'Not acceptable to many of the communities': Police services review in Canterbury will not proceed

Superintendent Tony Hill. Photo: RNZ / Nathan Mckinnon
Superintendent Tony Hill. Photo: RNZ / Nathan Mckinnon
Police have decided to cancel a proposed restructure of its services in Canterbury after staff and community feedback.

Police had proposed major changes to staffing across rural Canterbury, which includes Hurunui, Waimakariri, Selwyn and Banks Peninsula, to address changing population and demand on police resources.

But Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said in a statement on Tuesday the review will "not proceed".

"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 police listened carefully to the concerns and considered feedback from the community and other interested parties, as well as those of police staff.

"Throughout this process it has been important to challenge ourselves to think outside the square, and to innovate how we service the needs of our communities. 

"The proposal was a genuine attempt to offer what I believed would be 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.

"There were those who did support the changes and I acknowledge some may be disappointed.

"I have discussed this with the commissioner of police, and he has assured me I have his support for this decision today.

"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."

Canterbury's Gang Disruption Unit, Beat Teams and a Retail Crime Team in Christchurch were not contingent on the restructure and will still go ahead.

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."