Police Minister Mark Mitchell trumpets new crime figures as police prepare for Treaty hīkoi arriving at Parliament
Victimisations are down but retail crime is up a year after Mark Mitchell took over as Police Minister.
Mitchell was speaking to media after completing a walkabout with Wellington police this afternoon, less than 24 hours out from thousands of protesters arriving for a hīkoi on Parliament’s lawns tomorrow.
Mitchell said last year he would resign if New Zealanders didn’t see change in public safety within 12 months of his appointment.
Today he unveiled new crime figures which he said showed a “positive trend”.
He also told gang members to “enjoy wearing the patch” for the next few days before a ban on wearing patches in public places comes into force on Thursday.
STORY CONTINUES AFTER LIVE BLOG
Scott Palmer
These live updates are now over.
Govt has plans for hīkoi reception
Scott Palmer
The Police Minister said he would be guided by decisions made by the wider Government on whether he would go out and speak to the protesters tomorrow.
The Government will have a plan in terms of how the hīkoi is received, he said.
But he said there would be contact and conversations, Mitchell said.
Police able to respond to occupation
Scott Palmer
Mitchell said the Government is "extremely sensitive" that it is the local residents and businesses that can be impacted by these types of events.
He said the organisers are aware of this and police have good planning in place to deal with any eventuality.
He said he was confident it would be a peaceful hīkoi bringing a message to Parliament.
Mitchell said he hadn't seen any intelligence of a risk of occupation. But Police have the ability to respond if protesters moved to occupy Parliament grounds.
I don't think you are going to see a counter-protest group that will be able to turn out and overwhelm the hīkoi, Mitchell said.
Preparations for hīkoi
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On the hīkoi, Mitchell said there has been a lot of preparation underway.
The organisers of the hīkoi have been working very closely with police to reduce as much disruption as they can, he said.
Mitchell couldn't say how many additional officers have been brought in, but he said he had been ensured police had the resources necessary.
He said it wouldn't be uncommon for there to be a leave embargo during a large event, but he couldn't say if one was in place during tomorrow's hīkoi.
Police confident about enforcement
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Mitchell said police were confident about their ability to "effectively enforce the laws that our Parliament passed".
Officers will take a "sensible, intelligent and nuanced" approach to it, he said.
Police will always have discretion about how they apply the law, Mitchell told reporters.
The Police Minister said New Zealand is an open, free democracy and gang members can take part in the protest.
They can wear their patches for the next few days, until November 21, but then it will be illegal to wear them, he said.
Gang patch ban
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On the gangs patch ban which starts this week, Mitchell said there was a "trail of tears and victims" sitting behind each gang member's patch.
"They are designed and used to intimidate people," he said.
The Government has made clear it won't tolerate that, Mitchell said.
He said gang members can either continue to send a message that they are above the law, or they can remove their patches and show people they realise they aren't special.
From speaking with senior gang members, Mitchell expects they will remove their patches.
Mitchell's promise to resign
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Mitchell said his promise to resign if there wasn't a change in public safety reflected his desire to "put a line in the sand" for himself and a "personal target".
Asked if the trends didn't continue in a positive direction, would he resign, Mitchell said he committed to staying Police Minister until a time the Prime Minister asked him not to.
He said he was "very happy" to stay in the role.
Govt open about retail crime increase
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He didn't believe the Government was picking and choosing what statistics to release.
He said the Government was open there had been a 12% increase in retail crime (theft and related offences).
But he said there had been a reduction in violent retail crime.
In a year's time, Mitchell said he wants to see the statistics still dropping.
There will be "peaks and troughs" in the numbers, but there's been an overall positive trend, he said.
More work needed, Mitchell says
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He wants to still see improvement across the board, Mitchell said.
New Zealand has a "world-class" police service, but there could be more work in a positive direction, he said.
He pointed to data that showed a reduction in victimisations across the board of 3%, but he acknowledged work needs to continue in that direction.
Mitchell says NZers seeing change
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He said the feedback from a staff member in one store was "outstanding" about the change they have seen since more beat cops on the street.
Last year, Mitchell said he would resign if New Zealanders didn't see a change in public safety within a year of his appointment.
He said he believed New Zealanders were seeing change, including in statistics and anecdotally in terms of how people were feeling.
Police have responded "extremely well" to Mitchell's letter of expectations, he said.
Mitchell starts speaking
Scott Palmer
Police Minister Mark Mitchell has been spending time with Wellington beat cops.
He said it was a chance to be on the street and see the work they do.
He said he got feedback from people in the CBD about the work the officers are doing.
Mark Mitchell set to speak
Scott Palmer
Police Minister Mark Mitchell is set to speak to media at 2.15pm after completing a walkabout with Wellington police this afternoon.
He is likely to discuss how police are preparing for thousands of protesters on Parliament’s lawns tomorrow.
Mitchell will also face questions about the impending enforcement of the gang patch ban, which will be actioned by police from Thursday.
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Mitchell will also face questions about the impending enforcement of the gang patch ban, which will be actioned by police from Thursday alongside other stronger powers intended to target gang members.
It’s estimated as many as 30,000 people could gather at Parliament by midday tomorrow as a nationwide hīkoi reaches its final destination.
For several days, thousands of people have travelled from the country’s southern and northernmost points in protest action designed to highlight the value of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
It was also in response to the Government’s Treaty Principles Bill that proposed to redefine the Treaty’s principles.
The bill, an Act Party creation which passed its first reading last week, has faced widespread opposition from many Māori organisations as well as Opposition and Government MPs.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who agreed to support the bill to first reading, argued the bill was too simplistic and didn’t recognise the nuance needed when addressing constitutional matters.
In police’s latest update today, it warned of “heavier-than-usual” traffic in Porirua as hīkoi participants held an event at Ngāti Toa Domain.
It also referenced a group travelling from Masterton this morning, which was expected to arrive in Greytown this afternoon.
“Police are asking motorists travelling around the wider Wellington region to plan ahead as delays are expected, and take extra caution on the roads today,” the update read.
Tomorrow, the hīkoi convoy was expected to travel from Takapūwāhia Marae to Waitangi Park in Te Aro before proceeding to Parliament grounds from 9am along Courtenay Place, Manners St, Willis St and Lambton Quay.
The Herald today reported a gang source that indicated members of several gangs could be in the hīkoi’s number tomorrow and were reportedly considering their own protest of the upcoming patch ban.
The public patch ban was one of several new powers becoming available to police from Thursday, including issuing dispersal notices to break up public gang gatherings and non-consorting orders to prevent gang members from communicating.
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.