Letter: Fund the Police, Not MP Travel

For years, the Cook Islands Police Service has been crying out for more frontline officers. They need 46 staff across all divisions. Recruitment is frozen. The Maritime Division is stretched to breaking point. There’s barely anyone left for community policing—just one officer, trying to cover an entire nation.

And yet, somehow, this government has found the money for MP travel—$913,000 of it. That’s more than double what’s been given to the police.

Prime Minister Mark Brown, who also happens to be the Minister of Police, signed off on this. In what world is this acceptable? The Public Accounts Committee was told last year that the police were struggling, but instead of funding boots on the ground, we’re funding business-class seats in the sky.

Trevor Pitt, the Police media and strategic advisor, is being polite. He says, "The Police Service welcomes any new or additional financial support, particularly if directed at staffing needs and operations."

Let me be less polite: The government is happy to fund overseas travel for MPs but not enough police to keep our streets safe.

And let’s be clear: Every single Cook Islands Party MP that supports this government can face the public in your Vaka and explain how you agreed, more than double for travel than the police that keep our people safe.

Please explain. Because some of you seem to enjoy business class more than ensuring our property and our people are safe at night.

This isn't about politics—this is about priorities. The police leadership knows exactly what’s wrong: We need more officers, we need them now, and we need them on the streets. Instead, all we get is
scraps.

Mark Brown and his government need to explain why their travel budget is fully funded while our police force is running on empty.

We can’t fund policing if we don’t have any policemen. Police are about people, not projects.

We have had enough of this self-indulgence. This isn’t just a Police funding issue—it’s a failure of leadership. Time for change.

(Name and address supplied)