Police support sought

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 683, 22 April 1997, Page 4

Police support sought

• Enough is enough. Policing is at crisis point. We at Papakura District Council have been in contact with each and every council in the country asking them to support us in a bid to get 7260 Police staff on deck by October 1999 with the appropriate resources. Our petition has gathered enormous momentum and the confirmed support from 30 councils at this stage is fabu4 lous. Frontline police officers have been in contact with us Js ' to express their appreciation that help is on its way. I would ask and urge every person to get out and sign one of these petitions. We can then as a nation, send a clear message to the government of this country that we demand the number of police required to provide us with the security and protection that we as taxpayers are entitled to. The police are working at an exhausting rate trying to ] perform their tasks and duties. It is demoralising for them to know that thousands of named offender flies are sitting on station shelves all around the country. Police officers | are told to take leave but are reluctant to do so knowing that this will only place an even greater burden on their colleagues. With a police officer leaving the job each day , and with the cost of training new staff, we must retain our senior, knowledgeable and experienced police. To the current police officers in this country — 'we appreciate you'. To the public of New Zealand — 'lef s show them we need them to stay on the job'. When this petition has been collated it will be taken to Wellington and will be presented to Mr Warren Kyd MP who will take it to Government, If we do this right and support each other, we can and we will make change. You can sign one of these petitions by contacting your council and asking them to obtain a copy, or contact Carol ' Dickson on 09-296-2969.

Garry

Cunningham,

Papakura District Council.