Disagreements over Feilding police numbers

New Zealand First's Darroch Ball addresses a crowd in Feilding. Photo: KARLA KARAITIANA

Feilding police shortages and rising crime were the hot topic of a meeting with local candidates in Feilding this week.

The Sensible Sentencing Trust hosted the last minute meeting on Wednesday night at the Senior Leisure Centre. The debate was attended by Palmerston North and Rangitikei electorate candidates to address law and order in the region.

High gang numbers, cuts to local police and worrying drug use among youth were the main concerns raised in front of the crowd.

National's Ian McKelvie said Feilding had a good crime record and this meant police resources were spread to other areas where they were needed more. He was quick to redirect the issue saying that it was a matter of organising police resources better.

"But that's a police issue, not a political one."

He also wanted the crowd to know Feilding's problem with their increased gang presence was the same as the rest of the country and, although the Government found it unacceptable, their track record with law and order was good.

"Communities have changed and it's very difficult to introduce the new technologies needed by police to keep up with the changes."

New Zealand First's Darroch Ball disagreed, claiming every person in New Zealand deserved to feel protected in their own home.

"The fact that we have a police station that is now no longer manned and that those police offers have been taken from our rural area's and put into our cities--what's policing about?"

Mr Ball said from 2006 until 2016 there 21,000 burglaries in the area and the only way to tackle these was to increase frontline police officers.

He said his party would add a further 1800 frontline police to the force, returning to the 1-500 ratio.

"Our police numbers are dwindling, especially in the rural area's and we shouldn't have to put up with it," he said.

Palmerston North Labour MP Iain Lees-Galloway said the need to tackle core issues like poverty was at the heart of crime.

"When you have a society where not everyone has access to education, healthcare and housing, that is the environment where crime and antisocial behaviour thrives. Seeing crime like violent offences and burglaries on the rise again is a consequence of growing poverty."

Mr Lees-Galloway pointed out under a Labour Government there had been a 1-500 ratio, but in nine years it had decreased to 1--525.

"That doesn't sound like much but, when you spread that out across the entire population, its huge."

He pointed out the closure of rural and suburban police stations created a disconnect within the community.

"Having police in the community is not just as a deterrent, but it means they get to know their community. They engage and build relationships which helps prevent crime in the first place."

Green Party Candidate Robin McCandless agreed core issues needed to be addressed instead of "Ambulance at the bottom of a cliff stuff."

"It costs us $100,000 per year to lock someone up. We should be spending that money 15 years earlier by addressing the root causes like substance abuse, poverty and learning difficulties like dyslexia."

New Zealand First's Rob Stevenson and Labour's Heather Warren also attended the meeting.