6. Businesses Retail—Crime Deterrent SubsidyPRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour) to the Minister of PoliceBusinesses Retail—Crime Deterrent Subsidy6. PRIYANCA RADHAKRISHNAN (Labour) to the Minister of Police: What is he doing to support crime prevention for high-risk retail businesses?Hon STUART NASH (Minister of Police): Thank you Mr Speaker. This Government has removed some of the barriers in accessing the $1.8 million fund for crime prevention measures by increasing the subsidy for at-risk retail businesses. Police were allocated $1.8 million by the previous Government to put towards high-tech crime deterrence such as fog cannons for identified at-risk premises. However only one business accepted the co-funded option. Two businesses were fully funded as part of the pilot programme. Due to almost zero uptake it was clear that this fund was not being utilised in the way in which it was intended.Priyanca Radhakrishnan: How many more businesses have taken up this subsidy since the Minister has reviewed the subsidy?Hon STUART NASH: Since the available subsidy was increased under this Government in November last year we now have 17 more businesses who have accessed this fund and a further eight are awaiting fit-out. This is a clear improvement on the one business under the previous Government. One of the main reasons for the change is that myself the Minister of Justice and a number of Labour South and West Auckland MPs met with and listened to a delegation of dairy owners got a feel for the issues and as a result of the feedback I adjusted the scheme accordingly.Priyanca Radhakrishnan: What are the Government's longer-term plans to reduce crime and improve public safety?Hon STUART NASH: As clearly signalled this Government is striving towards an extra 1800 police into our community and to fight organised crime. We're going to ensure that the police have the manpower and womanpower and the resources to ensure New Zealanders feel safe in their houses in their communities. By targeting at-risk youth and providing them with options and opportunities away from crime we remove the need to catch them at a later stage. We believe that investing in our youth—SPEAKER: Order! That's more than enough for something that is sort of marginally relevant. Chris Bishop: Thank you Mr Speaker. Does he agree with the policy announced yesterday by the Prime Minister in question time to cease the policy of providing pre-charge warnings to young first-time youth offenders?Hon STUART NASH: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I don't see how that question has any relevance to preventing crime in high-risk retail businesses.Hon David Parker: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. SPEAKER: No I have ruled the question in by not ruling it out. The member will answer it.Hon STUART NASH: As far as I'm concerned the Prime Minister announced no such policy at all yesterday.Chris Bishop: Does the Minister agree with the statement of the Prime Minister in the House yesterday then that This Government does not believe in fictitious policies such as telling the police that when they catch someone offending warn them and don't charge them?Hon STUART NASH: What I do believe is that the police work incredibly hard with our communities to ensure that youth are given opportunities away from crime because what we do know is that spending $100000 a year to keep someone in prison is not a good investment in our youth.David Seymour: Can the Minister confirm that $1.8 million is 0.1 percent of the $1.8 billion in tobacco excise tax the collection of which is what endangers small-business people in the first place?Hon STUART NASH: No I cannot confirm that."