Priyanca Radhakrishnan – 
In September 2016, a 65-year-old Chinese woman was dragged from her car and brutally assaulted by two teenagers who then drove off with her car and her belongings.
They left her bleeding and unconscious in broad daylight in Panmure, Auckland.
The Panmure Business Association is very concerned about youth crime.
They told me about a young boy, under the age of 12, who was involved in 300 tagging incidents in one night alone!
In Ellerslie, burglaries and car thefts have been on the rise.
One day, between 1 am and 3 am, seven vehicles were robbed of a total of $14,000 worth of goods.
Elders worried
According to the Ellerslie Residents’ Association, as of early September 2016, nothing had been recovered. The Residents’ Association is also concerned that elderly residents are being intimidated in broad daylight on the streets.
Burglaries, robberies, thefts, and assaults are all rising.
In the light of this, it is very disappointing that community police stations in both Ellerslie and Panmure are being closed permanently.
As the recently selected Labour candidate for the Maungakiekie electorate, I have been talking to residents about their concerns and crime features prominently.
Many are feeling increasingly unsafe – in their homes, at work and in public.
The sense at the grassroots is that policing is being centralised, community policing is no longer a political priority and that suburbs like Ellerslie and Panmure are worse off for it.
Yet, there is evidence that points to the benefits of targeted, planned community policing to reduce crime.
Inadequate resources
The police are doing the best they can. However, it’s no secret that the Police is not adequately resourced to deal with crimes like burglaries.
In the 2016 Budget, there was no funding for additional police officers.
The number of Police has fallen in the past two years while the population rose by 200,000.
According to the 2016 Police Workplace Survey, only 42% of Police said that they deliver on the promises they make to the public.
Over 55% said that they have too much stress in their jobs.
The latest Police Association survey also shows that 86% of Police believe that frontline officers are under-resourced and 74% of members believe frontline police numbers are too low.
Communities need to feel safe to thrive.
Yet, we are seeing community police stations shutting down permanently and fewer police officers out on foot patrol while the population grows and crime continues to increase.
Government acknowledgement
Even the government has acknowledged that we need police officers.
Police Minister Judith Collins said in August 2016 that the government is working through the figures to examine whether they can afford more police officers.
Labour has already done the sums and committed to 1000 more police officers, including more officers on the beat.
We have also committed to addressing the social determinants of crime including poor quality, unaffordable housing disparities in the health system, domestic violence and income inequality.
We cannot fix crime without addressing the systemic issues that contribute to rising crime.
We are well past the point of considering whether we can afford to increase the number of police officers. We cannot afford not to do.
However, we also need to address contributing factors to successfully reduce crime in the longer term.
The government has a duty of care to its people.
We all have the right to live with dignity and to be able to access the basic necessities of life. We also have a right to feel safe – at home, at work and in public. Right now, there are too many of us who no longer feel that way – and closing community police stations isn’t the solution.
Priyanca Radhakrishnan is a voracious reader, champions social and community causes and is a strong advocate of ethnic and gender diversity in corporate governance and in public life. She is a Member of the Labour Party Policy Council and lives in Auckland. The Labour Party has chosen her as its candidate for the Maungakiekie constituency in the general elections to be held this year.
