11. Question No. 11—PoliceDr EMILY HENDERSON (Labour—Whangārei) to the Minister of PoliceQuestion No. 11—Police11. Dr EMILY HENDERSON (Labour—Whangārei) to the Minister of Police: What recent announcements has the Government made about the pursuit of criminal offending?Hon GINNY ANDERSEN (Minister of Police): I was pleased to announce yesterday an additional $26 million for police prosecutions to help clear the case backlog in the District Court. This is a significant investment in police resources which will lead to a strengthened prosecution service and it means that police can take stronger cases against criminals that cause harm to our communities. Overall police will get more resources devoted to their work to improve the quality and the preparation for their in-court work. I have heard firsthand from our communities that they want the Government to go further in breaking the cycle of crime but also to hold accountable those repeat offenders. That is exactly why this Government is doing that by giving police the tools they need to get the results.Dr Emily Henderson: What practical impacts will this additional funding have?Hon GINNY ANDERSEN: The police prosecution staff do a fantastic job but they have been under considerable demand over the past few years. This is a significant investment that will help ease that pressure and help them to focus on greater outcomes for our communities. An additional 44 staff focused on in-court work will be funded by the initiative and a further 41 positions will be funded for key support roles to enable prosecutors to focus on in-court activities. There will also be a focus on the consistency of file preparation and an increased use of digital files means the file quality will improve. This will allow disclosure of information in a more timely way and also reduce the number of adjournments due to disclosure delays.Dr Emily Henderson: What other improvements will be made?Hon GINNY ANDERSEN: An investment in case progression and resolution will involve improved processes and supporting how prosecution staff are deployed in each case and in each court. This investment will also mean more meaningful court appearances when the cases do arrive at court. Cases won't need to go back time and time again meaning fewer appearances in court. This will help with some of the demand pressures on the police front line and they won't need to repeatedly attend court. All these improvements will mean quicker progress for victims and provide a greater sense of justice as cases are resolved through the courts. We've heard from the community and are strengthening police to better represent and support victims through funding this increase.Dr Emily Henderson: How will this free up the police front line?Hon GINNY ANDERSEN: These changes are about raising accountability for those who commit crimes by ensuring that we have dedicated police resources that will be focused on working to prosecute offenders. Dedicated support staff will help our front line completing key administrative tasks. Our front-line staff will spend less time in court giving evidence as a result of having those decreased adjournments. All of these changes mean our front-line officers can spend more time in their communities rather than sitting at a desk dealing with administration. That's a win for our police and a win for our communities.