New Zealand is currently ranked the fourth-safest country in the world but we want to make it number one. The Government is working hard to build a safer New Zealand.
On Monday next week, June 19 at 7pm, I am hosting a public meeting about Law & Order at the Pakuranga Golf Club on Botany Road. The meeting is being held to hear from locals about law & order issues, and to share some of the work that is underway.
I am being joined by the Law & Order Committee chairman from Parliament, Kanwaljt Bakshi, and our local East Counties Manukau Area Commander, Inspector Wendy Spiller, as presenters.
The Government has been focused on achieving results, with new initiatives,
new technology, and more resources for Police.
There have been some positive results and the Government’s Better Public Services targets have shown that total crime is down by 14 per cent and the number of reoffenders reducing by 26 per cent since 2011.
It’s also positive to see that youth crime is down by 32 per cent and drink driving charges have halved.
We still need to do more though, and Budget 2017 announcements last month see law & order continue to be a priority. We are committing $1.2b in new operating expenditure over the next four years and $786m of capital funding.
The biggest part of this funding is for our $503m Safer Communities package. This will put more Police on the beat, target offenders to ensure they are off our streets, and see a greater commitment to protecting our communities from crime.
Police staff will be boosted by 1,125 with extra frontline officers across all Police districts.
It will also provide resources to ensure 95% of all New Zealanders will be within 25km of a 24/7 Police presence.
We have more funding going towards reducing youth offending with new initiatives such as rehabilitation and integration services.
Another key area we will see is greater security support for burglary victims to prevent them from being repeatedly targeted.
A continued investment in Law & Order will help to ensure that New Zealand is even safer. I hope to see you on Monday night.
Jami-Lee Ross,
MP for Botany
