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Police Minister Anne Tolley has today congratulated Auckland City Police officers for their dedication to tackling and preventing crime.

The Minister was presenting awards and medals to Police staff in recognition of bravery, good conduct and long service, at a ceremony in Auckland Town Hall.

“The performance and results of Auckland City Police in the past year have been outstanding,” says Mrs Tolley.

“There were over 6,500 fewer recorded crimes in the district last year, a drop of over 12 per cent.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says Labour is continuing its campaign to mislead the public and undermine confidence in the Police.

“Our Police deserve praise for making our communities safer and for the drop in crime in each of the past three years,” says Mrs Tolley.

“They don’t deserve to be treated as a political football by Labour, which is once again falsely claiming cuts to the Police budget.

“Operational funding for Police in Budget 2013 is being maintained at $1.49 billion, which is very clear in Budget documents.

Police funding in Budget 2013 will continue to be directed at preventing and reducing crime and rolling out new technology to help frontline officers work more effectively and keep communities safe, Police Minister Anne Tolley says.

Baseline operating spending for Police is being maintained at $1.49 billion in 2013/14, as Police remain firmly focused on meeting their Better Public Service target of a reduction in recorded crime of 15 per cent by 2017.

Police Minister Anne Tolley has officially opened the refurbished national headquarters for the Police Crime Reporting Line (CRL), at Harlech House in Otahuhu.

At a cost of just over $7 million, the revamped building will house 140 staff once the national rollout of the CRL is completed by the beginning of July. It is expected it will take around half a million calls a year.

The Government is seeking public feedback on proposals for Inland Revenue to share some information with other government agencies to help fight serious crime, Revenue Minister Peter Dunne, Justice Minister Judith Collins and Police Minister Anne Tolley announced today.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says the New Zealand Police deserve huge credit for the fact that crime is down 16.7 per cent over the past three years, and Labour should cease their constant attempts to undermine this great work.

Crime has fallen for the third year running and offences are at a 24-year low, with significant drops in burglary, robbery and theft.

“Frontline policing in our communities, and a much greater focus on crime prevention, is making a real difference,” says Mrs Tolley.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says the operational changes made by Police are having a huge impact, with the crime statistics for 2012 showing the lowest number of recorded offences for 24 years, as crime falls for the third year in a row.

"These statistics show that our Police are getting it right, and I want to congratulate the Commissioner and all Police staff for their efforts in preventing crime and making communities safer," says Mrs Tolley.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says Labour needs to back our Police, rather than mislead and criticise over any operational changes they make to provide a better service to the public.

“Once again, Labour is scaremongering and trying to use our Police as a political football,” says Mrs Tolley.

“Claims that Police stations are closing are nonsense and Labour knows it.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says Labour need to stop using Police as a political football, and let them get on with the job of reducing and preventing crime.

"Police are working smarter and better, with the right people in the right places at the right time to prevent crime from taking place," says Mrs Tolley.

"We are seeing fantastic results. Crime rates have fallen for two years in a row and are now at a thirty year low.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says illegal street racing offences have fallen by 35 per cent since 2009, after the National-led Government introduced legislation to combat boy racers.

Offences dropped from 2738 in 2009 to 1759 in 2012. In the same period, road deaths for 15-24 year olds reduced from 105 to 65.

“We are seeing encouraging results, with almost a thousand fewer offences in 2012 compared to 2009, but the number is still too high,” says Mrs Tolley.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says criminals and gangs are being hit hard as a result of having to forfeit the proceeds of their crimes.

322 assets worth an estimated $26 million have been forfeited by convicted criminals since the National-led Government introduced the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act in December 2009.

Around $21 million was taken from drug offenders, with over $15 million of this coming from methamphetamine associated offences.

Police Minister Anne Tolley has today praised frontline officers at the Counties Manukau Police pay parade and awards ceremony.

Officers were awarded certificates of commendation, as well as long service and good conduct medals, following a parade of 180 staff through the streets of Manukau. Members of the public were also recognised for their efforts in helping prevent crime.

“It was great to see our frontline officers marching through the streets of the community which they serve so well,” says Mrs Tolley.

Police Minister Anne Tolley has congratulated Police and OFCANZ for their involvement in an international operation which has kept $7 million of methamphetamine out of the country and off New Zealand’s streets.

Two shipments totalling 6.6 kg of methamphetamine were seized in Canada before they could be transported here, and as part of the operation a number of arrests have been made by New Zealand Police.

In addition, there have been raids on cannabis growing houses in Auckland which recovered over 600 cannabis plants.

Police and Corrections Minister Anne Tolley has today officially opened the new Christchurch Central Police station.

Built at a cost of $22 million, the new facility replaces the previous station, which had to be vacated due to earthquake risks.

It will accommodate up to 500 Police staff, who will be sharing the building with 40 Corrections staff.

“I’m delighted that the Police, who have been working in makeshift conditions, now have new, modern and professional surroundings,” says Mrs Tolley.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says the introduction of smartphones and tablets for frontline officers across New Zealand will deliver around 520,000 additional frontline Police hours every year, with more Police work and less paperwork, to further prevent and tackle crime.

6,500 frontline officers will be issued with a smartphone by mid-2014, with 3,900 staff also receiving tablets, so they can access, input and share important information immediately, without having to travel back to their station to access databases or write reports.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says that frontline foot patrols have risen by 70 per cent in the past year, as Police increase their focus on crime prevention to make our communities safer.

The total number of Police foot patrols increased by 28,855 in 2012, rising from 40,918 in 2011 to 69,773 last year.

“Police are taking a back to the future approach, by having more officers on the beat to tackle and prevent crime,” says Mrs Tolley.

Police Minister Anne Tolley has today attended a ceremony to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the tragic deaths of four Police officers.

Detective Inspector Wallace Chalmers, Detective Sergeant Neville Power, Constable Bryan Schultz and Constable James Richardson were all killed by gunmen within a four-week period in early 1963.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says Labour is once again trying to mislead the public over Police resources.

“Their spokesman has claimed that there are 57 fewer Police Communications Centre staff than in 2009, but this is completely false. There are, in fact, fifty additional staff,” says Mrs Tolley.

“Figures supplied to the Law and Order Select Committee Financial Review clearly show that in 2012 the average number of staff in these centres increased from 508 in 2009 to 558 in 2012.

Minister for Social Development Paula Bennett today met with Auckland Sexual Abuse Helpline (ASAH) and agreed to an interim funding arrangement with contributions from Health, Social Development and Police.

“I met with ASAH today, I’ve heard their concerns and the Government is prepared to step in to keep the service running without interruption,” says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

They have also committed to a sustainable three year contract with negotiations to be finalised in April 2013.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says a Bill which clarifies the definition of certain firearms and places controls on the importation of restricted airguns has passed its third reading in Parliament.

The Arms (Military Style Semi-Automatic Firearms and Import Controls) Amendment Bill clarifies the definition of military style semi-automatic firearms (MSSAs), and places controls on the importation of airguns that look like real pistols, MSSAs or restricted weapons. Importers of such airguns will now be required to have a special Police permit.

Police and Corrections Minister Anne Tolley is travelling to England and Italy from October 31 to November 8 for discussions on organised crime, the UK sex offenders' register, online child pornography and prisoner rehabilitation.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says the roll out of Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPTs) across New Zealand has been completed, as the Outer Kaiti NPT in Gisborne becomes fully operational.

This brings the total number of Neighbourhood Policing Teams to 33, with the first established two years ago in Counties-Manukau.

The NPTs work for up to five years in priority areas where members of the public are more likely to be victims of crime.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says Labour should get its facts right instead of trying to mislead the public over Police funding.

"Funding levels for Police were maintained in the Budget, yet Labour's Police spokesperson continues to claim there were cuts,” says Mrs Tolley.

"No matter how many times Labour makes these claims they will always be false.

"The media and the public deserve to know the facts, and Labour's comments can't be trusted.

"This is nothing more than a campaign of scaremongering and making up figures.

James Cook Hotel, Wellington

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā hau e whā. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Good morning everyone and thank you for the invitation to open your annual conference.

Can I acknowledge your President Greg O'Connor and your executive. We have a constructive relationship and I appreciate that. Can I also acknowledge Police Association delegates – and give a warm welcome to the international delegates from South Africa, Tonga and Australia.