Lure of force far stronger than life on dark side

Tyson Cole-Lou (left) chats to Judith Collins and Mike Bush at the Counties-Manukau police recruitment drive. Photo / Dean Purcell

Two weeks after his brother Levi featured in the Herald - wanted in relation to an aggravated robbery - Tyson Cole-Lau was at a police recruitment drive eager to get onboard.

He said his brother had learned his lesson, and that he'd wanted to join the force for years.

"I just always wanted to be part of it, on that side," the 21-year-old told the Herald.

Once qualified, he would like to work in the Counties-Manukau district - which is preparing to welcome 300 new police officers as part of a $162.5 million police package delivered in the last month's Budget.

Yesterday Police Minister Judith Collins joined Counties-Manukau district commander Superintendent Mike Bush at the police recruitment stall at Westfield Manukau City, encouraging members of the public to take up a career in the police.

A Manurewa local of Niuean and Maori ancestry, Mr Cole-Lau knows all too well how much the extra officers are needed in the area.

"It's so rough out here. Cops get a hard time. They don't get paid enough to be abused," he said.

"I got into some mean trouble when I was young and I got sick of it and I thought: 'Why not be in the police?"'

Mr Cole-Lau said the judge this week accepted that his brother wasn't involved in the crime.

"He was just there [at the crime scene], but didn't do anything.

Because he wasn't around when police looked for him, "they assumed the worst".

On meeting Mr Cole-Lau, Mr Bush commended him for his attitude - despite his fessing up to a number of unpaid fines.

Mr Bush said new staff would be stationed where they would be most effective.

They would focus on combating crime, rather than reacting to it.

The Labour Party has labelled the Government's boost to police numbers as "phony" and "all about smoke and mirrors".

Law and order spokesman Clayton Cosgrove said National's trumpeting of funding for 600 new police nationwide was false.

Last year's Labour Government Budget had allowed for an extra 422 police by the end of this month.

"About 40 of those staff had been recruited by the time National made its phony promise in October last year."

But yesterday, Ms Collins refused to budge, saying there was definitely funding for 600 extra police officers in this year's Budget - 300 for Counties-Manukau and 300 for the rest of the country.