The 2016 visitor numbers are yet to be released but by October last year, the year end figures are already smashing the 2015 numbers, with 5.7 million domestic and international visitors coming to our city.
That means on any given day or night in Rotorua, there are thousands more people for our small team of police to look after.
We love our tourists. They make our city tick, they give us our reputation of a bustling, fun and entertaining tourism hub.
But they are also easy pickings for our crims. They carry cash and valuables and are often in holiday mode under the false impression New Zealand is a super safe place to visit.
Having more police because of tourism numbers is an argument Rotorua has been trying to make for decades.
Veteran Rotorua Lakes Councillor Charles Sturt has historically been vocal about wanting changes in how police staff are allocated.
I remember the days in the 1990s, when local police officers were guest speakers at public meetings making heartfelt pleas to the governments of the day not to shut down community policing centres and further strip police numbers as a result of what was touted as "restructuring" and "doing things smarter".
Nowadays we aren't allowed to hear from the officers themselves about whether they have enough to do the job.
But I'm sure we can guess what they would say, especially given our rising crime rate.
With more police now up for grabs, our local MPs have the chance to put our case strongly.
Tourism locally is going off like a rocket but never forget those visitors need looking after.
That shouldn't be at the expense of local residents.
Our small police team can't do it all.
