New Zealand Police is denying claims 16 Auckland police stations are going to shut down.
Labour MP and Auckland mayoral candidate Phil Goff said earlier this week that police sources had confirmed to him 16 Auckland police stations would close. Some would be temporary, and some permanent, he said.
But Acting Assistant Commissioner of District Operations Bruce Bird says the only change that's happening is the upgrade of safety features at 105 stations around the country.
"In some of these stations, one of the options may be to limit public access at times when constabulary staff are on the premises," he said in a statement.
"This does not mean the stations will permanently close, but the public access at some stations may be, as an interim measure, restricted to those times when a constabulary or authorised officer is available to work at the front counter."
Commissioner Bird says the security review of stations is a project that has been in the works since last year.
Newshub then went back to Mr Goff. He said he expects the police to deny the claims, but his sources are "extraordinarily good".
"The information that I've received comes from within the police themselves. The police are saying that these health and safety concerns – while they might be real – are being used as a pre-text for the permanent of closure of stations to the public," Mr Goff said.
"The community policing section of the New Zealand police are alarmed that this will deny access to the public of their services in their local police stations and they fell that it will damage the community outreach of the police."
The 16 stations suspected of closure are:
Newshub.
