Media Statement
For immediate release
Monday, 11 April 2005

Alexander: We need 1300 more cops

New Zealand needs another 1300 crime-fighting police officers to put it on a par with the police to population ratios of other developed nations, United Future law and order spokesman Marc Alexander said today, in detailing United Future’s policy of a 8750-strong police force.

“Horror stories of uninvestigated crime show clearly that the Government needs to move on this, but it is equally clear that Opposition parties would be better employed getting to grips with solutions rather than kicking the Police Commissioner around like a political football,” Mr Alexander said.

He said with just 7450 police, there is just one officer for every 525 New Zealanders, comparing unfavourably with Australia (one to 461), the United States (one to 432), England (one to 406), the Netherlands (one to 344) and France (one to 279).

“Raising our police numbers to 8750 would increase the ratio to one officer for every 447 people - and give our cops a fighting chance of doing the job that New Zealanders want them to do.”

Mr Alexander said he was also delighted to see the Police Association come out backing United Future’s idea of parenting orders to fight truancy in schools.

“That’s another building block that needs to be put in place, as the kids who fall out of our school system are one a collision course with our criminal justice system.

“We are talking a multi-faceted approach to dealing with law and order - and educating our children is as important as having more police on the streets,” he said.

Ends.

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