Police will need to redeploy their resources as officers investigate thousands of break-ins. The Police Association warns that gang and drug crime could flourish as officers get sent to suburban homes, though Collins did say there would be times when police would have to go elsewhere. But she emphasised that "police have assured me" they would crack down on burglaries while trying to catch more burglars.
They will have their work cut out. In the year to June 30, there were 8676 more burglaries, up 13 per cent on the year before. At the same time the police-to-public ratio has been easing. The most recent figures indicate there was one officer per 503 New Zealanders last year, down from one per 488 in 2009.
Collins maintains police have enough resources, with 600 new positions created between 2009 and 2011. She says targeted operations are paying dividends and notes that in this year's budget police got a 2.8 per cent funding increase.
But clearly there have been some behind-the-scenes discussions about the police approach to burglaries, which as our March series showed was fuelling a mounting sense of disillusionment. Acting Deputy Commissioner Allan Boreham indicated as much when he remarked that police had been working on improving the burglary response rate before the minister had spoken to them, and it was "likely we would have ended up in this place anyway".
Collins represents the Papakura electorate. Some of New Zealand's most burgled suburbs are in South Auckland and she would want to demonstrate to her constituents and those living nearby that it is entirely reasonable for homeowners to have expectations that police will prioritise reports of break-ins.
Governments are sensitive to voters feeling uneasy about safety and security and the minister is no shrinking violet when it comes to setting out her views.
"The Commissioner of Police has made his expectations clear," Collins remarked.
So, it would seem, has she.
