WEBVTT - Mark Mitchell: Crime in Auckland drops 35%

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News talks'd

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<v Speaker 1>be yes, And.

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<v Speaker 2>The government is celebrating a drop in the Auckland CBD

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<v Speaker 2>crime rates and there's less emergency housing being utilized now.

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<v Speaker 2>So new statistics show twenty two percent drop and serious

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<v Speaker 2>assaults in the Auckland CBD over the past year, eighteen

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<v Speaker 2>percent drop in serious assaults resulting in injury. It looks

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<v Speaker 2>as though recent changes to combat violent crime have been impactful.

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<v Speaker 2>But where to from here? And Police Minister Mark Mitchell

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<v Speaker 2>is with me now, Good afternoon. By the way, I

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<v Speaker 2>enjoyed that piece in the Herald about your nice good

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<v Speaker 2>bit of timing there reminiscing about the old days. Do

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<v Speaker 2>you do you think about those days much?

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<v Speaker 1>You know?

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<v Speaker 3>The dogs? It's very nice of you. I haven't read that.

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<v Speaker 3>I've had some look, of course I do. I mean

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<v Speaker 3>I love my police and career and I love my

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<v Speaker 3>time on the dog section in the Aos and yeah,

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<v Speaker 3>so it was I've sort of been pushing that off

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<v Speaker 3>for a bit two months, but I finally willed to

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<v Speaker 3>be said, okay, I am.

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<v Speaker 2>Actually the photo of you with your dogs are man.

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<v Speaker 2>That was one big pooch whoa he's huge.

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<v Speaker 3>He was. He was a big guy. Believe it. I

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<v Speaker 3>could feel it when I had to pick him up

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<v Speaker 3>and throw him over a fenceets for.

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<v Speaker 2>Real good stuff. Anyway, it's amusing here people go and

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<v Speaker 2>read it's a great, great profile piece on that mark.

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<v Speaker 2>But right now onto the serious stuff. So serious assaults

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<v Speaker 2>are down twenty two percent. Violent incidents like shootings and

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<v Speaker 2>stabbings are well, they're still in the headlines.

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<v Speaker 1>I guess the.

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<v Speaker 2>Question is mark your reaction to the stats, but also

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<v Speaker 2>are we feeling safer?

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<v Speaker 3>Look, we've still got a long way to go. We

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<v Speaker 3>acknowledged that. But the good news is, and we think

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<v Speaker 3>that we should actually highlight the fact that we've got

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<v Speaker 3>a much more joined up approach now in the way

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<v Speaker 3>that we're dealing with this. We've obviously focused on the

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<v Speaker 3>auction CVD because we've just seen so much andy soshal

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<v Speaker 3>and violent behavior and drug dealing and all the other

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<v Speaker 3>sort of stuff that has been deeply concerning to the

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<v Speaker 3>residents and obviously the shopkeepers and retailers, and so we

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<v Speaker 3>just seen we've seen some early results. It's too early

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<v Speaker 3>for celebration, but we're definitely moving in the right direction

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<v Speaker 3>and we know we've got more work to do.

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<v Speaker 2>Actually talk about that collaboration because I can imagine it's

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<v Speaker 2>it feels like the right thing to say, to talk

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<v Speaker 2>about the cooperation between police and social services. What do

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<v Speaker 2>you think the real the main cause of this reduction

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<v Speaker 2>in crime? Is it just cops on the beat or

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<v Speaker 2>is it the whole shebang?

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<v Speaker 3>So it's a combination of things. The police could not

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<v Speaker 3>get on top of this problem by themselves and it

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<v Speaker 3>became very apparent to me as the incoming milit so

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<v Speaker 3>that everyone was off working in their own silos and

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<v Speaker 3>it wasn't joined up. So I have called a meeting.

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<v Speaker 3>It's Auckland COUNCILORSVIVED involved kind of or a ministry of

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<v Speaker 3>social development, residents and rape pays groups, Business Association's Heart

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<v Speaker 3>of the City, all of our social service providers, you

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<v Speaker 3>know our Mary Warden's CPNZ. Well we all come together

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<v Speaker 3>now I call that meeting and chare it once a month.

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<v Speaker 3>We're all working together with a joined up strategy and

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<v Speaker 3>it's working.

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<v Speaker 2>As with the you and that's there. You've got twenty

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<v Speaker 2>one more officers in Auckland CBD on the beat. I

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<v Speaker 2>think is the presence of police on the beat. What's

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<v Speaker 2>the main point of that. Is it about us seeing

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<v Speaker 2>them and feeling safer, Is it about quick response time

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<v Speaker 2>or is it about the presence and reducing the impetus

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<v Speaker 2>for crime.

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<v Speaker 3>That's definitely part of it, high visibility and reassurance. Without

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<v Speaker 3>a doubt, there is also a prevention element to it.

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<v Speaker 3>They possible get to know their patch, they take on

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<v Speaker 3>of shi it, they understand what the drivers of crime

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<v Speaker 3>are in the area. They get to know personally who

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<v Speaker 3>the people that are causing the problems, and it's been

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<v Speaker 3>very effective and we've seeing that in some of the

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<v Speaker 3>results now that are starting to flow through. You know,

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<v Speaker 3>I want to acknowledge the big constables through out there

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<v Speaker 3>doing that job. They've been been outstanding job. They've had

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<v Speaker 3>targets set for them, our meeting those targets, and the

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<v Speaker 3>feedback that I get from them, tim is that they're

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<v Speaker 3>actually totally enjoying it because the nature of police which

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<v Speaker 3>is that it can be very negative, whereas they're really

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<v Speaker 3>enjoying the public interaction and the positive feedback that they're getting.

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<v Speaker 3>So it's nice to see them back out there and

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<v Speaker 3>without a doubt, I mean, we're not reinventing the wheel here,

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<v Speaker 3>it's just back to basics police, and.

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<v Speaker 2>What about rolling this approach out around the country and

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<v Speaker 2>other places? Are you looking at sort of? I mean,

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<v Speaker 2>obviously it's an operational decision up to a point, isn't it.

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<v Speaker 3>No, we are doing that. We're out of doubt. So

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<v Speaker 3>there's been additional beach staff put into both Wellington and

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<v Speaker 3>Canterbury and where we can. Of course, we want to

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<v Speaker 3>see a continued beat presence and our provincial towns and

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<v Speaker 3>our rural towns. No, it's not contained to Auckland at all.

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<v Speaker 3>But obviously there's been a big focus on just because

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<v Speaker 3>of the rapid deterioration over the last few years and

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<v Speaker 3>we had to reverse that.

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<v Speaker 2>Of course, we have had some terrible headlines. It seems

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<v Speaker 2>there's a shooting or a stabbing or something every week

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<v Speaker 2>or maybe even more frequently. Where are we at with

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<v Speaker 2>being able to get on top of that sort of

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<v Speaker 2>stuff and is that mostly gang related or what?

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<v Speaker 3>So it's been a very tough sort of ten days

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<v Speaker 3>two weeks in terms of the homicides that we've seen.

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<v Speaker 3>Most of those are contained. They're awful, but most of

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<v Speaker 3>them are contained. And by what by that. What I

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<v Speaker 3>mean is that the people know each other. It's not

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<v Speaker 3>necessarily out in the public. It could be awful domestic violence,

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<v Speaker 3>which of course we're able to do something around our

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<v Speaker 3>family harm, the rape of family harm in this country.

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<v Speaker 3>Or it might be gangs fighting with each other. But

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<v Speaker 3>without a doubt, we've seen you know that in the

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<v Speaker 3>last ten days, we've seen that real spike. The police

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<v Speaker 3>are working very hard, but of course they don't always

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<v Speaker 3>have the answer to these things. They are contained when

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<v Speaker 3>it might be a family violence type situation. But certainly

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<v Speaker 3>we're standing up our Social Investment Agency. We're starting to

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<v Speaker 3>get a lot more aligned with other agencies to try

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<v Speaker 3>and see the red flags and indicators and get in

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<v Speaker 3>there much earlier to prevent these sorts of thing Senter.

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<v Speaker 2>What about minor assaults? Where we are we at with that?

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<v Speaker 2>Because you see you bus drivers are soldiers here, someone's

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<v Speaker 2>punched in a park somewhere else Where are we at

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<v Speaker 2>with the minor assaults? Or now, don't I say minor

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<v Speaker 2>but they're not serious.

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<v Speaker 3>Look, I can't give you the dath on minor assaults.

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<v Speaker 3>I know that we've seen ram raids, aggravated robberies and

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<v Speaker 3>knife crime come down for acervative robberies down about ten percent,

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<v Speaker 3>knife crime down about ten percent, but still an unacceptable

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<v Speaker 3>rate of general assaults. You're on our buses which were

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<v Speaker 3>seeing and look, we just sort of we take this

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<v Speaker 3>here at tolerance to it and and you know, these

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<v Speaker 3>are the things that we're really focused on on. Fire

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<v Speaker 3>free up police hours, get them focused back on their

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<v Speaker 3>core role, and you know, and we just but we look,

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<v Speaker 3>there's been a huge growth over the last six years.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm not trying to diminish the job that we've got

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<v Speaker 3>in front of us, but the good but the good

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<v Speaker 3>thing is as we're starting to see some early positive results.

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<v Speaker 2>Uh just don't know on my personal side of things,

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<v Speaker 2>like so, I've had a big response from parents and

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<v Speaker 2>my daughter's school group because they were subject on an

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<v Speaker 2>assault where we put out this thing for all the kids,

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<v Speaker 2>do you want to do a self defense course? Every

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<v Speaker 2>parent and every kid said yes, which back when I

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<v Speaker 2>was growing up, we never would have dreamed about it.

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<v Speaker 2>So where are we at with with trying to get

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<v Speaker 2>on top of that. I don't know whether it's just

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<v Speaker 2>an impression, but it feels that society, regardless of the

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<v Speaker 2>stabbings is just more violent. There's more violent assaults. Is

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<v Speaker 2>more the casual nature of it. What's your take on.

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<v Speaker 3>That, Well, I think there is a casual nature to

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<v Speaker 3>it because not one, there's been no consequences. Number two,

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<v Speaker 3>when you look at the social media and content that

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<v Speaker 3>young people are sort of engaging with now, and the

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<v Speaker 3>fact that we've just got to implement standards and so

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<v Speaker 3>that you know, I'm sorry, like I said to you,

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<v Speaker 3>a zero tolerance towards any type of assault, which is

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<v Speaker 3>what we should be. That's the position we should be

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<v Speaker 3>taken as a society, and slowly we'll start to roll

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<v Speaker 3>this stuff back. You need very strong leaderships, leadership within

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<v Speaker 3>the schools, You need parents to step up and support that.

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<v Speaker 3>You need strong leadership through your central government agencies, from

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<v Speaker 3>local government, from community based organizations to be for us

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<v Speaker 3>ought to be aligned to say, you know what, we're

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<v Speaker 3>going to adopt some standards of this country, and one

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<v Speaker 3>of them is that assaulting people is no longer acceptable.

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<v Speaker 2>Is that anything you need to specifically legislate for with

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<v Speaker 2>the courts.

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<v Speaker 3>Around consequences, we are having to do that. We're making

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<v Speaker 3>changes to the sentence in act. We're saying that we're

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<v Speaker 3>going to cap discounts to forty percent because we felt

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<v Speaker 3>very strongly as the incoming government that the seriousness of

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<v Speaker 3>the offending was not being reflected in the consequences and

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<v Speaker 3>the sentences. So yes, we are having to make some

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<v Speaker 3>changes to legislation now.

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<v Speaker 2>And new powers for police. What's on the horizon.

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<v Speaker 3>So there's some new powers for police that should be

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<v Speaker 3>really in November. It's a suite of new powers around

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<v Speaker 3>the policing gangs, anty social behavior, taking over public roads,

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<v Speaker 3>intimidation of the public. Of course, we're banning their gang patches.

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<v Speaker 3>We're going to have non consulting orders which will stop

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<v Speaker 3>them from being able to get organized around the next

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<v Speaker 3>and the furious activities. So yes, there are a suite

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<v Speaker 3>of new laws coming out, new pairs for police.

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<v Speaker 2>Excellent. Well, it's good to celebrate some results on that

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<v Speaker 2>serious crime stuff. So I appreciate your time, staff.

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<v Speaker 3>Non Mark, thanks handing me on.

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<v Speaker 2>Cheers, Thanks very much. Yeah, go get a copy of

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<v Speaker 2>the new's thee on Herold. It's a good piece. It's

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<v Speaker 2>an interesting piece, just talking about his time and the

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<v Speaker 2>Umdefender Squad and the dog squad. But I'll tell you

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<v Speaker 2>what you check out that photo of him next to

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<v Speaker 2>his dogs. Are that dog was?

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<v Speaker 1>For more from the Weekend Collective. Listen live to news

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