Police Minister Stuart Nash announced last week that 78 new police graduates would make their way to the regions as part of the Government's drive to recruit 1800 more officers to the force.
Although five new constables would be allocated to the Southern policing district, none would come to Clutha, which the Otago Daily Times understands to be running four below complement, at 24 operational staff.
A police spokeswoman said the new officers would go to Invercargill (3), Dunedin (1) and Queenstown (1).
In June, Clutha-Southland National MP Hamish Walker delivered a 1700-signature petition to Parliament calling for 24/7 policing to be instated in Balclutha.
Following its election, the coalition Government shelved National's plans for 24-hour policing in several regional centres, including Balclutha, against which Mr Walker has been lobbying since December last year, with the support of Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan.
Mr Walker said the latest announcement showed the Government did not value the regions.
''Unfortunately I've learnt Clutha won't see new recruits till 2023 at the earliest, and with the increasing drug problems in rural areas that's not good enough.
''People deserve to feel safe in their homes overnight, and the police, who do an amazing job putting their lives on the line daily, need to be properly supported and resourced with full 24/7 rostering, to ensure they're not chasing their tails on call at night.''
Mr Cadogan said the district needed more officers immediately.
''In light of the current situation, 2023 might as well be la-la land. It shows a complete detachment from our blue knights' ability to properly protect themselves and the public, given the increasing sophistication of drugs gangs locally.''
Clutha-Taieri police area response manager Senior Sergeant Stan Leishman welcomed the news of additional officers for the south.
''This is good news for the south in general, so we're not disappointed at all. We're anticipating another two constables in 2023, and looking forward deploying that additional resource at that time.''
He declined to comment on the current rostering of staff.
