Crime is on the rise in Selwyn, and police only have one quarter of the numbers they should.
One district councillor says it’s “an ambulance at the bottom of the hill type approach", as police data shows crime rates have been on the rise.
The Selwyn District only has 38 officers for a population of 85,000, 44 if you include office staff. The Government recommends having one police officer for every 480 residents, yet Selwyn has a ratio of 1:1927, according to Mayor Sam Broughton.
And police data released by the council shows Selwyn police stations had the largest increase in calls for service (38%) and victimisations (104%) out of any Canterbury area between 2015-2023.
It comes amidst the current police proposal to shut multiple smaller stations around Canterbury in favour of larger 24-7 hubs in Rolleston and Rangiora.
Broughton said Selwyn's ratio is the lowest in Canterbury, and he's planning to write to Police Minister Mark Mitchell with his concerns.
The district has been experiencing record growth for some time and now has some serious growing pains.
Lincoln has had growth of about 10% per year since 2018 and now has a population of over 12,000.
The largest increase in victimisations in Selwyn has occurred in Rolleston with a 200% increase between 2015 and
2023. Lincoln also had a 76% increase in victimisation over the same period.
Selwyn District Councillor for the Springs Ward, Grant Miller, said the district should have a Selwyn-specific police response that recognises it’s a community growing much faster than the rest of New Zealand.
“Rather than resourcing for the population, they are resourcing for historic crime offence rates.”
He described it as an ambulance at the bottom of the hill approach.
Police Association associate president Chris Cahill said the recent police proposal demonstrated the need for more officers in some of the country's fastest growing communities.
“We recognise that there is an increased demand for a 24-7 response for Selwyn and Rangiora.”
Broughton said as the population grew, the number of Selwyn residents who had been victims of crime had naturally grown -but the number of police had not.
“It is essential that we have the right resources in place to meet our needs now and into the future.”
Broughton will be writing to the Police Minister to ask for those resources. He also met with Mitchell earlier this year to discuss the situation.
In a recent statement on social media, Mitchell said he'd had many members of the public, including mayors, MPs and community groups, raise concerns with him about the proposed Canterbury restructure.
"Police have operational independence as to how and where they deploy staff. Those decisions are guided by the priorities and expectations of the Government of the day.
"In relation to this proposal, it is up to police to set out the case for any change and justify it by assuring affected communities that they will not lose but gain as a result. Any final proposal that does not meet my expectations would not receive my support as Minister."
Submissions on the review closed last week, with about 1000 received.
Canterbury Police District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill said staff were working through them, and he hoped to be able to give an update in the coming weeks.
