1. Question No. 1—PoliceDr EMILY HENDERSON (Labour—Whangārei) to the Minister of PoliceORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSQuestion No. 1—Police1. Dr EMILY HENDERSON (Labour—Whangārei) to the Minister of Police: What recent successes have Police had in relation to combatting organised crime in our communities?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister of Police): Just this month we've seen a number of successful raids on criminal activities as part of Operation Cobalt. On 4 September a search warrant was executed at the address of a patched Killer Beez member in Counties Manukau district. Several firearms were found including a loaded cut-down .22 semi-automatic rifle which the serial number had been removed from. On 1 September the Auckland City district Operation Cobalt disruption team executed a search warrant in Remuera. A search of a vehicle located an AK-47 - style semi-automatic firearm with two full magazines. A patched Mongols member was charged with possession of a restricted weapon and possession of ammunition.Dr Emily Henderson: What is the focus of Operation Cobalt?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Operation Cobalt which commenced in June this year is aiming to deliver a nationally coordinated response to unlawful gang behaviour by enabling districts to prevent supress disrupt and where appropriate prosecute offences through sustained intelligence enablement and enforcement activity.Dr Emily Henderson: What national successes has Operation Cobalt seen at suppressing criminal activity?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: To date Operation Cobalt has seen 441 search warrants executed 225 warrantless searches undertaken 155 firearms seized and 10125 criminal charges filed. Hon Mark Mitchell: Why did the Labour Government not implement Operation Cobalt four years ago as proposed by the National Party and does he accept that there'd be a large number of victimisations that would have been avoided had they put Operation Cobalt in place four years ago?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: The member hasn't been paying attention. Operation Tauwhiro was our precursor to Operation Cobalt. If he hangs on a moment he'll hear a bit more about it.Jo Luxton: What specific successes have police had in fighting harm caused by drugs and organised crime in Ashburton?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Operation Mastiff was terminated between 6 and 8 September in the Canterbury district. The biggest drugs operation Ashburton has seen in a very long time saw more than 160 charges laid against 18 people associated with gangs following a series of search warrants. Seizures included cash methamphetamine cannabis LSD codeine unidentified pills firearms and ammunition.Dr Emily Henderson: What other successes have police had in seizing assets from criminals?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Operation Samson began on 8 November 2021 and centred on the importation of methamphetamine. On 8 September 12 Harley-Davidson motorcycles connected to a Hells Angels member were seized from a container as part of the ongoing asset recovery investigation; 16 other vehicles; and over $400000 in cash was restrained following the termination of Operation Samson which continues to investigate people and entities connected to the West Auckland Nomads chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.Dr Emily Henderson: How do these results build on previous police operations that were targeted at combating organised crime?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: An excellent question and I'm sure Mark Mitchell will be listening intently to the answer to this one. Police seized firearms parts and ammunition through targeted enforcement as part of Operation Tauwhiro. At the conclusion in June 2022 of Operation Tauwhiro they had executed 1043 search warrants 765 warrantless searches had been undertaken 1804 firearms had been seized 1457 arrests had been made and 53 kilograms of methamphetamine had been seized.