Editorial: Having a rural voice
OPINION: The past few weeks have been tough on farms across the North Island: floods and storms have caused damage and disruption to families and businesses.
Federated Farmers Rural Security spokesperson Miles Anderson says organised crime can happen “in nice sleepy communities with little to no police presence”.
Anderson was commenting on the Government decision to deploy 500 extra police to target serious and organised crime
"Is organised crime in the rural areas attracting any of these new police officer positions? I would hope so,” says Anderson.
“You don’t have to be in a city or other built up urban settlements to commit crime or be a victim of criminals.”
Federated Farmers promotes allocation of officers on land area rather than just population base.
"Farmers lose hundreds of their animals to organised stock rustlers, drug suppliers and dealers roll into our settlements to create and dispense their wares, and members of our community have been victims of family violence and sexual assault,” he says.
“Can rural communities please have more than the one or two cop method response we’ve been subjected to for years? Just look at the biosecurity risk poachers pose to the primary sector - surely that alone warrants more police for rural.
"The rural police we currently have are stretched."
Federated Farmers continues to encourage its members to report crime whenever they are subjected to it, says Anderson.
"This makes sure resources to fight crime in our communities are increased or at the very least maintained."
Police Minister Stuart Nash says the 500 extra officers will make significant inroads to efforts to reduce victimisation and improve the wellbeing of communities.
This week the Commissioner of Police revealed details of how the additional frontline officers will be allocated as part of the unprecedented effort to prevent and combat serious and organised crime.
Areas of focus include disrupting trans-national criminal groups, national and local gangs, cyber-crime, money laundering and child exploitation. The purpose is to prevent crime and reduce the harm to our communities from the supply of drugs, serious violence and other offending, says Nash.
The 500 extra specialist police are part of the Coalition Agreement with New Zealand First to strive for 1800 extra officers.
