12. CHESTER BORROWS (National—Whanganui) Link to this
to the Minister of Police
Is she satisfied with the timeliness of the police response to the robbery and shooting of Navtej Singh at his liquor store in Manurewa on 7 June; if so, why?
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Police) Link to this
I will await the outcome of the police debrief, and I suggest the member does the same.
Does she acknowledge the concern of New Zealanders who are still wondering why police waited nearly half an hour to secure the scene before sending in medical help, yet Mr Navtej Singh’s wife, friend, and at least 10 customers were able to enter the store while Mr Singh lay dying, and repeatedly told police that the offenders were long gone?
I feel for the family hugely; I know they want answers, and, of course, the public do, too. But I will not pre-empt the investigation that takes place after such an event. As a former police officer, that member knows that an investigation will take place, and that the police will look at whether they could have done things differently or better. But to pretend that, before that investigation takes place, we know what happened does a disservice to the police.
Can she confirm that the latest information available on police response times to priority call-outs is for the year ended 30 June 2005, because a new reporting system that was to be completed before the end of September 2007 got pushed back to the end of 2007, and is now due on 30 June 2008; and how can the public be assured that the police are improving their response times to emergency calls, when they cannot be held accountable for their performance in the last 3 years?
Of course they are held accountable, and they are held accountable in the most public way possible; the spotlight is on the New Zealand Police every day of the week. In fact, no other organisation, in my view, has the same sort of scrutiny that the New Zealand Police has.
Does she accept the view of the Sikh Society that there are still some unanswered questions for the police and other authorities about why Navtej Singh did not get treatment when he was shot; and if the Sikh Society were confident that an internal review would be sufficient, why would it decide to make a complaint to the Independent Police Conduct Authority “to ensure no one else is put in the same situation”?
I share the society’s concerns, because it does want answers. But I would say to the member that I have read the comments made by the secretary of the Sikh Society and they include this statement: “We would like to put on record our appreciation of the proactive stance taken by New Zealand Police to address our community concerns regarding the circumstances around the death, as well as the concerns of the general owner-operated retailing business community.” That was said by the Sikh community. We could play politics with this matter all day, but I believe we ought to wait until the debrief has occurred before we jump to conclusions.
Does she accept the information given to those of us who met with retailers in South Auckland last week that businesses are robbed with violence or threats on a daily basis, and that those incidents go unreported because the victims do not believe that the police can respond in an effective and timely manner?
No, I do not accept that, because anyone who does not report to the police a robbery of his or her premises is being very foolhardy. How can the police respond if a robbery is not reported?
Does she agree with the local Labour MP, George Hawkins, when he said that he did not have confidence that the police would adequately review their response to the robbery and shooting of Mr Singh, and can she explain how a former Minister of Police for 6 years under her Government could make such a statement without his calling into question the integrity of previous police inquiries?
I think the member will find that George Hawkins subsequently said that he is pleased with the action the police have taken in the appointment of—
Hon Dr Michael Cullen Link to this
I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. I really do think that on this question, which is about the murder of someone and the subsequent police inquiry, we could actually avoid, for once, guffawing and laughter from the Opposition.
Hon Bill EnglishWe find the implication of that comment unpleasant. The guffawing and laughter was about the obvious division between the Labour Party machine and the local member, George Hawkins. That was what the guffawing was about—not the tragic death of an inhabitant of Manurewa.
Hon Dr Michael Cullen Link to this
That was a pretty pathetic attempt at a rescue. The fact is Opposition members easily fell back into their usual behaviour, forgetting the seriousness of the question—and Mr Borrows has been asking his questions seriously, as well.
Madam SPEAKERI think members have noticed that, and they will be judged accordingly by those who are listening and viewing them.
Mr Hawkins is perfectly capable of speaking for himself. But I can tell that member that George Hawkins has said that he is pleased with the police action in appointing the Tasman police district commander, Superintendent Grant O’Fee, to undertake a review, and the community has been told that that review will be made public.