Pugh Maureen; McKee NicoleFIREARMS PROHIBITION ORDERS LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILLIn CommitteePart 1 Amendments to Arms Act 1983CHAIRPERSON (Maureen Pugh): We now come to the Firearms Prohibition Orders Legislation Amendment Bill. Members we come first to Part 1. This is the debate on clauses 3 to 9 Amendments to Arms Act 1983". The question is that Part 1 stand part.Hon NICOLE McKEE (Associate Minister of Justice): Thank you Madam Chair. I'm pleased to be here for this stage of the Firearms Prohibition Orders Legislation Amendment Bill. The bill progresses the Government's commitment to reduce violent crime restore law and order and keep our community safe. It was developed as part of the Government's 100-day plan and gives police the tools that they need to keep firearms out of the hands of gangs and other high-risk offenders. Firearms prohibition orders—or FPOs—are orders of the court made when offenders have committed serious violent offences. They last 10 years and prohibit the person from holding a firearms licence or from being around or accessing firearms. Breaching the conditions of an FPO is a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment for up to seven years.This bill makes three key improvements to the existing FPO regime. First the bill expands the qualifying criteria for the court to make an FPO focusing the FPO regime on gang members and gang offending. It specifies additional offences for which a member or associate of a gang if convicted can be issued with an FPO. These are gang-related offences in the Crimes Act 1961 the Arms Act 1983 Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 and the Psychoactive Substances Act 2013. These are offences like assault robbery illicit drug manufacture and unlawful possession of a firearm and illegal supply of prohibited firearms. This change responds to concerns from the public about the risks posed by gang members and associates using firearms.Second the bill establishes a process by which an FPO may be varied modified or revoked. An individual is subject to an FPO for a considerable length of time but we recognise that within this time their circumstances may change and they may no longer pose a risk to public safety. To address this the bill means people with FPOs will be able to request the court to vary or revoke the FPO after five years which is half the duration of the FPO should their exemplary behaviour warrant a reduced time variation.Third the bill gives police a new search power to monitor compliance with an FPO. Currently the FPO regime does not provide police any specific search powers to monitor an individual's compliance with an FPO. Police rely on general search powers associated with firearms set out in the Search and Surveillance Act 2012—the officer must suspect an offence involving a firearm has occurred. The bill amends the Search and Surveillance Act 2012 giving police the ability to search anyone with an FPO to monitor compliance with that FPO. The officer must have reasonable grounds to believe that person is subject to an FPO. This bespoke search power means that police can proactively monitor compliance with FPOs to ensure those individuals who have been deemed a risk to public safety are not accessing firearms.This bill addresses the unacceptable levels of gang-related violence public intimidation and crimes involving firearms that have so concerned New Zealanders. The changes will keep firearms out of the hands of gangs and other high-risk offenders. This is another initiative to advance the Government's commitment to reducing violent crime and restoring law and order—and ultimately to make our communities safer."