The Government has acknowledged it will not deliver its promised 500 additional Police officers before New Zealanders head to the polls, despite law and order being a central part of its programme this term.
The National–New Zealand First coalition originally committed to training no fewer than 500 additional frontline Police within its first two years in office. Budget 2024 subsequently provided $191 million over four years for recruitment and retention, with the Government setting a target of lifting sworn officer numbers from 10,211 to 10,711.
That original deadline passed in November last year without the target being reached.
Treasury documents had already warned the programme was running behind schedule, with officials estimating the full 500 could take until around September 2026 to achieve.
But with the 7 November election approaching, the Government has now accepted even that timetable will not deliver all 500 before voters go to the polls.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said last week that 366 of the 500 officers had been delivered, with more than 300 people currently in Police training. He said the Government remained confident the full target would be achieved before the end of the year.
The Government argues the recruitment programme has increased Police numbers and applications while maintaining recruitment standards, and says the additional officers are being directed towards visible policing, community beat teams and tackling gangs. Police previously allocated 160 of the additional officers to Community Beat Teams, alongside resources for the National Gang Unit and Gang Disruption Units.
The admission comes as National campaigns on further Police recruitment, including a proposal for 50 additional officers for a dedicated Auckland public transport policing team if it is returned to government.
With crime and public safety again shaping up as major election issues, the unfinished 500-officer commitment leaves the Government facing questions over why one of its flagship law-and-order promises has taken longer than initially promised to deliver.
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