Manukau short of 160 officers

The Manukau City Council has worked out its police district should have 160 more police officers.

Crime, from bag snatches to rapes, is a major concern for citizens of the fast growing city. But the head of the Counties-Manukau police, Commander Steve Shortland, told a Manukau City Council committee yesterday he did not have enough police officers.

However, in spite of the council saying 160 police officers were required, councillors supported Mayor Sir Barry Curtis who suggested they seek a "reasonable" increase.

Sir Barry told the council community safety committee that to ask for 160 officers would be unrealistic.

He said an increase of 30 sworn officers and five unsworn staff was "reasonable" and would make a significant difference to the way police dealt with the challenges they confronted in Manukau.

The committee decided that Sir Barry and other elected Manukau officials should meet the Minister of Police, George Hawkins, and top policemen to discuss police numbers in Counties-Manukau.

Mr Shortland told councillors Manukau faced a host of problems. A report showed more than 1000 cases were unallocated - complaints waiting to be investigated - in the district.

In spite of negative publicity surrounding the unallocated cases, the latest crime statistics show that recorded crime rates continue to decrease in Counties-Manukau while resolution rates have increased slightly.

The council says recorded crime rates are at 967 offences per 10,000 people - under the national average of 1000 crimes per 10,000 people.

At present there is one sworn police officer for every 691 Counties-Manukau citizens.

To reach a ratio of one officer for every 554 New Zealanders the Counties-Manukau police district would need 801.6 officers, an increase of 159.32, the council said.

Based on 42,937 recorded crime reports in 2004 a figure of 1175 unallocated cases represented 2.74 per cent of the total crime within the district, the council said.

Mr Shortland said boy racers were still an escalating problem in the city where major problems included family violence and burglaries.

The number of 111 priority calls mainly involving family violence in Manukau was putting a huge demand on the police. Between July 1 last year and February 28 the Counties-Manukau police received 11,088 calls. The next highest districts for 111 calls were North Shore-Waitakere with about 9000 calls and Auckland with about 8500.

Mr Shortland said a planned new district police headquarters across the road from the Manukau City Council would reduce the ferrying of prisoners from one end of the district to the other.

Police numbers

Counties-Manukau: One officer for every 691 people

National average: One officer for every 554 people.