Canterbury police have canned a proposed district review.
In a statement on Tuesday, Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said after considering staff and community feedback, police had decided not to proceed with the review.
The review, which went out for consultation in August, would also have affected the Aoraki Policing District and might have seen a significant reduction in staff numbers in Methven, Temuka and Waimate, while police stations in St Andrews, Pleasant Point and Rakaia could have been closed.
Superintendent Hill said the proposal had been a genuine attempt to offer a better service to the district, including a 24-7 response in rural areas.
"Much of the feedback from staff and the community has been supportive. The reality is that the proposal was not acceptable to many of the communities affected, and in my view their buy-in was a critical element in the proposal’s success.
"We could not proceed without that support."
He said the decision was reached after listening to the concerns and considering feedback from the community, other interested parties as well as police staff.
"There were those who did support the changes and I acknowledge some may be disappointed.
"Some of what we aimed to do can be achieved without the wider restructure and we will now work carefully through the options to decide what is possible.
"Every district has its own priorities and demands and those can often be met through deployment decisions."
Superintendent Hill said he wanted to thank those who have put a considerable amount of work into the process.
"It has been heartening to see the strong backing our staff working in the rural communities have from the public they serve."
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said he supported the decision.
"I want to acknowledge the hard work that was put into the review by District Commander Tony Hill and his leadership team. Our staff are exceptional and I am confident Canterbury police will continue to offer an outstanding service across the district.
"While the review proposals had merit, including the proposed 24-7 response model, I have long believed in the value of visible and engaged police who know their communities and the people in them. That is effective both for prevention and law enforcement, in both cities and rural areas." — Allied Media.
