed in LED lighting panels.

“There is no place for these despicable drugs in our communities,” says Mrs Tolley.

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman and Police Minister Anne Tolley welcome the introduction of new meritorious service medals to recognise outstanding service by personnel in the NZ Defence Force and NZ Police.

“We have some great people in the Defence Force, and it is important to recognise and reward outstanding service,” says Dr Coleman.

Police Minister Anne Tolley is travelling to New York from 8 -14 October to represent the Government at a two-day meeting focusing on the lessons learned from the UN Integrated Mission in Timor Leste (UNMIT) transition process.

The meeting will be co-hosted by New Zealand and Timor Leste, and will involve a range of UN member states.

New Zealand has provided $89 million in development assistance to Timor Leste since 1999, including support with policing, justice, education and customs.

Police and Corrections Minister Anne Tolley has officially opened a new joint Police station and remand centre in New Plymouth, built at a cost of $17.25 million.

It is the first time in New Zealand that Police and Corrections have joined forces to deliver frontline operations under one roof.

The New Plymouth facility is the fourteenth new Police station to open since the start of 2009, representing total building costs of over $120 million.

Police Minister Anne Tolley has praised frontline Police, with recorded offences down for the third fiscal year in a row, and a massive 17.4 per cent drop in crimes in the past three years.

There were 29,337 fewer recorded offences in the year to June 2013, a fall of 7.4 per cent, representing a 7.9 per cent drop per head of population.

In the past three years there were 76,775 fewer crimes, with a fall of 5.2 per cent last year, and 5.8 per cent the previous year.

Police Minister Anne Tolley has paid tribute to the Police officers who have died in the course of their duties, and to serving and former Police staff who have died in the past year, during a service at the Police College in Porirua.

The Police Remembrance Day event was attended by over 500 current and retired Police staff, families and members of the public.

“This is a very important day for the Police and our Police families,” says Mrs Tolley.

Police Minister Anne Tolley has congratulated Police for their efforts to tackle drug dealing by gangs, following arrests across six Police districts.

250 charges have been laid, and 22 people arrested, including patched Mongrel Mob members, following the execution of 20 search warrants by 100 Police officers.

It comes at the end of an eight-month operation in which Police, supported by OFCANZ, have been targeting serious drug offending by the Mongrel Mob in Marlborough, and associates across the country.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says Labour should check their facts instead of continuing the desperate attacks on Police.

“In the latest example, Labour has tried to score cheap political points by criticising the Police workplace survey, where 24.5 per cent of staff said they are fully engaged - well above the State Sector benchmark,” says Mrs Tolley.

“What their spokesman failed to mention was that under Labour in 2007 only 13 per cent of staff said they were engaged, with 87 per cent either not engaged or actively disengaged.

Police Minister Anne Tolley is travelling to the United States from 21-31 August to look at strategies aimed at reducing gang crime and the harm caused by gangs to families and communities.

The Minister will have meetings with a number of agencies including the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, LAPD, FBI, New Jersey Police Department, NYPD, New York Gang Investigators Association and the New York Department of Corrections, and will also visit a number of community strategies on the ground in Los Angeles and New York.

The Government has sounded a clear warning to distributors and retailers who deliberately, or otherwise, contravene recently enacted psychoactive substance laws.

The 28 day period for submitting licence applications under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2013 ended this week, with no products or retailers permitted in the market unless they have been granted an interim licence by the Psychoactive Substances Regulatory Authority.

Corrections Minister Anne Tolley says that Cabinet has given approval to change legislation which will allow the introduction of alcohol-monitoring bracelets for high-risk offenders and bailees in the community.

“Alcohol is a major driver of crime, and this is another tool to support Police and Corrections increase public safety and reduce reoffending,” says Mrs Tolley.

Police Minister Anne Tolley and Customs Minister Maurice Williamson say that drug detector dogs are now being trained to sniff out large amounts of currency, to target the proceeds of crime and ensure that criminals are hit hard in the pocket.

A recent trial involving two detector dogs from Police and Customs resulted in the seizure of over $350,000 in undeclared or concealed cash at Auckland International Airport, and while carrying out search warrants.

Police Minister Anne Tolley has today officially opened the new Tauranga Police station, and has praised Bay of Plenty Police for their efforts in tackling and preventing crime.

The new building, costing $20.8 million, continues a Police presence on the same site stretching back to 1879.

It will house 160 staff and will also provide facilities for key community partners, such as victim support.

A total of thirteen new Police stations have opened since the start of 2009, with overall building costs of $105.3 million.

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman and Police Minister Anne Tolley joined the Prime Minister John Key at today’s celebrations to mark the tenth anniversary of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).

“New Zealand has made a significant contribution to security and stability in Solomon Islands through RAMSI, a partnership of Pacific nations established a decade ago,” says Dr Coleman.

Associate Health Minister Todd McClay and Police Minister Anne Tolley welcomed the enactment today of the Psychoactive Substances Bill. As of midnight, a range of effective prohibitions and penalties for breaches of the new law come into immediate effect. These include:

People who fail to clear outstanding arrest warrants could see their benefits stopped as the next stage of welfare reforms comes into effect this month.

“Taxpayers overwhelmingly say they don’t want to fund people to actively avoid the Police and this Government agrees,” says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

From July 15, beneficiaries with outstanding warrants will have their benefits stopped if they fail to come forward and clear their warrant within 38 days.

Those with children will have their benefit reduced by no more than half.