Police staffing decision angers Council

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 1, Issue 14, 6 September 1983, Page 1

Police staffing decision angers Council

Raetihi Borough councillors have decided to send a deputation to the Minister of Police to protest about the proposed removal of one of the two police houses in the town later this year. They felt this proposed re-location of Raetihi's second police house in Ohakune will make Raetihi a permanent one-constable police station. Following several representations from both the Ohakune, and Raetihi borough councils to the Minister of Police and the District Commander of the Wanganui region over the past year of so for an increase in the Waimarino's police staffing a decision was made in late July to appoint a sergeant to take control of the Ohakune, Raetihi, National Park area. The proposal is for a resident sergeant to be stationed in Ohakune as soon as the second police house in Raetihi can be uplifted and relocated in Ohakune. Whilst welcoming the additional police presence in the Waimarino — Ohakune is to have two constables and a sergeant — councillors and the business community were concerned that this was being achieved at the expense of Raetihi. Councillors are to ask that the second police house — currently unoccupied — remain in Raetihi as back up accommodation for another constable. It was pointed out that the Raetihi constable' s area of responsibility takes in Pipiriki, Ruatiti and much of the Parapara road as well as being required to attend MOT type traffic accidents on remote country roads. Borough councillors felt that if it was good enough for the Ohakune constables to commute from Ohakune to Raetihi to cover for the Raetihi police station then why not, if a second resident policeman was stationed in Raetihi, was it not good enough the other way round . . . "after all it's the same distance either way" said one councillor.