Cosgrove Clayton: Estimates Debate — In Committee Procedure 
Cosgrove Clayton: Estimates Debate — In Committee Procedure 
[Volume:618;Page:14418] 
CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour—Waimakariri) 
: 
 I rise to support these estimates. With regard to that member’s contribution—and I believe he has family connections with police and obviously they are honourable connections—it would be nice if occasionally he supported his local police force and the police in general. Generally all we have from that member is the boot going in. I shall contrast that member’s contribution with what the general public thinks in terms of how the police are doing their job. If members looked at the police annual report in relation to the estimates they would note that comments on public satisfaction surveys were “very satisfied” and “satisfied”. All contact was “75 percent satisfied”; crime-related contact “70 percent people satisfied” and “all other contact” 83 percent of people satisfied—[ 
Interruption 
] The member says that it is not right. I invite him to open his eyes and look at the statistics and data in the police annual report. [ 
Interruption 
] The Minister does not write that report so Mr Connell should not play politics. The police write that report and I do not believe that they lie. 
Mr Mark waved a piece of paper as he is wont to do banged his finger on the desk as he is wont to do threw his pen down and cited yet another source. When that member talks about his crime sources I can do no better than quote an article in the Christchurch  
Press 
 on 17 July titled “MP Feels heat as cold facts revealed”. That member leapt into print on a rumour—from a police source so he said—about the young hoons who had stolen cars were apprehended by the police and placed in the custody of the Department of Child Youth and Family Services. It was then alleged that they went on a ski trip. That story was proved to be wrong. I challenge the credibility of that member and his so-called sources in the police. I believe that the police are credible. 
The Christchurch  
Press 
 stated in relation to Mr Mark’s statements that the only problem was that Mr Mark’s statements were not true. But in its haste to publicise the story the MP’s party New Zealand First failed to check the facts. What did Mr Mark say in response to that? Mr Mark “a law and order spokesman conceded last night that his sources could have got it wrong. ‘This would be the only time any of my sources have been wrong. I stand by my sources.’ ” 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Was he lying? 
CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I will not comment on what that member behind me said. I challenge the credibility of Mr Mark. He had a few years in Government as the chief Government whip to do something about policing. When he was in Government in coalition with the National Party Bill English launched a staffing review to cut police numbers by 540. That is a fact. The answers proving that fact are not sources such as Mr Mark talked about; they are answers to parliamentary questions. 
Since we came to power 450 extra police are on the streets. There are now more police staff than at any time in history—and that is not from some ghostlike fictitious source; that is a fact and we stand by that because we deal with facts just like the survey of citizens who had interactions with the police force—83 to 70 percent satisfaction. That is a fact. This Government puts its money where its mouth is. 
The people of Oxford in my electorate battled for 10 years for a second policeman. They now have it. They have now also got an extension to the police station. That community battled for 10 years. There is a new police station in Kaiapoi. My predecessor Mike Moore in Opposition worked his guts out to get a new police station but now under this Government we have it. He could not get them out of the National Party but we now have extra police numbers in my electorate. There are now extra police in Papanui Oxford and Kaiapoi. 
Brian Connell 
: Not true! 
CLAYTON COSGROVE 
: I challenge that member to say that to the police in Kaiapoi because under this Government the people got extra police in Oxford and an extension to the police station; Kaiapoi got a new police station; more resources went to Papanui—and it took the Minister a couple of years to do it. It took that former Government over there 9 years to refuse those communities in my electorate. I am proud to stand by those facts; they are not unattributed sources.