The addition of 37 new police staff to the Southern District is welcome news for the people of Clutha-Southland and Invercargill, MPs Todd Barclay and Sarah Dowie say.
Clutha-Southland MP Todd Barclay is particularly thrilled that the Balclutha community will have 24/7 patrolling police coverage as part of the Government’s $500 million Safer Communities package.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush today announced further details of the Safer Communities package which included a target of having 95 per cent of New Zealanders within 25 kilometres of patrolling police 24 hours a day.
“Balclutha will be one of 20 towns around New Zealand to be resourced to ensure a police officer will be on patrol and on call at all hours of the day,” Mr Barclay says.
“Another Southland rural station will also receive resources for round the clock police coverage, but the exact station is yet to be confirmed.
“These existing ‘business hours’ stations moving to a 24/7 response capability, means staff are patrolling/on duty at all hours of the day and night and this will give our communities more confidence that help is on hand.”
Commissioner Bush also revealed how many new staff would be allocated to each District.
“I am thrilled to see 37 police allocated to the wider Southern District over the next four years,” Invercargill MP Sarah Dowie says.
“While it is up to the District Commanders to work through which towns will receive the additional staff, it is pleasing to know now that some of those new officers will be allocated right here in Clutha-Southland,” Mr Barclay says.
“Southland already has comparatively low offending rates, more police will help make our Southland communities safer. This investment will reduce crime and reoffending, and help steer some of our most disadvantaged young people onto a more productive path – that’s an outcome worth investing in,” Ms Dowie says.
“This investment in policing also means a new 24/7 non-emergency police number as well as new resources targeted at disrupting and dismantling organised crime. Twelve new mobile police stations will be set up around New Zealand and we’ll be setting new challenging targets for police including 98 per cent of home burglaries attended within 48 hours and one minute faster emergency response times.”
Across the country there will be 140 extra officers for regional and rural areas and up to 40 of these will form a Rural Duties Officer Network.
“This resource will be focused on rural issues, building strong local networks and supporting confident rural communities,” Mr Barclay says.
The first intake of new recruits will begin in July, with the first recruits on the beat by November.