Mark Ron: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Mark Ron: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:623;Page:18365] 
1. RON MARK (NZ First) 
 to the  
Minister of Police 
: Is he satisfied that the policy of police having dedicated highway patrol units is not reducing the ability of police to respond to emergency situations? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS (Minister of Police) 
: 
 Yes. 
Ron Mark 
: Has he read the letter sent to him dated 29 September 2002 and tabled by New Zealand First in the House on Tuesday 2 November 2004 from a non-sworn member of the police Southern Communications Centre stating his concerns over not being permitted to dispatch highway patrol units to any other events including traffic accidents; if he has why are people still being put at risk more than 2 years later due to a policy he said he is clearly comfortable with? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: Yes I have seen that letter. The Commissioner of Police answered it and in that letter he said that the highway patrol standard operating procedure states: “Highway patrol staff will attend events off the state highways when there is an immediate risk to life or property or when other staff need back-up.” 
Tim Barnett 
: Does the Minister have any specific information on the 111 emergency-call incidents raised with him by Mr Mark and concerning events in July 2004? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: I am advised by the police that despite the member blacking out identifying information which would enable the police to quickly identify the sources being referred to inquiries this morning have established that there were two 111 emergency calls in question. These related to a domestic issue and an assault case; both were in the Papanui area of Christchurch. I am advised that a car was dispatched to the domestic incident within 4 minutes of the call coming in and a car was dispatched to the assault incident within 2 minutes of the call coming in. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: What specific evidence does this Minister have to back his claim this morning that the public is more worried about traffic than dealing with serious crime? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: The police regularly survey the community that they serve and that is what they got in their survey. 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: It’s a joke! 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: If that side does not believe the police there is a real problem. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: How can the Minister have any confidence in police surveys and record-keeping in light of an article in the February issue of the  
New Zealand Police Association News 
 by “Doubting Thomas” a serving police officer who said that all of their statistics are an utter and absolute sham; for instance burglaries are often put down as resolved and detected when no investigation whatsoever has been done? [ 
Interruption 
] 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member Mr Swain will stand withdraw and apologise. 
Hon Paul Swain 
: I withdraw and apologise. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: That is the only warning today. There are to be no interjections during question time. That has wasted the time of the Government. The member will completely re-ask the question. 
Hon Ken Shirley 
: How can the Minister have confidence in police surveys and record-keeping when an article featured in the latest edition of the  
New Zealand Police Association News 
 by a serving constable under the heading “Doubting Thomas” states that police record-keeping is an absolute sham and issues are coded and filed under different categories implying that they have been detected and resolved in some instances when no investigation has even be carried out; how does the Minister explain that and how does he have the confidence that he just gave to the House? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: I doubt “Doubting Thomas”. I think people who want to write in their union newsletter should actually put their name by it then people would think it is more credible than that. If the member wants to believe “Doubting Thomas” it is about as useful as doubting Mr Mark. 
Ron Mark 
: Is the Minister comfortable with a situation that occurred in July 2004 where highway patrol units were sitting on the side of the road logged out of service and not listening to their radios at the same time as an abduction was taking place for which three units attending priority two events elsewhere were redirected from a much further distance? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: I think the member should produce the evidence because the evidence he has produced so far is short on the facts and completely wrong. 
Ron Mark 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Could you give the Minister an opportunity to answer the question? There is no evidence to say that vehicles were not diverted from priority two events to this incident at all and he needs to answer the specific question that I asked him. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister disagreed with the member that there was such a case and he is entitled to do so. It might not satisfy the member but it was certainly an answer. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: Could the Minister answer my earlier question and advise what specific research he is relying on to make his claim that the public are more worried about traffic than serious crime and is this Minister seriously trying to tell this House and the people of New Zealand that the women of New Zealand are more worried about a speeding car than they are about being attacked in their homes? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: The answer to the second part of the question is yes and later on I will table information in the House. I think people are more worried about having a car accident than their houses being broken into. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. The Minister has twice quoted figures from a survey. He was asked what the survey was. Do you think it reasonable that he might tell the House which survey he quoted from? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister said he was quoting from a survey. If he is asked to produce the survey by way of a supplementary question that can certainly be allowed. But I have not heard that supplementary question yet. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. With respect that was exactly the question that the Hon Tony Ryall just asked the Minister. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The member got a reply that I adjudged addressed the question. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You have been fair during question time over your term here Mr Speaker to allow two tranches to each question. The Minister was asked what the survey was and could he comment on whether New Zealand women were more concerned about car accidents and speeding incidents than they were about being assaulted in their homes. The Minister said yes to the second part of that question but is refusing to tell the House what the name of the survey is that he was quoting previously. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: In the answer to the first question along those lines the Minister indicated that it was a regular survey taken by the police. That actually answered the question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The second part of the question was also most certainly answered. 
Ron Mark 
: How many of the 12 to 15 traffic patrols on duty in Auckland 3 months later than the incident referred to earlier in my question on the night of Sunday 10 October 2004—the night Iraena Asher called 111 fearing for her life—were diverted to come to her aid; if none how can the Minister claim that his policy is working? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: The member needs to put down a specific question on that and I will give him a specific answer. That point was not contained in the original question. 
Ron Mark 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I have brought to you in this House on numerous occasions difficulties we have had with even getting this Minister to answer written questions on time. Now he has the audacity after 4 hours of being able to prepare himself for this question time in answering an oral question to waste our supplementary question by asking me to put it to him in writing. I ask you to ask him to answer the question. 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No I will not. The Minister gave a perfectly proper reply. 
Dail Jones 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. May I just clarify something? Is the Minister saying that he has never heard of the Iraena Asher case that he does not know anything about the facts of that case and wants the question set down in writing? This was a well-known case where the girl died in west Auckland. Is the Minister saying that he knows nothing about that? 
Mr SPEAKER 
: No the Minister is not saying that. The member is making a point by way of a point of order and he knows it. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: What is the primary purpose of highway patrol units and what is the evidence of success of those units? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: Could the Minister ask the question so I can hear it please? 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: What is the primary purpose of the highway patrol units and what is the evidence of the success of the units in achieving that purpose? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: Road deaths are down 40 percent since 1990 despite an increase of 15 percent in vehicles on the roads and a 5 percent increase in population. I remember that before the highway patrol came people used to say that they never saw police on our highways. Now they do. 
Hon Tony Ryall 
: The Minister has been providing members of the press gallery with a copy of the 2001 victimisation survey as evidence of his claims. I seek leave to table table 9.6 from that report which shows in the most worrying category that women have identified being sexually assaulted or raped as much more important than any other issue. 
Document not tabled. 
Ron Mark 
: Does he stand by his statement in the House on 2 November 2004 that all staff who are on patrol are available to attend general duties call-outs; if so how does he reconcile that statement with an Auckland City police district strategic traffic group policy statement: “The primary task of the strategic traffic group is accident prevention patrol duty. They are not to be diverted to other tasks.”; and was the Minister unaware of the police policy at the time or was he deliberately misleading this House? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: Neither. Actually the Commissioner of Police told that member on television last night that traffic units including the highway patrol will attend events where there is immediate risk to life or property. Of course that is his instruction and that is what he expects and what I expect should happen. 
Rodney Hide 
: Was the Minister for real when he wrote to a constituent who had written to him concerned about the diversion of police resources to police being traffic cops that: “Criminals are often bad drivers. By stopping them when they drive police detect and curtail offending such as burglary.”; and in that case if thugs and criminals leave the scene of a crime sedately obeying all the laws does that mean they can get away with it? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: I stand by what I said. Criminals use the roads the same as anyone else. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: Further to my previous supplementary question can the Minister confirm that the reduction in the number of road deaths referred to equates to more than twice the average number of murders in New Zealand each year? 
Hon GEORGE HAWKINS 
: Yes. Last year there were 47 murders and over 400 road deaths.