MIL OSI – Source: New Zealand Labour Party – Police funding cuts letting criminals get away
National’s cuts to police funding are making it harder to solve cases and letting criminals get off scot-free, says Labour’s Police spokesperson Kelvin Davis.
“The Police Commissioner admitted today the best New Zealanders may hope for when it comes to vehicle crimes is a 10 per cent resolution rate. That’s not good enough.
“In Auckland, just 6.9 percent of vehicle crimes are solved, down from 10.2 per cent in 2009. Just 7.5 per cent of burglaries are solved, down from 9.9 per cent in 2009.
“In other words, more than 92 per cent of criminals in those areas know they can get away with it.
“If the Government is interested in a prevention strategy then making sure criminals know there is a high chance they will be caught would be a good start.
“National’s cuts in this year’s Budget will only make the problem worse.
“The Criminal Case Resolution budget has been cut by $1.78m and the Criminal Investigation Budget slashed by $1.26m.
“At the same time the numbers of general duties constables have dropped by 18 per cent across the country, with cuts in 11 of 12 Police Districts since 2009.
“Police Minister Michael Woodhouse needs to increase funding for crime resolution and criminal investigations as well as reinstate the $15m taken from the overall Police budget since last year.
“New Zealanders need to know that if they are victims of crime, the criminal is likely to be caught,” says Kelvin Davis.
Contact: Kelvin Davis 027 476 9638
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