2. Police Minister—ConfidenceRON MARK (Deputy Leader—NZ First) to the Prime MinisterPolice Minister—Confidence2. RON MARK (Deputy Leader—NZ First) to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in his Minister of Police; if so why?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Prime Minister): Yes because she is a competent Minister assisting the Police in implementing a half-billion-dollar investment in the New Zealand Police with over 1100 new staff over the next 4 years including 880 uniformed staff and I note a 19 percent increase scheduled for police numbers in Northland.Ron Mark: Tell the House: when the Minister of Police asked for funding on 21 December that would change the trajectory of rising crime" why did he not accept that proposal and fund it? Did he not have confidence that she could deliver it?Hon Gerry Brownlee: It could have been the middle of the night. He'd need to wait for the morning.Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: I do not remember precisely what time that proposal was put forward but it would not have made any difference to how it was treated because the Government as always weighs up the—Ron Mark: Point of order. Just to help the Prime Minister I did not—Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! You have not been called yet.Ron Mark: Oh. I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ron Mark.Ron Mark: Thank you Mr Deputy Speaker. Just to help the Prime Minister I did not in my question ask the time. That was one of his colleagues who shouted that out. I asked why did he—Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! That is not a point of order and the Prime Minister had not finished answering the question. If the Prime Minister has got anything further to add he may.Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: All Ministers are enthusiastic about the amount of resource they think should be applied in their portfolio. It has to be balanced up with others but in this case Cabinet did agree to the I think biggest ever expansion in police numbers and capacity but more importantly also to tight performance requirements that the police need to meet to ensure that we have safer communities.Ron Mark: When the Police presented three options one of which was to change the trajectory of rising crime and deliver to the nation a 10 percent reduction in serious crime—a proposal that asked for 1430 extra staff—why did he not have the confidence to give those resources to his police Minister and to the Police?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: As the discussion developed we came to the view that the Police could achieve that kind of objective with a few hundred fewer staff and the Minister of Police ensured that it is now subject to tight performance criteria which I would have to say the Police did not initially propose but did ultimately agree to to assure that the half-billion-dollar investment is used effectively for safer communities.Ron Mark: Why did he—the Prime Minister—allow the police Minister to dismiss the needs of 271 communities and towns by ignoring their requests for 24/7 police coverage from their police stations?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: The package significantly extends the 24/7 coverage by the police as announced this morning. I think a very significant proportion of the population will now live within 25 kilometres of 24-hour police coverage.Ron Mark: With alarming levels of criminal activity in Northland now a drug pandemic and renegade youths in this country why did you not have the confidence in the Minister of Police to approve the 1430 extra staff that the Police asked for?Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH: As I understand it the Commissioner of Police announced I think yesterday that Northland will get 66 more police. I might say to the member that the police would be the first people to tell him that it is not just police that are a solution to some of the deeply embedded social problems in Northland and in fact there is any number of different initiatives being taken by the community up there. I would hope the member would support those initiatives as well as the increase in police rather than continuing to regard them all as hopeless."