Speech to Open St Andrews Police Station

Good morning ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for coming along this morning. I would like to acknowledge the Commissioner of Police Rob Robinson; Senior Constable Glyn Cunningham; and other police personnel.

Greetings to the Mayor of Timaru Wynne Raymond, and the Mayor of Waimate David Owen.

I would like to also pass on the best wishes of the MP for Aoraki my good friend Jim Sutton. Unfortunately Jim couldn’t be here today.

As Minister for Trade Negotiations Jim is often travelling, lobbying for better trade deals for our farmers and manufacturers and he’s doing a very good job.

He regrets that he is unable to be here this morning.

It’s a pleasure to be invited to open the new St Andrews Police Station.

This facility illustrates the Government’s commitment to resource Police in areas of need.

Millions of dollars in extra spending in the police is a worthy investment. That allows us to invest in better resources for the men and women who are working in the community to crack down on crime.

Upgrading and refurbishing community police stations is certainly one of those areas where we are investing money – around $60 million dollars over the next five years, set aside to fund projects like this.

Senior Constable Glyn Cunningham, I hope the new building will make your job easier and life more pleasant for you and your staff.

Community policing is a high priority, and we appreciate the work you put in.

This year has been an important year for the police. Overall recorded crime has fallen to the lowest level since 1989/90. The police are resolving more offences than ever before.

This year also saw the Highway Patrol come on line.

Since Highway Patrol staff started, they’ve already made a difference.

A $25 million-a-year investment in road policing is having a very positive effect.

Throughout the country, speeds are coming down.

Even more encouraging is the drop in fatalities. The number of people killed on the roads in Canterbury since 1 July this year is 12, compared to 15 last year.

That’s a great result.

Every life saved means one less family will loss a son or daughter, a parent, an aunt or an uncle, a loved one.

Visibility and a perception that Police are out on the roads are central to deterring bad driver behaviour and preventing deaths – and it’s working.

I understand the number of Highway Patrol staff in South Canterbury will soon double, so we can expect to see even better results in the future.

The Highway Patrol’s efforts are backed up by some very effective work from other police staff.

I understand many of you will be involved in the Police-ACC “Down with Speed” campaign that was launched here at St Andrews last week.

Speed cameras, Highway Patrol, static and mobile billboards and increased general enforcement will all be used to discourage drivers from speeding.

Good luck, and I know your efforts will bring results.

Glyn, even though delivering traffic hours is to become a significant focus of your work here in St Andrews, you are first and foremost a community police officer.

Your patch covers a wide area, including Pareora and parts of both the Timaru and Waimate territorial local authorities.

Being a sole charge constable means you are “all things to all people” and a mainstay of the community.

You’re on call 24-hours a day, seven days a week. That’s a big commitment.

On behalf of the Government, I’d like to thank you and all the other police officers here today for your work and dedication.

Can I just say that the 28 percent reduction in burglary; and the 31 percent reduction in youth offending in south Canterbury (in 2000/01) is an excellent result that is appreciated by all law-abiding residents here in this community.

We are happy to support your efforts in creating “Safer Communities Together”, and it’s therefore a genuine pleasure to declare the new St Andrews police station officially open.

Thank you.