11. Question No. 11—PoliceHon MARK MITCHELL (National—Whangaparāoa) to the Minister of PoliceQuestion No. 11—Police11. Hon MARK MITCHELL (National—Whangaparāoa) to the Minister of Police: Does she stand by her statement in terms of what I am delivering as Police Minister … our people feel safer"; if so why? Hon POTO WILLIAMS (Minister of Police): Yes I stand by my statement and I stand by this Government's track record of delivering for our police including a record $562 million for Police through Budget 2022 the largest ever deployment of additional police officers—1423 more since 2017—and the nationwide roll-out of the tactical response model in which we will see a doubling of the current tactical training for our front-line police will boost their intelligence capabilities and will see the deployment of double-crewed tactical dog teams. This Government will continue to back our police by giving them the resource and tools they need to keep themselves and our communities safe. Hon Mark Mitchell: Why had the Minister not visited any shop owners or victims of shops subjected to ram raids or robberies before her Newshub Nation interview a few days ago? Hon POTO WILLIAMS: I have been working alongside Retail New Zealand the peak body that supports small and large retailers across this country and I've been working with them to ensure that we get the programme in place that they need. It's been a very difficult time for our small retailers so we need to make sure that we can support them to continue to operate safely. Hon Mark Mitchell: How will a seven-person retail crime unit bollards and planter boxes stop a 7-tonne excavator from smashing through a shop front? Hon POTO WILLIAMS: What will help is our small to medium sized retailers knowing that their Government is supporting them by putting the measures in place to ensure that they can continue to operate safely. The excavator was an exceptional matter and that was not the five- six- seven- eight- and 10-year-olds that were involved in stealing cars and ram-raiding dairies for lollies and ice cream. Hon Mark Mitchell: Did Cabinet make a decision yesterday on her paper proposed as a solution to tackle ram raids and if so are we waiting for her to arrange a suitable photo opportunity to reveal that plan? Hon POTO WILLIAMS: I think that's absolutely appalling when we're here to support our small and medium sized retailers. Cabinet did make a decision—it was not on my paper; it was on the Minister of Justice's paper—to support the funding of the programme which will be rolled out as soon as the police have finalised some details. This is a Government that has responded to the need. The police are at the end of this problem and they are going to act and act successfully for our retailers. Rawiri Waititi: What evidence has she seen to suggest "in terms of what I am delivering as Police Minister … our people feel safer" from white-collar gangs whose crime is costing Aotearoa $4 billion in tax evasion and fraud as opposed to the estimated $1 billion in the impact of ram raids and retail crime and where's the equivalent programmes like Operation Tauwhiro and Operation Cobalt to target white-collar gang crimes? SPEAKER: Any one of those five questions. Hon POTO WILLIAMS: People tell me more police and more visibility equals them feeling safer. We are delivering more staff more resources better training better intel better deployment and it is working. When the district commander out at Counties Manukau tells me that the tactical response model on pilot there has meant that they have had a reduction in temporary carriage orders and that their team feels safer I know that we are on the right track."