While he was "thrilled" with the additional police coming to the Eastern District, "it's not just about the numbers".
"This investment in policing also means a new 24/7 non-emergency police number as well as new resources targeted at disrupting and dismantling organised crime," he said.
"Twelve new mobile police stations will be set up around New Zealand and we'll be setting new challenging targets for police including 98 per cent of home burglaries attended within 48 hours and one minute faster emergency response times."
While Labour's Police spokesman Stuart Nash said the new officers were "absolutely needed" in the Eastern District, he felt the roll out over four years was not fast enough.
"Whilst it will help I would have liked to have seen more," the Napier MP said. "We are an area of high need, we have a real underbelly that we need the police to be on top of and the only way we can do that is with more men and women on the ground."
Mr Nash - who is standing for re-election - also said there seemed to be a lack of increase in community policing.
"Even though these are frontline staff I would have liked to have seen more made of the fact that we need a whole lot more kiosks around our communities staffed with sworn and non-sworn staff," he said.
"That may happen...but I think we need to be really clear that where we're falling down with policing in this country is in our community policing."
The importance of community policing was echoed by Ikaroa Rawhiti MP Meka Whaitiri, who said she hoped for more police in communities, "rather than [they] cover an area and [they're] based somewhere else because of the relationships they forge".
As the Eastern District was a large area, Ms Whaitiri said any increase which put "more cops on the street" would be welcomed.
With concerns around response times, communities needed to feel safe, and businesses confronted with crime needed to feel they could receive help from police "in a timely manner".
The candidates for the three electorates have also weighed in.
National's Napier and Tukituki candidates - David Elliott and Lawrence Yule - were on the same page in welcoming the boost, as it would make their communities safer.
Mr Elliott said the Government's Safer Communities package was delivering real results for Hawke's Bay.
He said this was the kind of commitment to public services the public received from a National Government which had the ability "to invest in the areas that matter to New Zealanders".
However, Mr Yule said investing in law and order was only part of the way to keep Hawke's Bay safe.
"The most important thing we can do is stop crime before it happens, by continuing to create more local jobs, improve educational outcomes, and support families pressured by change."
While his Labour opponent for the Tukituki seat, Anna Lorck, welcomed the new staff, community policing was a priority.
"Our communities must feel and be safe, in their homes and in their streets. Stronger focus on community policing must be part of the investment," she said.
"We're committed to get more community police working in the heart of our communities to keep our streets safe, and our families safe."
The Green Party candidates - Damon Rusden, Napier, Chris Perley, Tukituki, and Elizabeth Karekare, Ikaroa Rawhiti - stressed emphasis needed to be placed on solving the root of the problem.
Mr Rusden said more investment needed to be on the issues leading to crime, rather than enforcement.
Mr Perley said it was "typical of this Government to go for the headline, the symptom, and not deal with the root problem".
Dr Kerekere added the Government had reduced police capacity for proactive policing and crime prevention, and opportunities for restorative justice which have been found to be effective for Māori offenders.
Maori Party candidate for Ikaroa Rawhiti Marama Fox could not be reached for comment.