- Hon Stuart Nash
More Police officers are being deployed to the frontline with the graduation of 54 new constables from the Royal New Zealand Police College today.
The graduation ceremony for Recruit Wing 362 at Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua was the first official event for Stuart Nash since his reappointment as Police Minister following the Cabinet reshuffle this week.
"I'm really looking forward to picking up the role again after three busy years as Police Minister between 2017 and 2020," said Stuart Nash.
"I have a very clear understanding of the portfolio and am completely focussed on the issues that matter for Police and the public.
"The new Prime Minister and former Police Minister Chris Hipkins handed over responsibility for an organisation that is in a strong position to respond to the issues that matter for our communities.
"These include ensuring Police is supported with the people, resources, and legislative tools it needs to keep communities safe and prevent harm.
"Whether it's continuing the roll out of frontline constables, supporting communities and businesses to respond to youth crime, reducing road deaths, making inroads to gang offending and organised crime, responding to natural disasters and emergencies like the Auckland floods, and preventing family harm, Police is in a very strong position.
"My immediate priority is to get around the country to talk to frontline Police again about ways to keep supporting them. Today's graduation ceremony is a first step and is a proud moment for the 54 new constables and their families, said Stuart Nash.
Since 2017, there have been 3,712 new constables who have graduated from the Royal NZ Police College, including today's 54 recruits. Prior to today's graduation, the total number of full time equivalent Police officers had grown by 1,634 since 2017, an increase of around nineteen per cent in Constabulary numbers.
This week is also a significant milestone for retail crime prevention. Applications opened yesterday for businesses who want to take advantage of the $4,000 subsidy for the fog cannon scheme. Prior to the applications opening almost 300 retailers had expressed an interest to MBIE in drawing on the subsidy to install the equipment.
