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 I reject the premise that gang tensions have increased under this Government's watch"?Hon POTO WILLIAMS (Minister of Police): Fa'afetai afioga fofoga fetalai. I stand by the full context of all my statements including my statement that the way to deal with gang tensions is by giving police the tools and resources they need and that is why Budget 2022 includes $562 million for Police over four years of which $94 million will go towards tackling gangs and organised crime.Hon Mark Mitchell: What does the Minister consider the most important tool the Police need inside her firearms prohibition order (FPO) bill?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: As it relates to the primary question Mr Speaker the—DEPUTY SPEAKER: No; I'll be the judge of that. I'll get the Hon Mark Mitchell to ask that question again.Hon Mark Mitchell: It was a question in relation to the Minister stating what tools the Police needed and it was: what tool does the Minister think is most important that's contained inside her firearms prohibition order bill?DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yeah it definitely relates to the answer that you gave. The Hon Poto Williams.Hon POTO WILLIAMS: Thank you. There are a range of measures under the FPOs that are important to Police being able to ensure that they deal with the most serious of our offenders as opposed to previous legislation introduced by a member on that side of the House which only dealt with gang members.Hon Mark Mitchell: What is the most important tool inside the firearms prohibition order bill?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: It is to deal with the most serious offenders as opposed to what a National member introduced which was just around gang members.Hon Mark Mitchell: How does she reconcile her statement with the horrific scene of a three-year-old left covered in blood yesterday following an alleged attack by a Mongrel Mob member?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: There is no doubt that our communities are feeling some incredible distress with the recent activities. But in response to that the Police have been working diligently. They've launched a major operation around disruption and suppression and it includes the deployment of armed offenders squads to conduct search warrants and make arrests. Can I go on to say that 15 search warrants and warrantless searches have been carried out across Auckland which have led to 17 arrests the seizure of firearms and ammunition.Hon Mark Mitchell: Would she say that gang tensions have increased as a result of the 14 drive-by shootings over the past few weeks?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: What I would point that member to is the fact that gangs' serious crime rates were at their highest in 2010.Hon Mark Mitchell: What would the Minister consider is a rise in gang tensions?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: There is no doubt that from time to time gang tensions elevate but gangs have been a feature of our communities for over 50 years. What I would also like to point the member to is the fact that we are charging gangs more than ever—up to 92 percent which is more than that Government ever did.Hon Michael Wood: Will Police be better positioned to deal with gang tensions and violent events with higher or lower police numbers?Hon POTO WILLIAMS: I think the answer to that is obvious. The absolute record investment in Police the commitment of 1800 and the commitment to a population ratio means they will have more people more resource and better training to do the work that they need to do.Hon Mark Mitchell: Why have gang—DEPUTY SPEAKER: No. Sorry; the National Party has run out of supplementary questions."