Palino calls for new ‘task force’

Mayoral candidate John Palino believes a task force of retired police officers with authority to round up criminals would make Auckland’s streets safer. The idea was put forward during a mayoral debate at Massey University.

‘‘How I got the idea was actually from retired police officers who came up with the idea of putting together a task force of detectives that actually go and take the cases from police and relieve the pressure from them,’’ Palino clarified after the debate. ’’Pretty much anybody has the authority to arrest somebody if they’re a criminal, technically. So they’ll have the authority to arrest people, basically detectives.’’

Phil Goff said attacks on people from ‘‘ethnic communities, Indian and Chinese in particular’’ could be solved with an increased police presence. ‘‘We grow by 45,000 a year but our police force in the last five years has grown by how much - one extra police officer a year,’’ Goff said.

Vic Crone said legislating to protect Auckland minorities, and females, from crime would only be achieved if a council was elected that better reflected these demographics.