7. Question No. 7—PoliceHon GINNY ANDERSEN (Labour) to the Minister of PoliceQuestion No. 7—Police7. Hon GINNY ANDERSEN (Labour) to the Minister of Police: Does he stand by his statement we're going to make sure that the front line are resourced properly"; if so do Police have adequate staffing to enforce the banning of gang patches?Hon MARK MITCHELL (Minister of Police): Yes and yes.Hon Ginny Andersen: Does he expect the gang patch ban will be enforced in Wairoa Ōpōtiki and Te Kaha?Hon MARK MITCHELL: Yes I do.Hon Ginny Andersen: Given that Ōpōtiki has only two full-time front-line officers and also covers Te Kaha how will they remove the jackets of the approximate 1400 gang members who live in the area?Hon MARK MITCHELL: Well the Police have got the capability and the will to enforce a gang ban that this Government is passing. The Opposition and Harry Tam may not like it but that is what is happening.DEPUTY SPEAKER: It wasn't related to the question.Hon Ginny Andersen: Madam Speaker I don't think that was even addressing the question.DEPUTY SPEAKER: I do think that the first part of the question actually did address the answer. As I had previously called out to the member the last part of the question went a bit too far. Thank you.Hon Ginny Andersen: Given the concerns that have been publicly outlined by front-line officers on enforcing the gang patch ban how does he explain to the New Zealand public a 6.5 percent cut to the Police budget?Hon MARK MITCHELL: Well the Government's going through a cost-saving exercise because of the vandalism the economic vandalism of the previous Government and I've got full confidence in our New Zealand police and their capability. On this side of the House we back them to go out and do the job and the police officers that I talk to—and there's a lot of them—they're very keen to get out there and use these new tools.Hon Ginny Andersen: Given the Western Australian gang patch ban simply displaced gangs over the state border does he consider that this law change will simply displace gang members—[Interruption]DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hey quiet—quiet during questions please. Would the member please start that question again.Hon Ginny Andersen: Given the Western Australian gang patch ban simply displaced gangs over the state border does he consider that this law change will simply displace gang members to parts of New Zealand where police are not resourced to enforce the law?Hon MARK MITCHELL: Well I think—Hon Grant Robertson: Point of order. Madam Speaker you ruled when the member rose to ask her question that the question needed to be done in silence.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes.Hon Grant Robertson: Immediately afterwards the Deputy Prime Minister began interjecting on the question. I would ask that he be called to account for that and asked to withdraw and apologise.DEPUTY SPEAKER: I actually think that it wasn't only the Deputy Prime Minister. There were more people over that side of the room that actually didn't follow that instruction. So thank you for the point of order. I'm going to be watching very carefully from here on in.Tim van de Molen: Point of order.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Is this a new point of order?Tim van de Molen: Yes it is. Yeah it's in relation to a series of questions we've seen asked now where they're not actually starting as a question. They start with a statement which is clearly out of line with Speakers' rulings. "Given" is the example—"Given this" etc. So unsurprisingly that's elicited a response which I accept is outside of the Standing Orders in terms of speaking during questions but it's because the question itself was out of order.DEPUTY SPEAKER: Right. Look—Hon Kieran McAnulty: Speaking to the point of order I appreciate Mr van de Molen accepting that they were speaking during the question. Could we have an extra supplementary for the Hon Ginny Andersen please?DEPUTY SPEAKER: No but I will invite the Hon Ginny Andersen to ask that question again—not start with the word "given"—and that members on this side will be quiet and then the Minister might be able to answer the question.Hon Ginny Andersen: Thank you Madam Speaker. Does the Minister consider that the gang patch ban will simply displace gang members to parts of New Zealand where police are not resourced to enforce the new law?Hon MARK MITCHELL: No but I hope that the example she gave with Western Australia shows that the gang patch ban was working because they wanted to leave. And I hope that our gang patch ban forces them over the border as well!"