Mark Ron: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMark Ron: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 17 June 2015. Volume:706;Page:4486. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]11.RON MARK (NZ First) to the Minister of Police: Does he believe that the Police are allowed to carry out their duties in a professional manner and are able to deal with all New Zealanders equally?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (Minister of Police): Yes.Ron Mark: Why then have police commanders in Counties Manukau issued instructions to front-line police officers telling them that all Māori drivers detected driving without licences or in breach of licence conditions should not be ticketed but should be referred to community-based driver licence training?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: For several years police have had a compliance policy that enables all New Zealanders to have discretion applied in respect of transport offences and for the last 5 years there has been a pre-charge warning process. But I do not condone any policy that has the effect or the appearance of treating one group of people differently from another. Following media reports last night I expressed that concern regarding the policy to the police commissioner. I received an assurance from him that this was not the intent of the policy and that the policy will be amended to make that clear.Ron Mark: Good answer. Would the Minister—[Interruption] Well it was a good answer. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! I am looking at members on my right-hand side.Ron Mark: Would the Minister not agree with the New Zealand First view then that the carrot-and-stick approach to policing is a smart approach but that it should apply to all New Zealanders regardless of their race?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: I would agree with both of those things and I am sure the member and his party would join me in agreeing that it is simply not acceptable to be doing nothing in the face of very very high statistics in respect of Māori offending and reoffending. It is very important that the police’s strategy of prevention-first is applied to those people most at risk of offending. In this case it could be Māori or any other group in New Zealand. What is important is that those policies are based on need not ethnicity.Ron Mark: But bearing all that in mind Minister is it not the truth that this race-based policing policy is another inappropriate and separatist initiative this time foisted upon the police through the National Government’s Whānau Ora programme?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: No it is not and I do not even think that member believes that. It was clearly a question written for him by the leader in front of him.Ron Mark: I seek the leave of the House to table the document from Whānau Ora called Crime and Crash Prevention Strategy—Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume his seat immediately. It is not information that is difficult for a member to get.Kelvin Davis: Is it correct that the police budget has been cut by $15 million in this year’s Budget; if so how can New Zealanders have confidence that police will be there when they need them the most?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: In answer to the first question no.Kelvin Davis: How can victims of high-volume crime such as burglaries and car crime be assured their complaints will be resolved given resolution rates of these crimes are only about 10 percent?Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE: That is a very good question and one that the Law and Order Committee asked me at the estimates review this morning. I am very satisfied that the police are concerned about the relatively low resolution rates for what could be described as minor crime—although if one is a victim of that it is certainly not considered to be minor. I will be working with the police to ensure that those rates improve.