Arthur's Pass station is the only one to close. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Canterbury police have publicly released a controversial restructuring proposal that includes cutting and redeploying roles around the district.
Sole-charge station positions in Arthur's Pass, St Andrews, Pleasant Point and Rakaia would be cut, as well as two and three-officer stations in Lincoln, Leeston, Amberley, Oxford and Culverden.
"Public safety teams" in Temuka and Waimate would also be scrapped. They would instead be bolstered in Rolleston, Rangiora, Ashburton, Timaru and Christchurch, with rural liaison officers to be based in Lincoln, Leeston, Oxford, Amberley, Waimate and Temuka.
Police also proposed culling family harm teams, drug and harm prevention officers and school community officers across the Canterbury district.
A total of 131 positions would be established while 121 positions would be disestablished, although they were not like for like.
Canterbury district commander superintendent Tony Hill said the proposal was designed to focus on core police services and meeting demand now and in future.
"We are focussed on the safety of our communities and our police team," he said.
On Wednesday night, hundreds of North Canterbury locals turned out to a fiery meeting in Culverden, angry about the proposal to remove the town's two police officers.
They said it would leave them more vulnerable and urged police to reconsider their plans.
Hill acknowledged their feedback.
"As the proposal concerns changes that directly impact our staff, we have an obligation to consult with them first. We also acknowledge the importance of listening to our communities," he said.
"We have already received some feedback and it's great to hear how passionate our communities are about the service we provide. We want to continue to provide that great service. In a departure from our normal process in relation to operational decision-making, we are now sharing an external version of the proposal and inviting feedback from the public."
Hill said the structure hasn't been reviewed since 2017 and they want to get it right.
"We're not content to keep doing things the way we always have when we believe we can do better.
"I stress that this is a proposal and no decisions have been made. I will be paying close attention to the feedback as it comes in."
Federated Farmers had expressed its outrage towards the proposal.
The Police Association also had concerns, saying it acknowledged the proposal marked a "significant strategic realignment of policing", but it had not met the test of balancing the demands of increasing population in some areas with the needs of communities that will lose officers and vital police support staff.
President Chris Cahill described the proposal as "robbing Peter to pay Paul".
"We recognise the increased demand for a 24-7 response model in Selwyn and Rangiora but this should not be at the expense of the highly valued contribution rural response officers make to their local communities," he said.
"The benefit of rural staff to their communities is not always visible in police statistics; rather consideration should be given to the ethos of the father of modern policing, Sir Robert Peel, that 'the test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder and not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with them'."
Canterbury needed more officers, Cahill said.
"Canterbury district should take advantage of its ability to recruit officers in its area, thereby contributing to the 500-recruitment target while, simultaneously, avoiding the removal of officers from its rural areas," he said.
Feedback closes on 18 August.
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