6. Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE (Labour—Waimakariri) Link to this
to the Minister of Police
Does she stand by her comment that “the focus of this Government is on public safety.”?
Hon Clayton Cosgrove Link to this
How does her promise to New Zealanders that the Government focus is on public safety have any credibility when Lower Hutt police admitted leaving in the hands of Mongrel Mob members a sensitive police manual that contained confidential call signs, the names and ranks of police officers, and details of a woman who was later forced to flee her home?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
The New Zealand Police has acknowledged that that action was completely unacceptable. The police have changed their procedures accordingly. I remind that member that the only people cheering his constant attacks on the police are criminals.
Hon Clayton Cosgrove Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I seek your guidance. I asked a specific question, which was how her promise can have any credibility when this example of failure has happened. She never went anywhere near addressing the credibility of her statement.
Mr SPEAKERI think the Minister replied that the situation that the member had described was totally unacceptable to the Government. So she was acknowledging that it was totally unacceptable. I invite the member to ask further supplementary questions.
Hon Clayton Cosgrove Link to this
How does her promise to New Zealanders that the Government’s focus is on public safety have any credibility, when the police left a digital camera containing crime scene images at a crime scene following a drug raid in Lower Hutt, and among those images were photos of dead and decaying bodies and domestic violence victims?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
Again, that was a completely unacceptable situation, and the police have changed their procedures. They are now making sure that all photographs are deleted from digital cameras, so that that situation does not happen again. The Commissioner of Police is taking this very seriously, as am I.
Melissa LeeHon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
This Government is committed to significant increases in front-line police numbers, as promised before the election. Those increases are well on the way to being implemented under this Government.
Hon Clayton Cosgrove Link to this
How does the Minister’s promise to New Zealanders that the Government’s focus is on public safety have any credibility when an alleged rapist was initially bailed to a location just 300 metres from the alleged 15-year-old victim, following police failure to properly check the appropriateness of the bail address, and, further, a failure to convey that information to the judge; and why did it take a Dominion Post story and a question from the Opposition to generate any sort of action from that Minister?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
No action was taken as a result of the letter from the Opposition. Rather, the New Zealand Police has said that the incident is deeply regrettable. I would like to read to the member a comment that was sent to me—and I read it with permission—by the mother of the complainant: “I have absolutely no desire to criticise our police, who all in all do a fantastic job, often in difficult circumstances, and acted quickly and effectively to remedy the problem when they realised a mistake had been made.” I suggest to that member of the House that he take a little bit from that lady and try to accept that the police do the very best job they can.
Hon Dr Nick SmithHon Clayton Cosgrove Link to this
No, I back the victims. When is the Minister herself going to do something practical to deal with failures like these, which discredit every day the good work of our police, rather than simply having a do-nothing attitude and responding with “I will have a chat with the commissioner.”?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
I have made sure that the commissioner has changed policies and procedures to get things fixed.
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
Yes, actually. That is significantly more than what that member has ever done. The commissioner has taken action accordingly.
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
No, no, the commissioner has made sure that things have been done, because I have spoken to him about it.
Hon Clayton Cosgrove Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. We have a difficulty. In response to my first interjection, which asked whether the Minister had directed the commissioner, she answered—
I am listening to the Hon Clayton Cosgrove. The Minister must resume her seat, but I do want to hear a point of order.
Hon Clayton Cosgrove Link to this
Thank you, Mr Speaker. In response to my interjection in the middle of that question, when I asked whether the Minister had directed the commissioner, or words to that effect—and if one does not believe me, one can look at the Hansard—the response, I believe, was “Yes”. Then, towards the end of that question, when I interjected—
Hon Clayton Cosgrove Link to this
In response to a second interjection, the Minister contradicted herself and said she—
The member will take his seat. He knows that is not a point of order. It has nothing to do with the order of the House. If he interjects he can expect to get all sorts of responses. That is not a point of order; let us be very clear about that.
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I heard the member saying: “Did you speak to the commissioner?”—
Members must not use the point of order process for matters that have nothing to do with the procedures of this House. If the Hon Clayton Cosgrove wishes to raise another point of order, I will listen to him, but I have ruled on the matter and I am very clear on it.
Hon Clayton Cosgrove Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I seek your advice as to what the procedure is if a Minister or a member, in the course of answering a question, gives a contradictory answer and therefore, inadvertently or deliberately, misleads the House. I seek your advice.
No, I do not to need to hear any more on this. The Hon Clayton Cosgrove has been a member of this Parliament for a long time. He knows that the point of order process is not how that matter is dealt with. There are other proper procedures for dealing with it. If he is concerned that a member has deliberately misled the House, there are proper procedures for dealing with that.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I do not think there was any suggestion from Mr Cosgrove that the Minister had deliberately misled the House. I think the problem was, almost certainly, that she did so inadvertently. It was my experience that when Ministers did that it invited disorder, and sometimes inviting people to clarify their answers is a good way of stopping that from happening.