Police-aid back-sliding denied

Press, 13 March 1987, Page 3

Police-aid back-sliding denied

Wellington reporter Reports that the Government is back-sliding on its promise of a $3O million package to improve community policing have been denied by the Minister of Police, Mrs Hercus. The Prime Minister, Mr LangC, said on Monday that the realistic cost of the package to “beef up” the police was $3O million but he had no estimate of the extra number of police that would be required. The president of the Police Association, Mr Keith Morrow, said on Wednesday that he had been told by “a source close to the Prime Minister” that the figure was wrong. Mrs Hercus said she had been the source Mr

Morrow had referred to, but that was not what she had said. She had told Mr Morrow on Tuesday that some reports of what Mr Lange had said had missed out his addition that the $3O million to implement the community policing recommendations of the Ministerial Committee of Inquiry into Violence was, of course, subject to the normal Budget round. Mr Lange had said: “These proposals insofar as they involve the prospect of extra expenditure, and some sure do, then have to be injected into the Budget round.” There was no confusion about it, Mrs Hercus said. Mr Lange had simply given a cost estimate and that it would be subject to the Budget round.