11. Question No. 11—PoliceCHRIS BISHOP (National—Hutt South) to the Minister of PoliceQuestion No. 11—Police11. CHRIS BISHOP (National—Hutt South) to the Minister of Police: Can he confirm that Alexandra Balclutha Helensville Southern rural Tasman rural Wanaka Wellsford Wairoa Rolleston Taumarunui Te Kuiti Thames Dannevirke/Waipukurau Dargaville Kaikohe/Kerikeri Stratford Motueka and Marton police bases will now no longer be upgraded to be 24/7 police bases?Hon STUART NASH (Minister of Police): Police provide a 24/7 service to the public in every single one of those towns with response times of between 7 and 12 minutes on average. Decisions on opening hours and staffing at these sites are made by district commanders who are best placed to make those decisions rather than politicians who work in Wellington. I have absolute confidence in our police district commanders who have on average 30 years of policing experience to deliver in a way that keeps our communities safe. I wish that member would support our police more like we do on this side of the House.Chris Bishop: Does he agree with the member of Parliament representing the town of Wairoa who welcomed the 24/7 police announcement in 2017 and if so why has he committed to a policy that has resulted in the cancellation of the upgrade of 20 police bases including in Wairoa?Hon STUART NASH: The member who represents Wairoa absolutely commends this Government for delivering 1800 more police over three years.SPEAKER: Order! The member representing Wairoa is not answering the question; the Minister of Police is. Hon STUART NASH: When I was last speaking to the Minister of Wairoa" as the Minister of Police he was absolutely rapt that in fact the Eastern District got the highest number of police in the 1800 we're going to strive to deliver over three years.Ginny Andersen: What is the Minister's response to those communities in the Southern District and Northland who are concerned at the police's decision not to extend the operating hours of some bases?Hon STUART NASH: This Government is striving for 1800 extra police and Budget 2018 was the biggest investment in New Zealand Police history. Northland is getting 87 extra police; Tasman is getting 55 extra police; Canterbury is getting 121 extra police; Southern for example is getting 88 extra police. There will be an additional 520 investigators and technical specialists to be located across the country to deal with serious and organised crime. This Government and the New Zealand Police are committed to keeping our communities safe and feeling safe. Hamish Walker: Has he seen the comments of the Mayor of Clutha who said "Six thousand square kilometres and for six hours a day there's no policing. Guess when the tinny houses open?" and how can he justify to Balclutha the cancellation of their station upgrade to 24/7 coverage?Hon STUART NASH: If that member believes he knows more about policing than the Southern District commander who has 33 years of policing experience then I suggest maybe he leaves Parliament and joins the police—we're after new recruits.Rt Hon Winston Peters: Can the Minister confirm that in the drive to 1800 new police men and women on the front line that on Thursday the 1000th one will be graduating in Wellington at the attendance of which the Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs will be as well? Hon STUART NASH: I am very happy to confirm that. It is a wonderful day—over 1000 new officers into our communities since we became the Government.Matt King: Has he seen the comments of Federated Farmers' rural security spokesperson Miles Anderson who said "Out in the provinces people are isolated and probably far more vulnerable than they are in urban settings." and why doesn't he support the target of 95 percent of New Zealanders living within 25 kilometres of a 24/7 police station?Hon STUART NASH: That member as a former police officer himself will know that what really makes a difference in our communities is more police out there dealing proactively with our communities and really making a difference. I would expect that member to back Tony Hill the Northland District commander who has 28 years of experience in deploying his resources in a way that he sees fit. Chris Bishop: Why have 20 regional communities around New Zealand had their planned upgrades to 24/7 police coverage cancelled despite $503 million over four years in Budget 2017 and an additional $298.9 million in Budget 2018 and the alleged apparently 1800 police officers coming on the beat?Hon STUART NASH: If that member really believes that the best use of police resources is a couple of men and women sitting in a station at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday morning then I suggest he needs to get out more. This Government is about putting police into our communities and backing our police commissioner and his team to deploy resources in a way that they see fit to keep our communities safe and prevent crime."