More than half the small West Coast town of Karamea turned out in anger today to protest against losing their local constable.
New Zealand Police have put out a draft review to change policing around on the coast, which would see Karamea lose its only police officer.
For a town of around 550 people, it was a good and passionate turn out. More than 300 of them lined the streets to tell police what they thought of the idea of axing their local constable.
The townsfolk say they are the most isolated community in mainland New Zealand and this move would be an open invitation to criminals and anarchy.
"Geographically we are so far away from our nearest town. The thought of actually losing our local policeman here is actually incomprehensible to me," says Karamea local Ray Douglas.
Karamea, situated at the northern end of the West Coast is an isolated town at the end of a long and windy road. With no police, it would be more than an hour's drive to Granity for the next closest officer, or otherwise, Westport.
Many tourists also come through the town because it is at the end of one of the popular Great Walks, the Heaphy Track.
"Six-thousand tourists per year – it's actually got an aged population and it's very isolated, so having a community constable here is absolutely critical," says Buller Mayor Garry Howard.
"Just because the crime rate here is low is no excuse to remove a constable who's doing a good work both as community and search and rescue and general duties constable," says Labour MP Damian O'Conner.
Police are proposing the change partly because of the low crime rate in the area. The station deals with an average of just 27 incidents a year. But the residents say with no constable as a deterrent, things will change.
"If there's a little fight at the pub and if you don't have a local guy with a badge on and a uniform where a few of the local guys could come in behind and support him and settle it down, then it just becomes a riot at the pub," says local businessman Steve Bowden.
Submissions for the proposal close next week and it's apparent the town won't let things change without a fight.
Newshub.
