10. CHESTER BORROWS (National—Whanganui) Link to this
to the Minister of Police
What proportion of response staff had been issued with stab-resistant vests by the end of July 2007, not including temporary covert body armour?
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Police) Link to this
As of 24 July 2007, 66 percent of response staff had been issued with permanent stab-resistant body armour, and a further 11 percent of response staff had been issued with temporary stab-resistant body armour. As of 8 August 2007, 5,510 members of police had received stab-resistant body armour. That means that 75 percent of the total target of 7,293 staff have a level of protection that was not available to them previously.
Can the Minister confirm that 2,000 vests are gathering dust in storage because over a quarter of officers were given vests that were too small due to “variability in skill level of the measurers”, and why has no one been held accountable for this bungle?
I think it is fair to say that many mistakes have been made in this project, and that has been acknowledged by the New Zealand Police. But since deputy commissioner Rob Pope took over this project when he became deputy commissioner, the project has got back on track. There are 2,000 vests in stock, and these will be issued—
Hon Dr Nick SmithNo, they are not all small. This is some of the nonsense that is being spoken. The vests will be issued to members of the New Zealand Police—to new recruits, to those returning to the workforce, and to those returning from overseas. At the end of that time the department will then see which sizes are left. The vests are not all small.
Jill PettisHow is the time frame looking for finishing the roll-out of stab-resistant body armour by the end of the year?
I have been advised that the goal of finishing the roll-out by the end of the year is on target. I understand that the second to last shipment of stab-resistant body armour for the project arrived in New Zealand in late August, a month ahead of schedule. The vests are currently being quality-checked before being sent to districts for distribution.
When will all of the 2,000 vests in storage actually be used, in light of the fact that the Minister has had to bring forward the purchase of 2,000 replacement vests of the right sizes, costing another $2.7 million, or is the truth that those vests will be sitting in storage when Labour gets the boot in 12 months?
No, the vests will not all be sitting in storage in 12 months when Labour is re-elected as the Government. Many of the vests will be issued to those who come back into the workforce, to those who return from overseas, and to new recruits.
Why did the Minister state in May that only 1,200 vests would need to be stored, when records show she knew in March that up to 2,000 would need to be put into storage?
How can the Minister be sure that all of the 2,000 vests will be used, when the surplus of the second, third, and fourth-smallest sizes are being “held in stock for issue to staff whose physical dimensions match, including new recruits”; and does she agree that even at current rates of recruitment, if all recruits were small enough to fit those vests, it would take 6 years before they were issued?
The thing about these vests is that they do not go off; they do not rot. So whether it takes 1 year or 5 years to roll them out, they are still going to be there. However, I have to tell the member that in the New Zealand Police the size of police officers goes from petite to XXX, so to be able to provide vests there has to be that range. Of the 2,000 vests there happen to be big ones and small ones.
Gerry BrownleeI raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I appreciate the answer that the Minister just gave the House. I think it was important. These vests do not go off. But do they go out of fashion?
Madam SPEAKER