4. SANDRA GOUDIE (National—Coromandel) Link to this
to the Minister of Police
What reports has she received on the key factors that influenced the 2009 crime statistics?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Police) Link to this
The crime statistics today show that New Zealand has a serious violent element that has no respect for people, the community, or the law.
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
It might well be a surprise to Clayton Cosgrove, but it is not a surprise to members on this side of the House. Two big factors in our crime statistics are reported family violence and an increase in alcohol and drug arrests due to an increased focus on these crimes by police. Despite this—
Hon Rodney HideI raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am sorry to interrupt the Minister while she is on her feet, but I am sitting very close to her and I cannot hear a word. A constant barrage is coming from the Opposition benches. The Opposition might not like to hear the answer, but I certainly would, and I am sure that other members would, too.
Hon Darren Hughes
Mr SPEAKERI do not think I need further assistance on this one. I ask members to be a little more reasonable, but I do not blame this situation totally on the Opposition, at all, because the Minister in answering the question included a provocative comment directed across the House, which obviously brought more interjection back. The remedy is partly in the Minister’s hands: to not be unnecessarily or gratuitously provocative.
Hon Peter DunneI raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. You had barely called the Minister to answer the question when the barrage of noise began again. I am sitting marginally closer to her than Mr Hide was, but I could not hear a word of what was being said.
I thank the honourable member. On this occasion, the Minister had barely opened her mouth, so the Opposition front-benchers did not have the excuse that she had been provocative, yet there was an immediate barrage. I now ask seriously for members to show a little more respect for the House.
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
Despite this, the police have achieved an outstanding result in solving 47.8 percent of all reported crime—the highest level since electronic records began in 1978. In fact, just today the police completed a major organised crime operation in the Bay of Plenty, with 115 arrests, the destruction of thousands of cannabis plants, and the seizing of methamphetamine, cash, and stolen property—yet another great result from the police.
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
We have taken action to toughen sentences, parole, and bail for violent offenders; we have improved police powers and cracked down on gangs and P; and, most important, we have supported the victims of crime. We have given the police new tools to go after criminals, including 720 new Tasers and a new power to take DNA samples from offenders arrested for imprisonable offences. We are putting 300 extra police on the front line, and 200 police officers are already deployed in South Auckland. This means that the police will catch more criminals, which will be reflected in the statistics. The more police we have, the more rocks they can look under, and that is exactly what is happening.
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
Actually, the police have an incredibly difficult job. They are called in to clean up after the most horrendous cases of violence and domestic violence, putting their own safety on the line in most of these cases. In addition to the raft of laws effective from 1 December 2009, from July this year the police will be able to issue on-the-spot protections orders. That means they will be able to remove immediately any alleged violent person from a home for a period of up to 5 days, without having to wait, in some cases, for quite a long time for a court date. It is very important that this Government is backing the police, giving them 600 extra staff and 720 Tasers, and is backing the police when they have to take tough decisions about their safety and the safety of others.
Hon Annette KingWhat evidence does she have to back up her claim that welfare dependants—in other words, beneficiaries—are responsible for the explosion of violent crime in New Zealand, which is at the highest rate we have seen in a decade in terms of murders; and is not that claim just a continuation of the despicable attack on beneficiaries aimed at driving a wedge between those the Government believes are battlers and those it writes off as bludgers?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
If that member is going to start to quote me, she should quote the entire piece. I said that intergenerational welfare dependency is actually a driver of crime. If members want to consider that, they should just think about the Harris Brothers gang, about whom the Minister for Social Development and Employment alerted the public just a few days ago—gang members on benefits and too sick to work, according to that member.
Hon Clayton Cosgrove Link to this
So is the Minister saying that when statistics show more crime under Labour, that means there was more crime, but when the statistics show there is more crime under National, this means the Minister is doing a good job?
Hon JUDITH COLLINS Link to this
I say to that member that not once as the Minister of Police will I ever blame the sun and the moon for a rise in crime, as Annette King did—not once.
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I take exception to that comment. A retraction of those comments was put in the New Zealand Herald—[ Interruption]
I ask the member to resume her seat for a moment. I say to the Government benches, on this occasion, that a point is being heard and it will be heard in silence, although I point out to the honourable member that if she wishes to make a personal explanation she should seek leave to do that.
It was reported in 2007 that I had said that the moon and the weather were responsible for a rise in crime. In fact, what I said was misreported. I was reporting something that was said to me; it was not something that I said. I have corrected that in the House before, and I expect my word to be taken.
Hon Clayton Cosgrove Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I contest the answer given by the Minister. It did not address the question, at all. It talked about an extraneous quote, which we now know is not true; it did not address the question.