Grey Power March 2017

36
NZ GREYPOWER MAGAZINE » MARCH 2017
Prime Minister Bill English says...
We all value safety
As parents, grandparents, husbands and wives, you value
safety. And you’ll be reassured to know that New Zealand
is the fourth safest country in the world. We want it to be
number one.
To make our communities
safer,
we’ve announced a
half a billion dollar package
to deliver a more responsive
police service,
prevent crime and victimisation,
resolve more
crimes, and more effectively
target gangs and
organised crime.
The package provides
funding for 1125 more police
staff, including 880
sworn officers, who will
help to make every area in
New Zealand safer. That’s
a 10 percent increase in
the size of the police force.
We’re ensuring 95 percent
of New Zealanders
will be within 25 kilometres
of patrolling police,
day and night. Because
knowing help is nearby is
important.
A new 24/7 phone
number for non-urgent
police calls will be
launched next year so
that people can report
suspicious behaviour or
historic crimes, while
keeping the 111 phone line
free for emergencies.
More officers will target
organised crime,
gangs and drugs. Police
will work with other
agencies to get drugs off
the street and Corrections
will work to rehabilitate
prisoners.
An additional 74 specialist
investigators will
target serious offending
against children, as well
as sexual assault and family
violence.
Surprisingly the most
common age of an apprehended
burglar is just 16
years old. So, we’re going
to push harder to get
these young people back
on track. This means dedicating
more resources to
youth offending, burglaries
and other community
crimes.
We’re about doing
things smarter.
Last year I was told
about one family that police
had visited a total of
87 times for family violence
in the previous year.
In 365 days, that’s an average
of about once every
four days.
Rather than continue
these regular visits, the
police worked with social
service agencies to identify
one auntie the father
would listen to. They
worked with her to support
the family. The number
of call-outs fell from
87 to one.
This is the kind of initiative
we want to see
more of because it gets results
for New Zealanders.
To ensure we get value
for money for this $503
million investment, we’ve
set some challenging targets.
We want to see 98
percent of home burglaries
attended by police
within 48 hours, faster
police response times,
and 111 calls answered
sooner.
We also expect more
assets to be seized from
organised crime, fewer
deaths from family violence,
and a reduction in
reoffending by Maori.
This package builds on
the 600 police we’ve put
on the beat since 2008,
and the half a million
NZ First leader Winston Peters says...
‘Gold standard” pension for
immigrants – we’re a soft touch
New Zealand is seen
as a superannuation
paradise for
tens of thousands of immigrants.
Where else in the world
can you arrive into a country,
never work and pay
taxes, and after only 10
years you’re automatically
entitled to full superannuation
at 65 years of age?
Nowhere, other than
New Zealand.
National has turned
New Zealand into a soft
touch.
Under National’s parent
category, we’ve seen
migrants flocking into the
Prime Minister Bill English.
to a pension. And ours is
the gold standard, it’s for
everyone with no means
test.
Almost 90,000 parent
immigrants have arrived
in New Zealand in the last
15 years, over the age of 50
– they do not have to work,
pay taxes or contribute in
any way to receive our NZ
Super.
That’s unfair to Kiwis
who have lived and worked
here all their lives, who
have struggled over years
to make ends meet, raise a
family, pay their mortgaghours
freed up by investments
in technology. And
we’ve already made it
harder for violent offenders
to get bail and sharpened
our focus on preventing
family violence.
We’re unashamedly
targeting offenders to get
them off our streets, and
investing in areas that
country. A huge number
come from countries that
have no older age pension.
The parent
category
has been an
appalling
drain on NZ
taxpayers.
It’s time for a
change.
Globally, 10 years is an
unusually short time to
qualify for full entitlement
will prevent crime in the
first place.
New Zealanders
should be able to go about
their lives with confidence,
knowing that their
families are safe. The National-led
Government is
committed to making this
a reality.
Continued on page 37
$503m Safer Communities Package:
• 1125 more Police staff including 880 sworn officers
• All 12 Police districts get extra sworn officers
• 95% of New Zealanders will be within 25km of a
Police presence, day and night
• A new 24/7 easy-to-remember phone number
for non-urgent Police calls
• Faster Police response times and faster
answering of 111 calls
Phone: 04 817 9999 | More info: national.org.nz
Funded by the Parliamentary Service and authorised by Rt Hon Bill English MP,
Executive Wing, Parliament, Wellington.
NatioNal BeNefits
Negotiated by
Grey Power NZ federation inc.
The following organisations are of
benefit to Grey Power Federation
and the membership at large.
• ail insurance
• Duty free stores
• inter-island ferry
• Grey Power electricity
• Reduced to Clear
(discounted groceries)
• Challenge fuel
Further details can be
obtained from:
federation office
phone:
0800 473 979
email:
fed-office@xtra.co.nz
website:
www.greypower.co.nz