Prosser Richard: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Prosser Richard: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 14 August 2012. Volume:682;Page:4358. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
RICHARD PROSSER (NZ First) 
: 
 I am both happy and disillusioned to be making this call on the Appropriation (2012/13 Estimates) Bill on behalf of New Zealand First. I am disillusioned—more than a little disillusioned—when I look at the Vote Police allocation and more to the point the fact that in real terms it has not only not increased but has actually gone backwards. 
The police are the front line in the fight against crime. They are the first point of call for the public whenever danger threatens. They are the fabled thin blue line that stands between the law-abiding citizen and the evildoer—it is a somewhat clichéd term nowadays but a valid one nonetheless. We are not giving them enough money. New Zealand is not resourcing its police force well enough to enable them to do their jobs properly—the job of protecting all of us and of preventing and solving crime. They do a sterling job of their allotted task. That much is beyond question. Despite the lack of proper recognition and the lack of sufficient funding and resource allocation that this Government affords them the police keep on keeping on. They keep on keeping the villain at bay and they keep on putting themselves on the line and putting life and limb in the way of danger so the rest of us may enjoy a measure of relative safety. As the quote from George Orwell says: “We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.” 
The police men and women of New Zealand the rough and the not so rough undeniably stand amongst that good number along with the men and the women of our equally beleaguered and under-resourced defence forces. Despite this reality we deny them the money they need in order to protect us. We skimp on the important things in this country. Too often we allocate resources in a manner that stands the priorities of logic on their head. The police need more money not less. This vote this appropriation this Budget has failed them. It fails us; it fails the people of New Zealand. The police are the ones who are called on to come out at night to deal with the drunks and the reprobates to be shot at and spat at and threatened and stabbed with knives and screwdrivers and syringes filled with God knows what. They clean up after bar brawls and street fights and car crashes. They tell grieving parents and family members that their children and their loved ones are not coming home and in return we give them a flat budget a negative budget and what is in reality a backwards budget. We should be paying them more but in reality we are paying them less. 
There will be no pay round for New Zealand’s police men and women this year. They will have to do ever more with ever less as this Government requires the police to find cuts and savings from what is already an insufficient allocation. Knives and screwdrivers and dirty syringes I say to the members opposite some of whom have had real life experience in the blue uniform—and I salute them for that. I salute my colleagues opposite who have served in the blue uniform who have been part of that thin blue line. Knives and screwdrivers and dirty syringes and no chance of a pay rise for the next year thank you very much. We are told we are in—or at least we have been—the middle of a recession a global financial meltdown a crisis of some kind or another. Because of this everyone has to tighten their belts. Well that comes back to priorities again and I wonder if perhaps the Government could have held off buying new limousines for a year or so longer and given the police a pay rise instead. I wonder about things like that. 
We are told that crime is reducing. Really? There is less reported crime? Hurrah. Or is there—is there really? Is there actually less crime or is the drop in some forms of reported crime really just a drop in reporting? In the year ending 31 December between 2010 and 2011 reported sex crimes sexual assault and related offences increased. So did unlawful entry with intent burglary and breaking and entering. Also on the increase were miscellaneous offences whatever they may encompass. At the same time fewer than half of all reported crimes over the same period were actually solved. The total resolution rate for the year ended 31 December 2011 was 47 percent. Maybe people just simply are not bothering to report crime because they know that our hopelessly underfunded police force does not have the time or manpower to do anything about it. Resolution of sexual offences was just 56 percent resolution of robbery and extortion cases was 43 percent and resolution of cases involving unlawful entry burglary and breaking and entering was just 15 percent—one in six. Theft cases solved came in at 23 percent and property damage was 30 percent. 
Against this backdrop we are telling the police they cannot have any more money they cannot have a pay rise and they are not getting any more tools and resources with which to do their job. In fact we are telling them they are going to have to have more paperwork to do because we are cutting back-office staff positions as well. Front-line cops will have more administrative tasks to do so that will take them away from their front-line duties.