Mark Ron: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Mark Ron: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:610;Page:7649] 
7.  
RON MARK (NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister of Police 
: Is he satisfied that sufficient front-line police staff are available to combat crime in New Zealand? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS (Minister of Police) 
: 
 I am generally pleased because we have provided so many more staff under a Labour-led Government. In fact since September 1999 we have achieved a 10 percent increase in staff and we now have more police than ever before. We are paying police more than before and we can contrast that with the fact that on 19 March 1998 police marched on Parliament for fairer pay when the Treasurer was Winston Peters. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The last part of that answer is not acceptable. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I did not hear what he said or the way he said it. Could he perhaps repeat it? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No I heard what he said quite clearly. The last part of the answer was not necessary to render the answer acceptable. 
Ron Mark 
: If the Minister is so confident can he tell the House if there are adequate police on the streets at night patrolling in order to deter and/or catch criminals how is it then that a business situated a few metres from his own electorate office was recently ram-raided for the second time in 3 years causing over $20000 worth of damage; and is it simply as the locals are saying because there is no one out there to catch these people? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: The police use an intelligence-led theory now whereby staff are placed where they think they are needed. Of course crimes do happen and police do investigate them. 
Martin Gallagher 
: Could the Minister emphasise for the benefit of this House what strategies the police are developing to prioritise crime response? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: Police districts are implementing intelligence-driven police responses. Priorities are crimes in progress crimes against the person and crimes with wider public implications. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: Can the Minister confirm that police currently spend around 300000 hours a year on cannabis offences which is the equivalent of about 150 sworn front-line officers and if he cannot confirm that how many hours do they spend on cannabis offences? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: I cannot give the member the exact number but they are spending sufficient time to make sure that those who are breaking the law in using cannabis are caught. 
Ron Mark 
: Given the priorities he has stated and the work that he is doing can the Minister tell the House how many of the 51 burglaries reported between 23 and 29 June in his own electorate have been cleared; if he cannot answer is it simply because of his blatant disregard for the safety and security of the people who live in his own electorate and who put him in this House to do the job he is meant to be doing? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: I can tell that member that the Counties-Manukau police are doing very well. They arrested a 33-year-old chap the other day who had committed several burglaries. I think the member will find that the police are now resolving more crime than ever before which is better than the rate of 29 percent from a decade ago. 
Dr Muriel Newman 
: How can New Zealanders have any confidence in him as Minister of Police when police officers up and down the country are saying that he is the worst Minister in living memory and what is his response to suggestions that the best thing he could do for fighting crime in New Zealand is to resign? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: When people make up things like that they are dissatisfied in the job but I do not know many police like that because they have just got a pay rise which they will get for the next 3 years. This Government has given the police pay rises without the need for them to march on Parliament. They think I am a very good Minister. 
Ron Mark 
: I seek the leave of the House to table a fax from Mr Craig Maxwell a gentleman in Manurewa in which he expresses his concerns about— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is. 
Ron Mark 
: I seek the leave of the House to table an article that specifies the number of burglaries that have been committed in the Manurewa electorate between 23 and 29 June. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is. 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: I seek leave to table an article from the 
 Evening Post 
 dated 19 March 1998 when police marched on Parliament because they were dissatisfied. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that article. Is there any objection? There is. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: I seek leave to table the proof of the police training numbers from 1998 which were the biggest in this country’s history when we in New Zealand First were in Government and when I was the Treasurer. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is.