Todd McClay: Together we all help keep curbing crime

Our police do a great job under difficult circumstances and for this we must be grateful.

As the local MP I have to ensure they have the tools they need to get the job done.

Feeling safe in our homes and on our streets is a basic right. Each of us is entitled to it and through the Government's programme to protect communities and our continued support of the excellent job done by our police together we are achieving results.

A particularly exciting new initiative by the Government will see front-line police nationwide receive new smartphones and tablets by mid-2014. Starting in April this year, 6500 officers will be issued a smartphone, and 3900 staff will receive tablets.

This new technology will mean our police will be able to access, input and share vital information on the spot, like offender details and information on places and vehicles, without having to go back to their station or radio in. The devices will save, on average, 30 minutes per officer per shift, meaning just over half a million more front-line police hours every year will be invested in crime prevention - the equivalent of about 345 extra police on our streets.

In the Bay of Plenty Police District it will free up 41,526 police hours every year. That equals around 30 extra police further preventing and tackling crime on the ground in our district. Ultimately this means our local policemen and women can spend more time on the streets preventing crime and less time on paperwork.

In fact, there are already more police on the ground with reports showing that police foot patrols have increased by 70 per cent nationwide between 2011 and 2012. In the Bay of Plenty there was an almost 100 per cent increase with an extra 1914 policemen and women patrolling our streets - a great effort and important result for a tourist town.

These increases are a result of staff being deployed more strategically in areas and at times when police know there is a greater risk of crime taking place. This smarter approach, with the right people in the right places at the right times, means officers are more visible and better able to prevent crime.

This is important if we want to reach our goals to reduce the overall crime rate by 15 per cent, the recorded violent crime rate by 20 per cent, the youth crime rate by five per cent and the re-offending rate by 25 per cent by 2017.

Achieving these targets will mean 112,000 fewer crimes between now and 2017 - and thousands fewer victims.

Figures show crime rates are decreasing. Crime is at a 30-year low across the country and in Rotorua it has reduced consecutively over the past two years with a five per cent drop in 2010-2011 followed by an equally important 3.4 per cent drop in 2011-2012. This is more than an 8 per cent decrease on the 2009 crime figures in and around our police district over the last two years. For this we owe thanks to all Rotorua police officers.

These reductions in crime are also due in part to people taking personal responsibility. Each of us has a role to play. The fight against crime can't be won by police alone - it needs the support of our community.

Together we can keep reducing crime rates and ensure a safer city and brighter future.