Garrett David: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
Garrett David: Financial Review Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:661;Page:9487] 
DAVID GARRETT (ACT) 
: 
 I will take a fairly short call in the debate on the financial review of the New Zealand Police. When the Commissioner of Police appeared before the Law and Order Committee it was very gratifying to hear him acknowledge that using sworn police personnel to run speed cameras was a waste of resources. The commissioner came close to suggesting that traffic enforcement should be separated back out from what I would refer to as true policing. But he later issued a statement making it clear that that was not his intent. However the commissioner agreed at that hearing that having six police running a checkpoint at 9 a.m. looking for warrants and registrations in the village near where I live was not a good use of resources. The commissioner noted that they must have been doing something other than that. Well only they would know but I doubt it. 
I note that the speed camera van that is regularly parked in the village outside the school—and no one disagrees that it should be there—is manned by a man who looks like a retired policeman but who in fact told me he is an active sworn policeman. Surely he could be better deployed somewhere other than sitting in a van outside the Kaukapakapa School making sure that no one smashes the camera. I encourage the Commissioner of Police to look further at deploying resources better to fight crime rather than to look after speed cameras. 
Policing in rural areas is a major problem. There must be a balance between the low population density and therefore relatively lower crime rate and the shortage of resources. Obviously the police must be concentrated where most of the crime takes place. However there is an old saying: “Build it and they will come.” In my view that works the opposite way and I will alter that truism slightly and say: “If they know they are not there they will come also.” In the 4 years or so that I have lived in the country I have noted a marked increase in wheel skids all over the road every morning in and around our area. That is because the hoons know that the nearest manned police station at night is in Orewa which is 15 kilometres away. So because the police are not there they come and make mayhem. 
I have spoken in this Chamber before of our local general store and liquor store owner Willie and his family who are hard-working New Zealand Chinese. The shop opens at 7 a.m. this time of year and does not close until 7.30 p.m. One would think Willie and his family deserve their rest but he has to be out on the street at 2 a.m. most nights especially on weekends to deter the hoons who are doing doughnuts all over the road. The hoons do that because they know there is no policeman within 15 kilometres. What would happen if the little swine were to confront him? If Willie and his family were beaten up it would take half an hour or more for an ambulance to reach him. In my view the very successful community constable experiment should be extended more into rural areas. If money needs to be found then we say it should be taken from the highway patrol car that is regularly to be found sitting at the Silverdale on-ramp looking for the dangerous speedster doing 120 kilometres an hour up a brand new motorway which has presumably been built to the highest standards; from the highway policeman whom I used to encounter lying in wait at 5 a.m. on the straights north of Ngatea for some unsuspecting motorist doing 120 kilometres an hour on a deserted straight section of highway; or from the two policemen who once apprehended me on the southern motorway in Manakau City at 4 a.m. It is simply not credible that the best use of police time at 4 a.m. in Manukau City is for the police to sit on the side of the motorway hoping to catch someone driving an old Jag at 120 kilometres an hour. 
The Commissioner of Police has said that the public are in favour by a large margin of having the traffic function remain with the police. Well I would be interested in the evidence for that. “Rebalancing” is the current buzzword. In rural areas at least the residents believe that there should be a rebalancing away from handing out traffic tickets on country roads and towards establishing a police presence in rural areas. 
Report noted.