Labour said it will deliver the "largest police service" in New Zealand history if re-elected to power at the election, with 300 additional police officers.
It is part of the party's law and order policy, released today in Hamilton, and would cost $124 million over four years.
It would be delivered through an additional 50 officers graduating in the first year (2024 / 2025), 75 in each of the second and third years, and 100 in the fourth year, for a cumulative total of 300 extra over the four-year period.
It also included moves aimed at strengthening legal protections against stalking and harassment, a "crackdown" on gang leaders and "disruptive gang convoys".
The victims of crime say it's too little, too late from the Labour Party, senior political reporter Benedict Collins reports.
A review of the reparation system is also in the mix, aimed at speeding up payments for victims.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said while in government his party had delivered 1800 new police officers, the largest increase in policing numbers in New Zealand history.
“This was a deliberate policy to support our frontline and increase community safety, following a decade of underinvestment by the previous National Government, which resulted in 30 police stations closing around the country."
He said the party would build on that by delivering 300 more officers, if re-elected to power.
It would mean there was one officer for every 470 New Zealanders he said - "the best ratio in modern history".
The Police Act 1886 established New Zealand's first national, civil, police force, meaning it has existed formally for 137 years.
The ratio was one to 541 officers in 2017, he said.
“With 300 more cops we would increase the frontline by 2100 officers since we came into office. This is three times the amount National delivered over the same timeframe, when they were last in office.
“We will also continue to crack down on gangs. Recently, we’ve seen communities disrupted and intimidated by dangerous gang convoys. This is intolerable.
“Labour will introduce laws to punish this behaviour and develop new ways to target gangs leaders and break their international links."
He said Labour had a "proud track record" of standing up for victims of violent crime, including establishing a new criminal offence for strangulation, tripling funding for the Victims Assistance Scheme and doubling funding for Victim Support.
"Recently passed legislation also provides more rights and protections to victims of family and sexual violence.
“We will go further for victims in relation to stalking and harassment by modernising our laws, to bring them in line with overseas jurisdictions. This will include exploring the possibility of creating an offence for stalking with a penalty of imprisonment."
He said better support for victims will be provided following a review of the reparations system, which sees offenders ordered to pay victims for the harm caused.
“Being the victim of a crime is painful enough without having to wait an extended period of time for the reparations you deserve. We will review this process to investigate how we can speed it up.
“We will continue with our plans to free up Police time by enabling mental health experts to respond to mental health call outs, pass law to make ram raiding an offence, and make aiding and abetting youth crime and posting yourself committing crime online aggravating factors at sentencing."
Police officers would receive better training also, he said, with the nationwide rollout of the Tactical Response Model.
"We will continue to support the firearms registry, which is at risk under an ACT-National Government, who refuse to make keeping it a bottom-line."
Labour is 'not credible' on law and order - National
National Party police spokesperson Mark Mitchell said Labour had been "soft on crime" for six years, so no one trusted it on law and order.
“This announcement today is simply not credible coming from a Labour Government that for six years has allowed a growing gang threat to massively increase and expose Kiwis to unprecedented levels of gang and gun violence.
“Here’s the reality for Kiwis under Labour — a 70% increase in gang membership, violent crime up by a third, a 100% increase in retail crime and people feeling less safe on our streets, in their businesses and in their homes."
He said New Zealand's "world class" police officers were struggling to deal with a "tsunami" of violent and retail offending, overseen by a Government that had "prioritised reducing the prison muster by 30% and repealing our only tough sentencing laws".
“Labour’s soft-on-crime approach has put New Zealanders at risk, with a 41% increase in victimisations and high retail crime that not only takes a toll on shop workers and businessowners, but has a significant economic cost too.
“It’s no wonder the Mongrel Mob is actively campaigning for Labour and against National across New Zealand. Turkeys don’t vote for an early Christmas."
He said National would crack down on crime, and in particular gangs, by banning gang patches in public places, allowing police to issue dispersal notices to congregating gang members and giving police non-association powers to prevent gang members from communicating and planning criminal activity.
It would also equip police with the warrantless search powers required to "take the guns out of the hands of violent armed gang members", and make membership of a gang an aggravating factor at sentencing.
He said National would make further law and order policy announcements during the campaign.
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