Smoke signal: Funding priorities

It would appear that the Prime Minister / Minister for Police is satisfied with the New Zealand funded Police staff retraining/ upskilling program…problem that the Minister does not appear to realise that the Police Force is still 30 to 40 personnel short, so clearly being so short staffed , they are unable to cover all the daily critical areas that Policing usually covers.

Upskilling the available personnel will do little to cover critical shortages in manpower…only new recruitments will do that.  And the Minister appears to be in no hurry to address this serious situation…instead employing a Tribunal of ex cops and others to review what the issues are, and what to do about them…duhhh… everyone in Rarotonga knows what the issues are, and how to resolve them…EXCEPT the PM/  Minister of Police!!!

Funding a Recruitment program an issue??? Perhaps the PM/Minister of Police would like to tell the public what his last useless and totally unnecessary gallivant to Azerbaijahn cost the Tax payers of this country? Apart from the cost…why did he have to join a delegation of 9, 10, or 11 others…at all??  Wayne King could have and should have done this trip on his own. And where is the PM’s public report showing why he went, and what he actually achieved??  Where are the National benefits?? Indeed, where are ANY of his travel reports?  And there is little doubt that the financial cost of his latest ego trip would cover the cost of at least one new police recruit. And now for extra measure  throw in the cost of that latest DSM  Roadshow to NZ with a huge team of Camp followers telling the CI people living in NZ what  wonderful things DSM will do for them…what was the total cost of that DSM trip, Mr. PM??? Air Fares, Hotels, vehicle hire, per diems, what is the real $ total?  And could that money have been diverted to more pressing funding issues like Police, Nurses, and Teachers?  It would appear that the PM is not focused sufficiently on the REAL issues that face the country today… maybe spending a bit more time on the ground in Rarotonga, rather than at 39,000 feet Business Class would help him assess what needs to be done urgently.