24 hour police base for north Rodney
A new 24 hour police base is coming to Warkworth or Wellsford as the National Government freeze on the police budget is allowed to thaw ahead of this year’s election.
Police Minister Paula Bennett announced a $388 million investment in police in February, to fight the rising crime rates occurring under National’s watch.
It sees an additional 880 sworn and 245 non-sworn staff nationwide over four years.
Police Commissioner Mike Bush announced on Wednesday the numbers each police district will receive.
At the same time, he announced the locations of 20 new response bases so 95 per cent of New Zealanders live within 25 kilometres of a 24 hour, seven day a week, police base by 2022.
One will come to Wellsford or Warkworth in 2018/19, with the decision on which town still to be made.
The existing station at the town that misses out will remain, police said.
The Waitemata police district covering Rodney and the Hibiscus Coast, Waitakere and North Shore policing areas - will receive 73 new staff over four years, on top of the existing 744, with a first year allocation of 17.
A future allocation of rural staffing has also been made with the investment in the Warkworth/Wellsford police base in response to the rapidly increasing population.
It will be up to District Commanders to consider where the new staff will be placed to target and catch offenders, prevent harm and victimisation and provide a more responsive police service to communities, Bush said.
In a joint statement Waitemata District Commander Tusha Penny, Auckland City District Commander Karyn Malthus and Counties Manukau Area Commander John Tims announced the Tamaki Makaurau Work Programme that will see the Auckland region’s three police districts working together to tackle crime and lift police performance in a rapidly growing Auckland.
’’Frontline officers will have the ability to be effective in providing the best service for victims by ensuring they are no longer constrained by borders within their policing area,’’ the trio said.
The investment nationwide also sees 80 more officers tasked with organised crime and 140 new staff to focus on family harm, child protection and adult sexual assault.