Letters to the editor: Government needs to reopen police college

The police college needs to be reopened to train more recruits, says a reader. Photo / NZME

The Government must open our police college and start training the men and women who are waiting to join the police.

Why the Government stopped training new police is beyond belief.

Although we are blessed in this country with the quality of our police who keep us safe, they are under serious pressure.

With crime increasing, gang numbers climbing, domestic violence not dropping, antisocial challenges among our young; road safety disasters on our poor roads, the destructive drug problems destroying the lives of too many, and our way of life, we need our police.

We should all be protesting and demanding the Government ensure our police force is funded properly.

Training new police should be a high priority.

Margaret Murray-Benge
Tauranga

Ratepayers slugged twice

With reference to John Bickers' letter (May 21) re the water shortage.

It comes about, in my view, by poor council planning around growth and the true infrastructural costs that should be paid for by those connecting to an already-paid-for system.

Ratepayers have had enough of paying twice.

We have paid for what we had and developers and the alike have stretched everything for a dollar and us existing ratepayers are expected to pay again.

That is not on.

It is about time the true costs of infrastructure upgrade for development were removed from ratepayers and paid for in total by those wanting it.

That might make people go elsewhere instead of existing ratepayers subsidising again.

Graham Holloway
Gate Pa

Big slice for retirees

Re Terry Molvik's letter (May 22). There was a 3 per cent superannuation rise on April 1.

This is a much higher increase than what most of those working and contributing to these benefits received.

From the graphic in the Bay of Plenty Times on May 21, it was very clear that $17.7 billion of the $149.6b would be spent on superannuation, the largest of all benefits and bigger than spending on any one area except health.

Andrew Sommerville
Bethlehem

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