Streets in Rotorua and the wider Bay of Plenty are better protected thanks to police officers now having smartphones and tablets.
Rotorua MP Todd McClay said that, during the past two years foot patrols had risen by 227 per cent in the Bay of Plenty Police District as police continued to increase their focus on crime prevention.
"Officers are being deployed more strategically in areas and at times when police know there is a greater risk of crime taking place. This smarter approach, with the right people in the right places at the right times, means officers are more visible and better able to prevent crime," Mr McClay said. "Part of the approach to building safer communities is prevention first, and that means using resources better, so police can spend less time behind a desk, and more time out in their neighbourhoods."
Mr McClay said all frontline officers now had smartphones and most had tablets, which gave them an extra 30 minutes a shift out in their communities to focus on preventing crime. In the Bay of Plenty Police District it will free up 41,526 police hours every year.
"That equals around 30 extra police further preventing and tackling crime on the ground in our district," Mr McClay said.
