Nash embarrassed by his own colleague
Labour continues to make a mess of law and order, with Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis today contradicting Police
Minister Stuart Nash’s statement that the extra police won’t result in the need for more prison beds, National’s Police
spokesperson Chris Bishop says.
“Mr Nash has been left red-faced after Mr Davis today confirmed that he accepts Corrections’ advice that 650 new prison
beds will be needed as a result of the 1800 cops being added to the force over the next five years.
“This flies in the face of Mr Nash’s insistence that more police will mean less crime and fewer people being sent to
prison.
“It is deeply concerning that the Ministers in charge of our justice system aren’t bothering to talk to each other about
what needs to be done to keep New Zealanders safe.
“Having Ministers totally at odds with each other doesn’t inspire confidence in their ability to protect the public,
which is a core responsibility of any Government and something they should be taking seriously.
“Mr Nash in particular is making a habit of getting offside with his colleagues. First it was Nanaia Mahuta after his
brain explosion about importing foreign cops, now it’s Mr Davis on whether there is a need for more prison beds as a
result of the extra cops.
“So far all we’ve seen from this Government is a dangerous obsession with reducing the prison population, without any
plans to reduce crime.
“And you can see why they don’t have a plan – because they don’t talk to each other and they can’t agree on official
advice. New Zealanders deserve better.”