NSW Opposition Leader Peter Debnam said today Labor’s promise on policing fails to deliver the most important change needed to make our communities safer – more police. 

"After 12 years, Labor have walked away from the need for more police – cutting 650 over the past three years - and the best Morris Iemma can come up with is a new ‘committee’. It’s policing by committee, not the community," Mr Debnam said. 

"Labor’s proposal to establish new committees will see community representatives outnumbered by hordes of bureaucrats recruited by Labor that are keeping resources away from frontline police," he said.

"Labor’s proposal is about more bureaucrats getting together to do nothing more than talk about crime. The community representatives are an afterthought.

"If Labor was serious about involving the community then they would not have neglected programs like Neighborhood Watch and Safety Houses for the past 12 years.

"I’m sure the criminals and thugs of NSW are cowering at the prospect of Morris Iemma’s new super weapon against crime – a committee, with back up to come from – you guessed it – a sub committee.

"The change we need in NSW is for more police with greater powers to do their job. And we need to put an end to Labor’s 'softly-softly' approach to policing that sees thugs dispersed as they riot around NSW, rather than being arrested.

"Morris Iemma and Labor's part-time Police Minister John Watkins believe we have enough police in NSW to do the job. I disagree. That's why I've announced a plan for an additional 300 police highway patrol officers.

"Whether it’s highway patrol officers or police needed to keep our stations open, Labor continues to deny there is a problem. They are in a complete state of denial. Labor is incapable of bringing about the change NSW needs.

"The NSW Liberal/Nationals want to employ more police. We will achieve this by not replacing the army of Sydney bureaucrats we don’t need as they leave the public service, saving the Government more than $4 billion, to employ the police and nurses we do need," Mr Debnam said.