6. Question No. 6—PoliceHon MARK MITCHELL (National—Whangaparāoa) to the Minister of PoliceQuestion No. 6—PoliceSPEAKER: Question No. 6—Mark Mitchell.Hon Chris Hipkins: At last!SPEAKER: Order! Who was that who made that interjection? Well can I just ask the Minister to curb his enthusiasm.6. Hon MARK MITCHELL (National—Whangaparāoa) to the Minister of Police: Does he stand by his statement we do acknowledge that particularly when it comes to gangs there is escalating tension there"; if so when did the Government first recognise that gang tensions were escalating?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS (Minister of Police): Yes. Since the day this Government came into office we've recognised the urgent need for more police on the beat and to make sure that they've got the right tools and the right support in place so that they can tackle crime—including gang crime. It's the reason that this Government has increased the Police budget every year that we have been in Government and it's why in Budget 2022 we boosted Police funding by $562 million. It's why the number of staff working on organised crime has doubled and we now have the largest police force ever. Hon Mark Mitchell: If the Minister realised on the first day they came into Government that there was a problem with escalating crime why didn't they do something instead of allowing gang membership to grow by 40 percent—SPEAKER: Order! Two legs to a question.Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: One of the things this Government is absolutely committed to doing is making sure that when we make commitments around policing we deliver on them. I note that something like firearms protection orders for example were promised in 2014 and not delivered. They were then promised again in 2016 and not delivered. Our Government is actually going to deliver them.Hon Mark Mitchell: Does he support the current ban on gang patches in hospitals and schools?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I have no intention of changing that law.Hon Mark Mitchell: If he supports the banning of gang insignia in hospitals and schools will he extend that to public places?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I have no intention to do so.Hon Mark Mitchell: Has he seen reports that an aggravating factor of the open gang warfare between the Killer Beez and the Tribesmen is the wearing of gang patches?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I've certainly seen commentary to that effect. [Members cheer]Hon Michael Woodhouse: Point of order. In light of the enthusiasm by the Government for Mr Mitchell to have more questions I seek leave for two supplementary questions to be added.SPEAKER: No supplementary questions are in the end at my discretion. But I do think it's a reasonable suggestion. Mr Mitchell will have two extras now and the Opposition won't suffer as a result.Hon Mark Mitchell: Does the Minister think that the current ban on gang patches in schools and hospitals is a good policy?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: As I've already indicated I have no intention of changing it.Hon Mark Mitchell: Would the police Minister seeing as he won't change the policy in relation to gang patches being banned in schools and hospitals extend it to public places?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: Again I've already—he's very quick on his feet that one! But I have no intention of doing so.SPEAKER: There is something about déjà vu revisited! If the member wants another two he can have them. Hon Mark Mitchell: Why under this soft-on-crime Labour Government with record investment and record police numbers are our streets more dangerous with 23 drive-by shootings in Auckland terrorising local communities; how has this Government allowed this country to get to that state?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: I'll tell you what a soft-on-crime position is: it's saying that if gang activity is taking place as long as we can't see it it's not a problem. That is the most soft-on-crime position I have seen in a long time and it came from that member.Hon Mark Mitchell: Why has the Minister if he acknowledges that this Government recognised that there was an issue with gangs waited five years for a dedicated task force to be put in place when we told them and challenged them to do this five years ago?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: That's just simply not true. The Government's been increasing resourcing for the Police since we first came into Government. As I've indicated before I first saw reports back in 2014 that there was going to be an organised task force on gang-related crime. It was announced by a National Minister and it didn't happen. It was then re-announced two years later by a National Minister and it didn't happen.Hon Mark Mitchell: Why is this soft-on-crime Government—SPEAKER: Order! The member's had his extra two I think three times but I've seen a wave from the ACT Party who think it's very unfair that the National Party gets so many opportunities. So there will be one question from a member of the ACT Party if they want it.David Seymour: Thank you Mr Speaker. Does the Minister stand by his statement in question time yesterday that he would ensure the Police were operating under the correct laws and have the correct resourcing and if so why didn't the last police Minister do it and why should we believe he will if she didn't?Hon CHRIS HIPKINS: She absolutely did.Hon Stuart Nash: Has the Minister seen reports that Police numbers actually decreased in the last three years of the previous National Government? SPEAKER: If he had it would not be something he had responsibility for."