Nash StuartHon STUART NASH (Minister of Police): Andrew Bayly is a very smart man. In fact I think he should actually be their finance spokesperson because he would bring a level of integrity and depth that they haven't got there at the moment and I suspect there will be. But that's not what I want to talk about. This Government is the Government of law and order. The Rebels became established in New Zealand in 2011. A year later over the next year police numbers dropped by 150. In fact police numbers fell in the last three years of the previous National Government as gangs grew meth proliferated and morale within our police service fell. In fact 60 percent of police in 2017 said they had an undue level of workplace stress and nearly 60 percent of police in 2017 said they were not meeting the promises they were making to our community. Enter the coalition Government under Jacinda Ardern yet again.In 2017 the then National Government promised 880 new police over four years. Well this Government in three years has delivered over 2200 new police or over 1250 police over and above attrition and there's two more graduations before the election. So in three years we will have delivered over 500 more police than the previous National Government said that they would deliver in four years. That's 500 more police than the Nats would have delivered by this New Zealand First - Labour Government. This is 500 more police than the Nats would have funded to fight gang crime to help deal with family harm and sexual violence to confiscate drugs and to keep our roads safe.In just the past year alone the National Organised Crime Group has commenced 31 operations dismantled four transnational organised crime cells seized 96 firearms and charged over 154 offenders. That's 154 bad guys who are no longer peddling harm into our communities because of the investment this Government has made in policing over the last three years.In the last 12 months alone there was Operation Piano: 30 kilograms of meth seized 318 guns taken and $4.5 million in cash seized. Operation Mystic: 30 kilograms of meth 33 kilograms of MDMA 100 kilograms of ephedrine and $1 million in cash seized. Operation Abbey: $3 million in cash including 37 high-performance cars and five properties. Operation Maddale: 21 kilograms of meth over $500000 and 10 arrests. Operation Manta: nearly 500 kilograms of meth. Operation Essex and Operation Ali: 193 kilograms of meth. You get the point.The investment that this Government has made in policing and certainly into the organised crime space has meant that we have been able to go incredibly hard against the gangs who are peddling misery into our communities.Then we increased penalties for gun crime and the Nats voted against this. We tightened up the fit and proper test for getting a gun licence including ensuring that gang members could not get guns and the Nats voted against this. The Hon John Banks who I don't think you would consider left of anything said that his greatest regret as the Minister of Police was not being able to get amendments made to the firearms legislation after Aramoana because his provincial MPs blocked it. Well we have done it. This Government this New Zealand First - Labour coalition Government under Jacinda Ardern has not just talked the talk on increasing police numbers on tackling gun crime on going after the gangs on addressing the meth scourge; we've walked the walk.We are the Government of law and order. These are the facts. The thing that concerns me is that Paul Goldsmith has preached the prophecy of austerity. The Hon Winston Peters highlighted the fact that that's $82 billion they won't be spending. Make no bones about it: if the National Party is returned in Government you will once again see an erosion of policing in this country.