500 extra police: NZ First’s Winston Peters admits Govt’s target could be ‘few weeks late’

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says the promise might be a few weeks late. Photo / Mark Mitchell

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters admits the Government’s promise to train 500 extra police officers within two years might not be met, abandoning his long-held insistence the target’s timeline would be honoured.

It comes only six weeks after his own MP said she was href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/politics/500-extra-police-minister-even-more-confident-in-hitting-target-despite-fewer-officers/55JMP4T4NBETNF6UPYNMCYOL7M/" target="_blank">“even more confident” the target would be hit.

The Herald today revealed official police documents that warned the 500-police target wouldn’t be achieved until June next year and only if all recruit wings were full.

Peters, speaking to journalists this afternoon, admitted the Government’s plan to increase officer numbers would be “slightly behind” but was reassured the 500-target would be reached.

“We’re going to be on track but maybe a few weeks late, that’s all.

“Sometimes you may be a bit behind and sometimes you might be in front of them, it doesn’t mean the target has changed, does it?

It’s just the latest development in the Government’s conflicting public statements on whether it would honour the commitment made in the National-NZ First coalition agreement.

As stated in that document, the Government had committed to training 500 more officers above the 10,211 police constabulary staff employed when the coalition agreements were signed in late 2023.

It confirmed the Government’s promise to reach 10,711 officers in two years or by November 27 this year.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell initially framed the promise with a three-year timeline. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Soon after the coalition agreements were finalised, Police Minister Mark Mitchell began saying the 500-target would take three years to achieve.

The Herald understands Peters quickly intervened and his party held discussions with National before the original timeline was confirmed.

That was a message Peters reiterated in December after Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told members of Parliament’s justice select committee he refused to lower the quality of trained officers and as such, was open to taking longer to train 500 extra constabulary staff.

“If it takes us a little bit of extra time ... then we’ll take that,” Chambers said to MPs, adding that was “probably the community expectation”.

Peters responded: “They should read the coalition agreement because we made a commitment and we’re going to deliver on it.”

In May last year, Associate Police Minister Casey Costello - a NZ First MP who is responsible for the coalition promise - told the Herald the 500-target might not be possible but “we’re doing everything we can”.

Nine months on, Costello was much more positive when she said in February she was “even more confident” the Government would meet the target.

NZ First minister Casey Costello has said she is confident the target will be achieved. Photo / Mike Scott

That’s despite constabulary numbers at the time falling below the 10,211 when the promise was made, due to attrition.

She explained it was “unfortunate” training wings weren’t progressed in December and January, while there was also an insufficient recruitment pipeline.

“That’s fully recovered now and we’ve had twice the number of applications in the last year than we did the year before,” she said.

Costello claimed she was “even more confident” the target would be achieved, citing the 311 people in police college and the estimated 650 people expected to complete the 20-week training programme before the November deadline.

Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.