District Commander Jill Rogers has welcomed the 137 officers allocated to Counties Manukau District today by Police Commissioner Mike Bush.
The new staff were allocated as part of the 1800 additional Police funded through a $298.8 million increase in Budget 2018 that built on an increase from the previous year.
“Having extra officers will increase our ability to prevent victimisations. It increases our capacity to be in the right place at the right time. The whole community will benefit,” says Superintendent Rogers.
“With an ever expanding population, we naturally face more demand. These extra staff will enable us to have more police officers out on the street and enable us to increase our focus on organised crime and reduce the harm these criminals cause our community. ”
In addition to increasing frontline officers to prevent and respond to crime and calls for service, Counties Manukau District will establish a new Precision Targeting Team that will focus on priority and prolific offenders to reduce crime such as burglary and robbery.
The allocation also includes the introduction of a Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce in order to combat and prevent gang-related crime such as methamphetamine supply, violence and intimidation, and other serious offending.
“We want the best for our community. Priority locations can change depending on a number of factors and our new resource will assist us to be more flexible and agile to meet the community’s needs. This will ultimately not only increase safety but will improve feelings of safety and security.”
All 12 District Commanders will now be working their leadership teams to determine deployment decision at an area and station level. These decisions will be communicated once confirmed.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre