12. Question No. 12—PoliceHon MARK MITCHELL (National—Whangaparāoa) to the Minister of PoliceQuestion No. 12—Police12. Hon MARK MITCHELL (National—Whangaparāoa) to the Minister of Police: Does she stand by her statement It is my view that New Zealanders feel safer"; if so why?Hon GINNY ANDERSEN (Minister of Police): I stand by my full statement—and quote—"It is my view that New Zealanders feel safer within a Government on track to deliver 1800 extra police." The member has wilfully omitted the second half of my sentence. As Minister—SPEAKER: Order! You cannot say that; that's tantamount to saying someone is lying. The Minister will stand withdraw and apologise.Hon GINNY ANDERSEN: I withdraw and apologise.SPEAKER: And I take it the answer's over—Hon Mark Mitchell: Can I take an extra—SPEAKER: I'll give the member an extra two questions.Hon Mark Mitchell: Yeah thank you Mr Speaker. Does she think the 33 percent increase in violent crime makes New Zealanders feel safer?Hon GINNY ANDERSEN: I continue to work as Minister of Police to make sure that our communities are safe in three main areas: by backing our police by having 1800 extra police officers; by making sure we focus on retail crime by delivering fog cannons and extra security measures; and thirdly by addressing youth offending with specific programmes in those areas to make sure we address the underlying drivers of crime.Hon Mark Mitchell: Does the Minister think that the 1800 police are making Kiwis feel safer?Hon GINNY ANDERSEN: Let me be clear: as Minister I am committed to making New Zealanders feel safe by tackling crime. That is quite different from what the member said in the statement. Oddly the member appears to be suggesting that New Zealanders feel safer with fewer members of the police on the front line.Hon Mark Mitchell: Does she think a 551 percent increase in ram raids makes shopkeepers and their employees feel safer?Hon GINNY ANDERSEN: One ram raid more is always one ram raid too much. I will continue to work by resourcing our front line adequately by making sure the retail crime prevention scheme is focused on making sure those measures are in place and also the backing up of the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment scheme which enables retail providers to have access to things like a fog cannon quickly.Hon Mark Mitchell: Does she think that a 61 percent increase in gang membership is making New Zealanders feel safer?Hon GINNY ANDERSEN: I continue to make sure that New Zealanders feel safer by making sure our front line are resourced adequately. The 1800 additional front-line police officers also include 700 police officers specifically dedicated to organised crime which means operations like Cobalt can continue to deliver outcomes like 35000 charges specific to gang members and organised crime—far greater than any achieved under previous Governments.Hon Mark Mitchell: Have ram raids gone up or down since she became Minister?Hon GINNY ANDERSEN: I couldn't hear the question.Hon Mark Mitchell: Have ram raids increased or decreased since she became police Minister?Hon GINNY ANDERSEN: Ram raids increased into August last year and they peaked at 119. That has continued to track down. As I've said before one ram raid is always one ram raid too much. I will continue to make sure we reduce retail crime by making sure our front line is adequately resourced and also by making sure retail owners have the security measures in place they need to keep safe.Hon Mark Mitchell: Point of order Mr Speaker. Thank you Mr Speaker. The question was very specific. It was: have ram raids increased or decreased since she has become Minister of Police?SPEAKER: Well all right. The Minister did go back to before she was Minister but in doing so I believe it has been addressed.Dan Rosewarne: Is the Minister aware of any parties that voted against firearms legislation that would've made it harder for gangs to get hold of guns?Hon GINNY ANDERSEN: Yes I am and I'd like to continue by saying we're going to work collaboratively right across this House when we have a firearm registry. I'm keen to be talking with members of other parties about how we can make sure we keep firearms out of the hands of those organised criminal groups and enable our legal firearms owners to have a safe and smooth pathway on that basis."