The Government has faith it will hit its target of 500 new police officers by next November - despite the new Commissioner's scepticism.
Richard Chambers says because he refuses to lower the quality of trained officers, June 2026 is a more realistic deadline.
Associate Police Minister Casey Costello says she has no reason to believe the date should shift.
"I've been reassured that we are on track, that we are working hard - we have a massive recruitment pipeline, the biggest that they've ever seen. So we're driving forward on that November 2025 target."
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Got a love scrutiny week at today the police and
the firing line. Police bosses warned today that the government's
election promise to train five hundred new officers could take
longer than their self imposed two year deadline. Police Commissioner
Richard Chambers told Parliament's Justice Select Committee today that he
is refusing to lower the quality of the training to
(00:23):
meet the target, so it's not going to happen. Labour
jumped on this immediately, claiming it's a broken election promise.
So Casey Costello from New Zealand first as the Associate
Police Minister and joins me. Now, Hella, Casey, Hi, how
are you hi? Very good? So in your statement that
you're released today, you said that in all your consultations
with the police you have not been told to this
(00:43):
point that the target would not be met and the
deadline will be missed. So how does today's news make
you feel about your coalition promise?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Well, I think it's really important to get a context.
So what the commissioner was saying, and it was he
had said there was no deviation from the commitment to
achieve no them betweeny twenty five, and there was an
extrapolation around modeling around when it would have been achieved
and based upon what budget was set. But I've been
reassured that we are on track, that we're working hard.
(01:14):
We have a massive recruitment pipeline, the biggest that they've
ever seen, and so we're driving forward on that and
then between twenty five targets.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
But doesn't this go right to the heart of the
coalition agreement because right from the get go Mark Mitchell
said that two years would be tough, but New Zealand
first reminded him of the Coalition agreement and two years
was actually a hell of a deadline. So isn't this
right the right to the number of your relationship with
the coalition?
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Oh, it's like we have total commitment and Monster Mitchell
and I know we meet every week with police and
we talk about those targets and reaching those targets. We
have done a huge investment in terms of recruitment and
pipeline and engaging and that's why we have the massive pipeline. Unfortunately,
we were behind the eight ball because there was no
(02:00):
wings that went through in December and January, so there
was no pipelines. That we're in recovery and we've done
modeling and extrapolations.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
It's obviously achieved that will be look as obviously not
going to happen in the time that you would have
liked and you wanted and you promised. But are you
okay with it now taking longer?
Speaker 2 (02:19):
There's no As I've said that, I have not been
advised in any way, shape or form, we're not going
to make the November twenty five targets.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
So you have hoped that they're going to make it.
You actually still have some hope that they're going to
make it.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I still have hope that we make it. We have
increased the wing capacities, we have increased the number of
wings going through college. As long as our attrition rate
stays below the five percent, which it has done, then
I am confident that we can still achieve it.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Good. Well, that's good news. But do you really think,
as Associate Police Minister you should have been kept in
the loop about this conversation more.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
I think I've gone through and listened to what was
said in the Select Committee, and I think there has
been a little bit of the story around how the
conversation went in the questions and how they were responded to.
I've spoken to the Commissioner today, I an't satisfied they
were on track.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Have you been selected to actually talk about this issue?
Because New Zealand first was so adamant about it, and
so Mark Mitchell said, oh, well this is your problem.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
No, I have the delegated under my Associate Police Minister,
I have the organized crime and I have the recruitment
of five hundred under my delegation. So I am the
right person to be speaking to.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
And should the government really just let go of the number.
And as as of course Richard Chambers that the Police
Commissioner said he wants the quality and really go for
the quality.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
We are absolutely that's what We're not compromising quality and
that was why the pipeline has been so encouraging, because
we are getting some outstanding applicants through. I've been to
at least two of the recruitment weaning so far, fantastic
people coming through. We haven't lowered the quality, and I've
been saying that right from the start we will not
lower the quality. But we haven't needed to because we
(03:57):
are getting fantastic applicants.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
All right, thank you. We all wanting more cops. It
is now eleven minutes after five For more from Hither
Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news talks it'd be
from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
Got a love scrutiny week at today the police and
the firing line. Police bosses warned today that the government's
election promise to train five hundred new officers could take
longer than their self imposed two year deadline. Police Commissioner
Richard Chambers told Parliament's Justice Select Committee today that he
is refusing to lower the quality of the training to
(00:23):
meet the target, so it's not going to happen. Labour
jumped on this immediately, claiming it's a broken election promise.
So Casey Costello from New Zealand first as the Associate
Police Minister and joins me. Now, Hella, Casey, Hi, how
are you hi? Very good? So in your statement that
you're released today, you said that in all your consultations
with the police you have not been told to this
(00:43):
point that the target would not be met and the
deadline will be missed. So how does today's news make
you feel about your coalition promise?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Well, I think it's really important to get a context.
So what the commissioner was saying, and it was he
had said there was no deviation from the commitment to
achieve no them betweeny twenty five, and there was an
extrapolation around modeling around when it would have been achieved
and based upon what budget was set. But I've been
reassured that we are on track, that we're working hard.
(01:14):
We have a massive recruitment pipeline, the biggest that they've
ever seen, and so we're driving forward on that and
then between twenty five targets.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
But doesn't this go right to the heart of the
coalition agreement because right from the get go Mark Mitchell
said that two years would be tough, but New Zealand
first reminded him of the Coalition agreement and two years
was actually a hell of a deadline. So isn't this
right the right to the number of your relationship with
the coalition?
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Oh, it's like we have total commitment and Monster Mitchell
and I know we meet every week with police and
we talk about those targets and reaching those targets. We
have done a huge investment in terms of recruitment and
pipeline and engaging and that's why we have the massive pipeline. Unfortunately,
we were behind the eight ball because there was no
(02:00):
wings that went through in December and January, so there
was no pipelines. That we're in recovery and we've done
modeling and extrapolations.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
It's obviously achieved that will be look as obviously not
going to happen in the time that you would have
liked and you wanted and you promised. But are you
okay with it now taking longer?
Speaker 2 (02:19):
There's no As I've said that, I have not been
advised in any way, shape or form, we're not going
to make the November twenty five targets.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
So you have hoped that they're going to make it.
You actually still have some hope that they're going to
make it.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I still have hope that we make it. We have
increased the wing capacities, we have increased the number of
wings going through college. As long as our attrition rate
stays below the five percent, which it has done, then
I am confident that we can still achieve it.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Good. Well, that's good news. But do you really think,
as Associate Police Minister you should have been kept in
the loop about this conversation more.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
I think I've gone through and listened to what was
said in the Select Committee, and I think there has
been a little bit of the story around how the
conversation went in the questions and how they were responded to.
I've spoken to the Commissioner today, I an't satisfied they
were on track.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
Have you been selected to actually talk about this issue?
Because New Zealand first was so adamant about it, and
so Mark Mitchell said, oh, well this is your problem.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
No, I have the delegated under my Associate Police Minister,
I have the organized crime and I have the recruitment
of five hundred under my delegation. So I am the
right person to be speaking to.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
And should the government really just let go of the number.
And as as of course Richard Chambers that the Police
Commissioner said he wants the quality and really go for
the quality.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
We are absolutely that's what We're not compromising quality and
that was why the pipeline has been so encouraging, because
we are getting some outstanding applicants through. I've been to
at least two of the recruitment weaning so far, fantastic
people coming through. We haven't lowered the quality, and I've
been saying that right from the start we will not
lower the quality. But we haven't needed to because we
(03:57):
are getting fantastic applicants.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
All right, thank you. We all wanting more cops. It
is now eleven minutes after five For more from Hither
Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news talks it'd be
from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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