Seventeen members of the public and nine media representatives attended the 1.30pm meeting in South Dunedin, to hear from southern police district commander Superintendent Bob Burns and Dunedin police area commander Inspector Dave Campbell.
Labour police spokesman Clayton Cosgrove attended the meeting, which Dunedin South MP Clare Curran said she organised after receiving multiple calls, letters and visits from South Dunedin residents, including local police, who were concerned about the proposals.
Police are proposing to remove all general duties staff from the South Dunedin and North Dunedin stations, reduce Port Chalmers and Green Island stations to sole-charge stations and establish three "proactive policing teams" in Dunedin, which will target specific individuals and problems.
The main concerns raised at the meeting reflected those already expressed publicly and were summed up by Brighton resident Colin Weatherall, who said "We love our community cops".
"We really like them in our community and their knowledge is critical.
When Green Island is on duty, we get a quick response ...
I can give you several examples of having waited several hours for a response from [Dunedin Central]."
Ms Curran asked Supt Burns what would happen to officers' local knowledge and relationships and how well police staff had received the proposals, given that she understood many were not happy.
She also asked if people would still be able to walk into a local police station and see a police officer.
Supt Burns assured her there would still be a community constable at each station.
He questioned the advantage of officers having local knowledge.
South Dunedin, for example, had the lowest crime resolution rate in the Southern police district, he said.
"Which counters the argument that staff there know what's happening in their patch."
The vast majority of police staff supported the proposals.
However, some were not happy about how they would affect them "and their lifestyles".
"At the end of the day, we are dealing with people who applied for positions they are comfortable in and now they are having to do things they are not so comfortable with."
Ms Curran rang the Otago Daily Times after the meeting to express her concern Supt Burns was perpetuating a myth that police concerned about the proposal were resistant to change, when she understood they were open to change as long as they could stay based at their present station.
She also disputed Supt Burns "insinuation" South Dunedin police were not doing their jobs.
Insp Dave Campbell said it seemed from comments at the meeting that police and those present wanted the same things, but disagreed about how to achieve them.
Supt Burns said he would accept public submissions on the changes, even though it was an operational decision, until tomorrow.
They would be considered along with the 22 other submissions already received.
