The police have been getting a hard time lately.  Thousands of trustworthy police will be feeling betrayed by the actions of a few portrayed in lurid details in the media.  The trials and the victims come on top of controversy about traffic enforcement.  The public widely believe that the police are required to meet quotas of traffic tickets and safety comes second. 

Confidence in the police is vital, even when they are under pressure.  But it has to be earned by good policing and good decisions.  In Central and Western Southland police management is not making good decisions.  Rural people feel vulnerable to petty crime.  Farm burglary is common, relatively easy and hard to stop.  Culprits often get away with it.  Police who are dealing with more difficult crime like domestic violence in rural areas are often working on their own.  These police are used to being independent but they need backup. 

The government is boosting police numbers by 1,000.  Our share on a population basis is 25 to 30 in Central Southland.  Southland has been allocated one new constable.  Police propose that this constable will do traffic enforcement based in Winton.  I suspect the government is finding 100 new police plus 250 support staff very expensive.  One way they can offset the cost is to generate more revenue from more traffic tickets.  What the community wants is more law enforcement, not more tickets.  The police would be better to put the extra constable in Otautau to provide more backup for Western and Central Southland.  Let’s see if common sense prevails.