District Commander Superintendent Lauano Sue Schwalger has welcomed the 116 additional officers allocated to Central 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.
“It means that we can make significant enhancements to our Police service delivery model which we think will enable a step change in outcomes for our communities and our people”, says Superintendent Schwalger.
“Central District will establish three Precision Targeting Teams in each of our Policing Areas, supporting our frontline officers. They will focus on priority and prolific offenders to reduce crime such as burglary and robbery, and give us the capacity to respond to emerging issues and demand trends. They will support our frontline officers to prevent and respond to crime and demands for service.
“Investing in rural staff improves our presence in rural communities as well as improving staff safety and recognises our extensive regional geography and community presence. These frontline response positions will result in enhanced service delivery to rural communities as well as enable crime and road harm reduction.
“We have tried to balance demand and also take a long term approach by investing in Youth, Family Harm and positions that utilise strategic partnerships to work more closely together to improve the outcomes for Whānau, which allows for the expansion of alternative resolution models,” says Superintendent Schwalger.
“The additional staffing, combined with our existing staffing represents an unparalleled opportunity to improve policing services to the communities of Central District, to prioritise the needs of local communities and ensure people are safe and feel safe.”
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre