10. Police Rural—Numbers Safer Communities and Police StationsSTUART NASH (Labour—Napier) to the Minister of PolicePolice Rural—Numbers Safer Communities and Police Stations10. STUART NASH (Labour—Napier) to the Minister of Police: Does she stand by all her statements?Hon PAULA BENNETT (Minister of Police): Yes. In particular I stand by my statement regarding this Government's $503 million Safer Communities package that by focusing on specific areas we will deliver a more responsive police service prevent crime and victimisation resolve more crimes and more effectively target criminal gangs and organised crime.Stuart Nash: Why do only 15 percent—or 140 of the new police officers promised—end up in the eight provincial districts that cover 95 percent of the country?Hon PAULA BENNETT: The member misinterprets. Of the 500 that are going to be front line they will also be dispersed throughout New Zealand; then there is another 140 on top of that who will be particularly for rural districts. But of the 500 officers a percentage of them will also be spread throughout New Zealand.Stuart Nash: I seek leave to table an op-ed from the Hawke's Bay Today which is not widely read—it probably is widely read but not widely available. It states—Mr SPEAKER: Order! It is freely available on the internet if members want to bother looking at it.Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi: How will the Government's Safer Communities package help communities like Oxford?Hon PAULA BENNETT: As I said in my column in the Hawke's Bay Today—which I think will be widely read—the Commissioner of Police has identified the Eastern Police District which includes Hawke's Bay as a priority area for new police. The Safer Communities package specifically targets the types of crime that are of concern to Hawke's Bay residents like burglaries and methamphetamine. It comes with challenging targets so we can actually get results.Stuart Nash: What does she say to former police officer Chester Borrows who said in December that rural staffing levels were dropping and police have a bigger area to cover with less numbers" and does this not just show that her announcement is playing catch-up with years of understaffing and staffing cuts?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Chester Borrows is one member who has been incredibly supportive of this $503 million package of more than 1100 police staff coming on board and particularly of the rural officers which as the member quite rightly identifies will see of course an increase of stations that will now be 24/7—so going from just business hours to a 24/7 police capability right throughout those districts. One of the targets is that 95 percent of New Zealanders will live within 25 kilometres of a police presence. These are all great things and ones that are well and truly celebrated by my colleague Chester Borrows.Stuart Nash: Does she think a phone number which will be directed to an area outside of a caller's city or town will make up for the fact that over 300 police stations are not open to the public?Hon PAULA BENNETT: As I said to the member what we will see is an increase of between 15 and 20 police stations that will go from our current business hours to a 24/7 police presence. The member actually quite rightly says that there are 300 different numbers at the moment and that it is confusing for the public. They do not know when to ring 111. They do not know when to get hold of their local police station. Actually you are really barking up the wrong tree on this one. The non-emergency number has been really welcomed by the public who are really looking forward to it.Stuart Nash: When will she do the police force and provincial New Zealand a favour and hand back the police portfolio to the former Minister Judith Collins who actually knew what she was doing by requesting significantly more officers for provincial New Zealand?Hon PAULA BENNETT: Unlike the member there are 20 Ministers inside Cabinet who all celebrate this announcement and what it will mean for New Zealand—more than 59 members of Parliament for National who are all part of this all believe in it and are backing New Zealanders and the police unlike the member."