Hon Anne Tolley
Minister of Police

17 May 2013

Labour wrong on Police again

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.

“Capital expenditure last year was much higher as Police were building new stations around the country in Rotorua, Christchurch, Wanaka, New Plymouth and Tauranga.

“It’s clear that Labour doesn’t understand, or is choosing to ignore the fact, that you don’t need to spend the same money, on the same buildings, two years in a row.

“This comes in a week when Labour didn’t even trust its Police spokesperson with the task of asking a question in the House.

“Our Police are working smarter and better with their maintained funding and are delivering excellent results for New Zealanders, with recorded crimes at a 24-year low.

“The facts speak for themselves.”

ENDS

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