Country policing is about relationships because when the big inquiries occur - rapes, robberies, homicide - police need information quickly and they need to know where to find it.
The news that the number of police in New Zealand will increase and that rural/provincial police will increase by 145 is great, but where those positions are placed is of paramount importance.
The 'copper' who lives in town, has a beer at the club or pub and plays footy, netball or golf for a Stratford group, with kids at Stratford schools will make more contacts than an officer living in New Plymouth. If the CIB position, for example, with responsibility to cover Stratford works out of New Plymouth or Hawera, things will change for the locals and not for the better, unless individual staff members work very hard to keep in touch and form those relationships so the information will flow when it needs to.
You'd be excused for thinking I had a vested interest in seeing less police on the streets given the currency of criminal proceedings in my name, but I think it is a bit sad to see an increase in numbers so well applauded for other reasons.
I can't truly understand the need for a radical increase in police numbers when the crime statistics as far as we can rely on them, are falling. And this is a real drop in numbers of offences and not some artistic use of stats. There are more police than there has ever been and they are better equipped and remunerated than ever before. So if there is less crime, why do we need more police?