Police closures 'just a media beat-up'

Wairarapa MP John Hayes has slammed a "media beat-up" that police stations could close in the region and beyond.
"There's no proposal on the table so I'm not about to make any sort of comment on it," said Mr Hayes, who with Carterton Mayor Gary McPhee has made calls for the town police station to be manned between 9am and 5pm."This is nothing more than a media beat-up. If and when there's an issue, we'll deal with it."
Police are remaining tight-lipped on the future of Wairarapa's rural police stations, housing and holiday homes.
Nationally the police portfolio - 600 properties and 380 police stations - is under review but police have denied there is a list of stations and property nominated for closure.
When asked if manned stations in Featherston, Greytown, Martinborough, Carterton and Eketahuna were threatened by the review, Wellington police district communications manager Elizabeth Young said it was too early to say.
"Nothing's been earmarked - it's still very early in the piece," she said.
However, Ms Young did not rule out the possibility that stations could be closed and said any rural Wairarapa stations were being included in the same review process that was taking place around the country.
Labour law and order spokesperson Clayton Cosgrove described Prime Minister John Key and Police Minister Judith Collins as "all over the place" on the issue.
Mr Cosgrove said the two came up with "confused and contradictory" responses to information released in secret official papers that police had been working since February on plans to sell off police stations and houses.
"First of all Mr Key claimed it was an 'operational matter' for police to deal with, despite the cuts being forced on the Police by a government-ordered line by line review.
"Then Ms Collins had to acknowledge she had been aware of the plans for seven months. Later still, Mr Key said the sell-off would be restricted to police houses, only for police to say that all police property was potentially on the block."
Mr Cosgrove said police also corrected Mr Key's "false assertion that police holiday homes could be put up for sale. The NZ Police does not own holiday homes so has none to sell".
"This whole saga has revealed the high-levels of spin, confusion and poor communication that exist at the heart of this government. This is creating large amounts of uncertainty in our communities."