31 May 2006

Allocation Takes Police Staffing To Over 10,500

New Zealand Police National News Release

A total of 458 new police staff have been allocated as the first part of a three year Government programme to roll out an additional 1,250 sworn and non-sworn staff.

The injection of new positions will take the targeted number of police staff to 10,515 in the next financial year.

In announcing the allocations today the Commissioner of Police, Howard Broad, indicated that all twelve districts had received an increase in frontline positions.

"The top priority in this first year is to boost frontline staff north of Taupo. This is reflected in a total of 185 staff being allocated to the three Auckland Police districts.

"The new frontline staff in Auckland will include the employment of 32 non-sworn staff as crime scene attendants. Crime scene attendants will enhance the level of service provided to victims of crimes and free up sworn officers to deal with emergency response and other high priority calls for service.

"The Auckland district commanders for North Shore Waitakere, Auckland City, Counties Manukau and the Commander of Auckland Metropolitan Crime and Operations Support will determine the detailed deployment of staff as they see fit."

Mr Broad said that new community policing staff would be established in the Wellington (10), Central (10) and Canterbury (5) districts to trial new initiatives aimed at reducing levels of offending

"The exact nature of the structure, work and inter-relationship of the new community positions with current community constables and other frontline police is under development and will be announced in due course," said Mr Broad.

The Commissioner said that around 51 road policing staff (sworn and non-sworn) would also be distributed throughout the country from funding provided through the National Land Transport Fund. The new staff would increase road policing attendance at crash scenes, thereby freeing up general duties officers for other crime work. Police presence on urban arterial routes would also be enhanced.

Mr Broad said that most policing groups would benefit from an injection of sworn and/or non-sworn staff. For example, the Training Service Centre would be boosted by 22 members in order to provide additional capability to meet the rising numbers of recruits who will be trained at the Royal New Zealand Police College.

The Commissioner said that further allocations of staff would be made in 2007 and 2008 to fully implement the Government's resourcing initiative. He said that geographical and functional requirements as well as service demand would continue to be factors to be considered by the Police Executive when making decisions around the deployment of new staff.

ENDS

© Scoop Media