“With so many things going on affecting New Zealand Police, we should be hearing from Police Minister Poto Williams every day, but most officers don’t even know who their Minister is,” says ACT’s Police spokesperson Chris Baillie....
“With so many things going on affecting New Zealand Police, we should be hearing from Police Minister Poto Williams every day, but most officers don’t even know who their Minister is,” says ACT’s Police spokesperson Chris Baillie.
“Williams should be supporting the frontline officers she purports to represent and answering the questions New Zealanders want to know, including;
- How is the roll-out of 1800 extra Police Officers going? They were promised by Labour by the end of 2020, now we’re looking at 2023, are we still on track?
- Is she comfortable with Police manning border checkpoints instead of being out on the beat?
- Does she think the way gangs are currently being dealt with is working? What is she doing to make sure it does?
- What is she doing about the escalating gun crime and general violence on our streets?
- How are Police pay negotiations going?
- How many Police is she expecting to lose their jobs through not being vaccinated? How will she ensure we have enough officers to keep our communities safe.
“Every day our Police are having to deal with increasing violent offences, both against them and the public. We should feel safe on our streets and offenders who injure or threaten our Police Officers need to be dealt with to the full extent of the law.
“Poto Williams needs to show Police she has their backs.
“Earlier this year ACT released our law and order policy document. It includes Gang Injunction Orders are used in the UK and parts of the US. A review by the UK Home Office found “Gang injunctions were generally seen as a valuable tool in tackling gang-related violence, and seemed to work most effectively in areas with strong multi-agency arrangements in place.”
“ACT’s plan would take back control from the gangs and deploy an innovative policy to make New Zealand a safer place. As a country we deserve better.
"It would also increase Police in line with population growth.
“If anyone sees Poto Williams over summer, let us know. We’ve got a few questions to ask.”
Our Honest Conversations Law and Order document can be found here.