It's a sad day when a town in New Zealand needs to rely on a local gang to save it from drug dealers. But that's what appears to have happened in Ngaruawahia this last week.
Since this blue government is constantly telling people they've got nobody to blame for their problems but themselves, how can we be surprised when a gang takes this advice to heart and decides to take matters into their own hands.
The real problem for Ngaruawahia's fight against P is that there are not enough police in the regions, and this government doesn't have any plans to fix it.
We, in New Zealand First are proud of our record in getting extra police numbers out on the street. We made it a condition of our support in previous governments, but still had to force them - red and blue - to keep their promises, when they tried to weasel out.
It's a plain fact that, with an exponentially increasing population, we will also have an increase in the criminal population, so how come it doesn't occur to this government, that an increase in the crime-fighting population will also be required? But that increase needs to be in the ranks of our police force, not gang-patched vigilantes.
It's yet another example of two clear truths:
1. This blue government is not committed to giving our police the man power and resources they need to meet the challenges they face;
2. The regions are beginning to realise that they can't rely on this blue government, and in the absence of support from Wellington, will accept help from wherever they can get it.
Only New Zealand First has consistently proven its commitment to police and to the regions. It's time the red and blue weasels learned that they can't keep taking the police, the regions, and their votes for granted.