1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,360 Speaker 1: On that subject, I was really interested in that Auckland 2 00:00:02,360 --> 00:00:05,120 Speaker 1: Central crime meeting with the Police Minister last night. If 3 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: it wasn't that the thing was scheduled at half past six, 4 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 1: when this show was still on the air, I would 5 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: have actually gone along because I got Mark Mitchell's flyer 6 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: in the letterbox inviting me to come along. I live 7 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,160 Speaker 1: in Auckland Central, and also because I work in Auckland 8 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: Central as well. I really care very very deeply about 9 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: the crime in my neighborhood. I'll tell you what, I 10 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:25,160 Speaker 1: am not happy about it at all. We live within 11 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 1: hearing of the Ponsonbye Road shooting which happened a few 12 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:32,279 Speaker 1: weeks back. We constantly have unsavory characters just loitering on 13 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: our street at the moment doing god knows what. Got 14 00:00:34,760 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: a couple of guys who pitched a tent in the 15 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:39,839 Speaker 1: local park and seem to live there. They've been there 16 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 1: for like quite a few months now. Sometimes they just 17 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: smoke weed, smoke weed or a quite fragrant flagrantly out there. 18 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:50,080 Speaker 1: I made a conscious decision about a month ago that 19 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:52,519 Speaker 1: at nighttime now I'm not going to drive. I'm not 20 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 1: going to walk distances that I can very comfortably walk. 21 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: I'm going to drive them instead because I just don't 22 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: think it's safe anymore when it's dark. So I want 23 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: something done. As an Allclane Central resident, I want something done, 24 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: and I want something done really, really quickly. And I 25 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 1: realize that there are some people who came out of 26 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:07,320 Speaker 1: that meeting last night feeling much the same as me, 27 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: and feeling as she's quite unimpressed and unhappy with what 28 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 1: they heard there. But I have got a slightly more 29 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: optimistic take on it after what was said at that meeting. 30 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:18,720 Speaker 1: At least Mark Mitchell acknowledges that there is a problem. 31 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:21,880 Speaker 1: That is a massive change from what we heard from 32 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:24,480 Speaker 1: Ginny Anderson when she was the Labour Police Minister. She 33 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: spent amazing amounts of time just pretending we didn't have 34 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: a crime problem. Do you remember that she'd just said, 35 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 1: oh no, we just got this fantastic new app that 36 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:33,559 Speaker 1: allows us to report more crimes, so we're getting more reports, 37 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:35,319 Speaker 1: but there's not actually more crime, which is just a 38 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:37,680 Speaker 1: load of bollocks and we all knew that. And having 39 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:40,199 Speaker 1: Mark Mitchell actually front up to meetings in his evenings 40 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 1: when he is already an MP of his own electorate 41 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: plus he's a very busy cabinet minister. Is actually, I 42 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: think very impressive, and I think we've got to be 43 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: a little bit realistic about this. This is not going 44 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: to be fixed overnight. Mark Mitchell is turning around six 45 00:01:53,920 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: years of neglect of our inner cities with a previous 46 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: government filled them with homeless people and then pretended there 47 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 1: wasn't crime problem. He's only been in the job seven months. 48 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 1: Give him a moment. He knows what the fixes and 49 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 1: this is the important thing. He knows how to fix it. 50 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: More police on the beat Already there are noticeably more. 51 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: One of my colleagues who lives nearby says he sees 52 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,000 Speaker 1: them out all the time, but there aren't enough because 53 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 1: I don't see them all the time and I don't 54 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 1: live that far away. So yes, absolutely there's room for improvement, 55 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:23,920 Speaker 1: and I'll tell you what they're better be improvement. But 56 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:26,399 Speaker 1: for now I'm seeing enough good signs to have some heart. 57 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 2: For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to 58 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:33,640 Speaker 2: news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 59 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.