Police funding boost more than union expected, but ‘devil will be in the detail’

Thursday, 22 May 2025

The centrepiece of Budget 2025 for a ‘tough on crime’ Government is its $480m funding boost for frontline police, which even the police union boss says was more than he was expecting.

But despite the cash injection - the Government has announced that over the next four years, it will pour $1.1 billion into crime response and prevention initiatives - union boss Chris Cahill and Police Commissioner Richard Chambers both told The Post tough financial and resourcing decisions lie ahead.

The $480m is intended to bolster police wage and price increases, and costs to maintain its infrastructure and equipment.

“Much of this remedies an under-funded increase to police numbers inherited from the previous Government,” Police Minister Mark Mitchell said on Thursday, after the Government’s Budget was released.

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told The Post he was “very, very grateful to the Government for acknowledging the cost pressures and supporting the outstanding work police do”.

Tough decisions await the Commissioner with the $480m marking a drop in the ocean of the costs associated with managing 15,000 staff.

The boost will also not be enough to fund the likes of Chambers’ aspirations of body cameras for all cops, although there is work to be done to establish legislation supporting the cameras first, he said.

Some money will also likely go to assuaging the concerns of officers who have sounded the alarm over the state of their workplaces.

“We have to make choices about where to put resources, but that’s not new to us.”

Police Association President Chris Cahill echoed this.

“This is more than we probably expected police to be allocated, but the reality is the $480m will be soaked up by the increased costs of running police services with inflation.

“For example, the rising cost of petrol, significant operational expenses such as replacing Tasers, whether there are enough vehicles and so on,” Cahill said.

Cahill added “the devil will be in the detail” of how the $480m was spent but that he hoped it was focused on what the front line needed: “Those people are the real backbone of police.”

One Auckland front line officer, who The Post agreed not to name to protect his employment, said he hoped some of the money would be used for pay increases to retain staff and attract prospective officers.

But aside from the $480m, here is a detailed breakdown of how else the coalition Government plans on funding their mission to keep Kiwis safe through their second budget.

$472m to manage prison growth

Pressures at Corrections are also set to be addressed with an investment of $472m over the next four years.

Partnered initiatives will provide funding to maintain “safe and effective” Corrections services by addressing “critical pressures, including infrastructure, digital and other supplier cost increases” and funding for critical remuneration pressures for frontline staff.

In his role as Corrections Minister, Mitchell said the investment will ensure Corrections can meet cost pressures caused by the increase in prisoners and inflation.

“Our Government has restored proper consequences for crime. Because of that, there has been an increase in the prison population and fewer victims of crime.”

This would include funding for 580 new frontline staff, 368 of which are Corrections Officers (in addition to the 685 new frontline staff funded through last year’s Budget).

Funding will also help deliver 240 new high security beds at Christchurch’s Men’s Prison, along with a new Health Centre and Intervention and Support Unit containing 52 beds.

“The new Intervention and Support Unit will provide dedicated specialist mental health support to prisoners who are at risk of harming themselves or other,” Mitchell said.

$246m to reduce court delays

Courts will also see an additional $246m funding over the next four years.

The hope is this will enable the justice system to clear court case backlogs by supporting their efficiency, including additional resources to reduce the post-Covid backlog of trials in Auckland courts.

“Justice delayed is justice denied. Waiting months or years for a case to be resolved only adds to the frustration and trauma for victims and, indeed, all court participants.

“While there has been progress, it’s really important that we keep things moving. This funding will do exactly that,” Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said.

In the year ending March 31, cases disposed of within expected timeframes stabilised at 81%, after almost a decade of declining timeliness, he said.

$103m for reforming young offenders

Initiatives to rehabilitate serious and persistent young offenders will receive a boost this year too.

A total of $103m is being invested over four years into upgrading facilities and funding ways to address recidivism among young people.

This will be broken down into:

• $22m for repairs and upgrades to Oranga Tamariki residences;

• $16m to implement the new legislative regime for Young Serious Offenders;

• $33m in safety and quality improvements to the facilities at youth justice residences; and

• $33m for the operation of military style academies and transitional support for young serious offenders.

“We continue to want better for, and from, these young people. This is not just an investment in facilities, it is an investment in them.

“This investment will have a real impact on these young people and their whānau. It will also ensure our communities are safer, both immediately and in the future,” Minister for Children Karen Chhour says.

$60m for modernising police systems

An additional $60m has been set aside to enable the upgrade of police’s core systems to more resilient, cloud-based alternatives.

“Upgrading the Enterprise Resource Management technology will enable a modern, reliable system that ensures police’s 10,000-plus staff get paid on time and deliver improved rostering and scheduling data to better inform frontline deployment decisions,” Mitchell said.

An expansion of the Prosecutions Uplift Programme (PUP) - a programme of targeted interventions, including improving prosecutions to support court efficiencies and more timely case resolutions - is also included.

$35m for Customs to combat drug smuggling and organised crime

Up to 60 more frontline staff and upgraded technology will be funded through an injection of $35 million into Customs.

According to Finance Minister Nicola Willis, this investment will “strengthen the boarder”.