Force's structure reviewed

The structure of Nelson Bays police is being reviewed.

Police do not want to comment on the details of the proposed changes, but the Nelson Mail understands that one of the areas being looked at is reducing the number of officers based at the Wakefield station from two to one.

Nelson Bays area commander Inspector Steve Greally confirmed yesterday that the structure of the Nelson Bays force was being looked at.

Mr Greally said the review was to ensure that the way the force was organised was future-proofed and aligned with the police strategy of prevention first.

He said this would help to ensure that police met their strategic goals of confident, safe and secure communities.

He said he could not comment on the detail of the restructuring in the media.

"My staff need to know about this first. I'm in the middle of a consultation process."

Mr Greally said that once a decision had been made, he would discuss it publicly.

The police budget has also come under pressure in the current economic climate, and cuts were recently made to non-sworn staff.

- © Fairfax NZ News