1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,400 Speaker 1: Police minister was on the beat in the Capitol yesterday 2 00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:04,400 Speaker 1: spreaking the fact that crime is in a lot of 3 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 1: areas is down and perhaps we can argue that the 4 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:09,880 Speaker 1: crime wave and sense of hopelessness we'd endured these past 5 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 1: several years might have finally come to an end. Remembering, 6 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: of course, the minister said things would improve or he 7 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:18,080 Speaker 1: would quit anyway. Police Minister Marke Mitchell as well, it's 8 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:18,920 Speaker 1: very good morning to you. 9 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:20,079 Speaker 2: Good morning Mike. 10 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:22,240 Speaker 1: Rhetoric versus the fact, to be fair to you, what 11 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:24,160 Speaker 1: you do say, it's not over and there's a lot 12 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: of work, you know to do. What are the areas 13 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:29,160 Speaker 1: that you are still concerned about. 14 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:32,600 Speaker 3: So basically the same things that we became in government. 15 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:36,520 Speaker 3: It's the gangs, the fact that the numbers have grown, 16 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 3: the fact that they are a lot more violent, the 17 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:40,960 Speaker 3: caring fiums are willing to use them, and just the 18 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 3: general misery and harm that are inflicting on the communities 19 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:45,199 Speaker 3: that they're in. So big focus on gangs and you 20 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 3: would have seen that there's been some pretty tough policing 21 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:50,200 Speaker 3: around the gangs, but we've got a lot more work 22 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 3: to do violent retail crime, So the violent part of 23 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:56,480 Speaker 3: the retail crime where the real human cost sits, although 24 00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:58,959 Speaker 3: we're starting to see reduction on that again, a lot 25 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 3: more work to do, So yeah, those were probably those 26 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:05,199 Speaker 3: were sort of the two major areas that we've really 27 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 3: been focused in home Din on. 28 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:10,280 Speaker 1: Would you were you asked, actually yesterday, are you going 29 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:11,960 Speaker 1: to resign to people to the media still has to 30 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:15,320 Speaker 1: you about resigning or are you feeling confident within yourself 31 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:18,479 Speaker 1: that you've done enough to defend your reputation and stay 32 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:18,960 Speaker 1: in the job. 33 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 3: Well, there used to ask me that a lot at 34 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 3: the beginning of the term, at the beginning of this year, 35 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 3: but they've sort of they've stopped asking me about it. 36 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:27,880 Speaker 3: But I just thought it was coming up two olve 37 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 3: months and it was important for me that I did 38 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:32,600 Speaker 3: that to hold myself to account because we're in such 39 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 3: a bad place as a country that the expectation is 40 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 3: that whoever took over as police minister, it's a huge responsibility. 41 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 3: You've got to show that your things are changing. Otherwise 42 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:44,440 Speaker 3: I wasn't the right guy for the job or the 43 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 3: right person for the job. So we are starting to 44 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 3: see change. Like I said, we've got a long way 45 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 3: to go, but we're starting to see some trends moving 46 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 3: in the right direction. 47 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 1: I mentioned at the very start of the program that 48 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 1: things have changed for the better, and I asked about 49 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: ram raids, and ram raids don't seemed to be a thing, 50 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: And everyone texted me and said, well, what about the 51 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: digger in the wire rapper the other day? But I 52 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: mean that aside. I mean the ram raid issue which 53 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 1: plagued us literally daily for months on it, and that 54 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 1: seems to be under control. Or am I wrong? 55 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 3: No, No, you're right, And look, the reality of is 56 00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:19,119 Speaker 3: US crimes, they're going to go away completely. As long 57 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 3: as humans have been around, there's bad people that do 58 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 3: bad things. But you know, we'd reached, in my view, 59 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 3: a point in New Zealand where we should be able 60 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:29,520 Speaker 3: to say that we're one of the safest countries in 61 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 3: the world and that tourists and people and retailers and 62 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,120 Speaker 3: shopkeepers and their workers and people can go about their 63 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 3: lives feeling reasonably safe. And we were going we were 64 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 3: heading in the wrong direction. So it was time to 65 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:43,720 Speaker 3: stop and reverse that. And I want to say that's 66 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 3: not attributal to me. I mean it's the fact that, yes, 67 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 3: I've got the privileged position of Minister, so I can 68 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 3: bring everyone together. The Orkan CBD is a good example 69 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 3: where we've brought the residents and rape pass groups together, 70 00:02:56,240 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 3: the business associations, social service providers, Mary Ward and CPS, 71 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 3: z KOMSD, Police, Saint John's, we've all come together, we've 72 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,560 Speaker 3: been aligned. I had my latest meeting on Friday and 73 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 3: we've seen real success. So I've been going around the 74 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 3: country trying to pull that together and trying to get 75 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 3: some real change and it's happening. 76 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 1: Given what you're up against with Australia and recruitment, what 77 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: are our numbers and recruitment. 78 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:20,560 Speaker 3: Like yet, So we're well on track to delivery now 79 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,079 Speaker 3: five hundred. We've got a very strong pipeline of recruits 80 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 3: coming in. We've increased the numbers now at the college 81 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 3: to one hundred on the recruit wins. Yes, the Australians. 82 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 3: The Australians have been here for decades trying to recruit 83 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 3: our police officers and the reason is they've got their 84 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 3: own problems and our police officers are so good. But 85 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 3: the good news is we're not seeing huge numbers go 86 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 3: to Australia. Some will go, but most will stay. 87 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: Okay, New commissioner. 88 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 2: When so an announcement around that is a minute? 89 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 1: What's that day's weeks? 90 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 2: Yeah? Days, so we'll be announcing the new. 91 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:55,840 Speaker 1: Do you know who it is as you sit and 92 00:03:55,840 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: talk to us now, yes, I'll just say the decision 93 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 1: has been. 94 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 2: Made, Yeah, it has. Yes, decisions we made. 95 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: Okay, are you going to meet the protesters today? 96 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 3: Look, I think that it's important to go out and 97 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:14,520 Speaker 3: meet the protest and there will be a group going 98 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:17,520 Speaker 3: out on behalf of the government to do that. But 99 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 3: the makeup of that group I don't decide on. 100 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:22,479 Speaker 1: That, Okay, but that has been decided and you know 101 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:23,039 Speaker 1: who they are. 102 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:26,159 Speaker 2: I know some, but I don't know if there's been 103 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 2: a final decision. 104 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: Has there been any guarantee? And I think Seymour wanted 105 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: to guarantee if who's going and go out and meet 106 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 1: that people would actually be listening to and not yelled 107 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,160 Speaker 1: down or sung down. Do you have that assurance or 108 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:37,799 Speaker 1: are you just going out and taking your chances? 109 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:40,719 Speaker 3: I don't know if we're seeking that assurance. But I mean, 110 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 3: if you're really serious about a genuine dialogue, then why 111 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:47,280 Speaker 3: would you shout down people that have gone out to 112 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:48,040 Speaker 3: meet you? 113 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:49,559 Speaker 2: So I hope that doesn't happen. 114 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:52,280 Speaker 1: Have you seen on social media the police painting signs 115 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:53,080 Speaker 1: for the protesters. 116 00:04:54,560 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 3: Yes, that was raised with me yesterday and my officials 117 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 3: meeting by the Commissioner, and we both agreed that in 118 00:05:02,240 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 3: terms of maintaining public confidence, it's very important that our 119 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:09,479 Speaker 3: police service has been seen as politically neutral. But they've 120 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:11,599 Speaker 3: got their own processes, et cetera to be able to 121 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:12,040 Speaker 3: deal with those. 122 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: So is somebody taking care of that because that's not 123 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:18,200 Speaker 1: politically neutral and it's not the job of a policeman 124 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: to paint science. 125 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 2: No, that's right. So, yes, yes they are. 126 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 1: So they're being sorted out. Yes, what goes through a 127 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:29,200 Speaker 1: police person's mind to do that. 128 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,479 Speaker 3: Look, I don't want to I don't want to speculate 129 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:38,760 Speaker 3: on that. All that I'd say is that especially young 130 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:41,560 Speaker 3: police officers who probably aren't that politically engaged, but are 131 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 3: very engaged with their communities. And this is this is 132 00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:48,360 Speaker 3: the irony that I sort of find about this thing, 133 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:51,839 Speaker 3: is that our police did an outstanding job over at 134 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 3: Podokey on the East Coast recently, completely taking down the 135 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:59,680 Speaker 3: Mungl Bob barbarians who were wreaking havoc in some of 136 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 3: theial towns over there, particularly a Podokey, and immediately there 137 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:07,360 Speaker 3: was a whole lot of very emotive rhetoric come out 138 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 3: from the party, Mary and others saying, you know, heavy 139 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:11,640 Speaker 3: handed by the police. 140 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:12,920 Speaker 2: They're using the terms. 141 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:16,800 Speaker 1: Raids, they called terrorists, rorism. 142 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:20,880 Speaker 3: Terrorism, all this sort of stuff, heavily critical of our police, who, 143 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:25,119 Speaker 3: by the way, that wasn't None of those allegations were true. 144 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:29,480 Speaker 3: Our police do an outstanding job and yet when they 145 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:32,840 Speaker 3: I don't hear any of them saying anything. When when 146 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:36,160 Speaker 3: you see our police officers actually integrating with the community 147 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:37,760 Speaker 3: and doing that sort of stuff, they are very good 148 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:41,160 Speaker 3: at it. So I don't know what these young constables 149 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:44,240 Speaker 3: were thinking, but they are young. They're not necessarily politically 150 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:48,280 Speaker 3: you know, engaged. Most Kiwis, I say eighty percent of 151 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 3: Keys don't pay much attention to politics. However, the important 152 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 3: thing is that our police is seen to be political neutral. 153 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:59,839 Speaker 3: It's critically important for maintaining public confidence and the police 154 00:06:59,839 --> 00:07:01,320 Speaker 3: can mus and the police are aware of it, and 155 00:07:01,360 --> 00:07:03,280 Speaker 3: they have got internal processes to be able to deal 156 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:03,479 Speaker 3: with it. 157 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:06,520 Speaker 1: Appreciate time as always, Mike Mitchell for more from the mic, 158 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 1: asking breakfast listen live to news talks that'd be from 159 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 1: six am weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio