Guns, gangs stretch thin blue line

As the election looms, the Police Association warns politicians of rising gang power, and says the force must never be as stretched as it was in in 2016.

In a report released yesterday, the association called on the future government to tackle the proliferation of illegal firearms, the increase in assaults on frontline officers, and the ever-expanding methamphetamine industry.

It has raised the alarm on the gang meth trade and called on politicians to unclog the court system, while warning the force should never be allowed to reach breaking point again after resources were stretched to the limit last year.

The association called for a raft of new measures and expanded powers, including widening the use of mobile technology to deal with family violence, and a review of anti-corruption measures to thwart organised crime.

The policy document, Towards a safer New Zealand, also urged the government to move quickly to implement the recommendations of the Law and Order Select Committee around illegal firearms. The association said the increasing availability of guns to criminals and gangs was possibly the most grave issue facing police in 2017.

The proposals included tighter rules on ammunition, gun dealers, gang members and firearms storage but many of the key recommendations have already been rejected by Government.

‘‘It’s as if they don’t really believe what’s happening on the front lines,’’ Police Association president Chris Cahill said.

The highly profitable mix of gangs, illegal guns and methamphetamine was a major area of concern.

‘‘They’re getting more sophisticated and more organised but they’re also spreading. Methamphetamine

"When you've got under 200 officers with organised crime, you're not going to be able to nail the gangs like you need to." Labour police spokesman Stuart Nash

driven by the gangs – we’ve seen more of that in the provinces. It’s getting cheaper and it’s a key driver of lots of different crime types in the provinces more than perhaps it once was in the metropolitan centres.

‘‘It’s constant ... it’s the gangs that are selling the meth and they’ve got the firearms with them while they’re doing it and that’s just a cocktail that’s going to end in a tragedy,’’ Cahill said.

The report warned that wealth generated by the meth trade was transforming gangs, which were working more closely together in different stages in the drug’s distribution, importation and retail.

Labour police spokesman Stuart Nash said police were lacking staff, especially in organised crime squads and community policing.

‘‘When you’ve got under 200 officers with organised crime, you’re not going to be able to nail the gangs like you need to.’’

Tying the ratio of police to population growth was crucial. Nash said he supported the association’s desired ratio of one officer for every 413 people. With 8858 police officers, the current ratio was 1:538.

Although the association welcomed the roll-out of 880 new officers by 2021, Cahill said by then the ratio would be little better than it was now.

The association also wanted a working party to identify blockages in the court system.