Nats’ Mitchell talks party’s police plans
Opposition spokesman spoke about what they’d do differently
Awhistle-stop tour through the East Coast North Island on Monday May 2 had the National Party’s police spokesman, Mark Mitchell, in Dannevirke at 2pm, in the Merrylees Hotel.
Raised in Auckland, Mark spent 13 years (1989-2002) in the police where he was a dog handler and member of the armed offender’s squad and spent time overseas in the Middle East, before becoming MP for National in 2011 — rising to become Defence Minister.
He is currently police spokesman and he began by telling his audience of 50 that New Zealand is experiencing the worst lawlessness he has ever seen. He went on to explain that police are stretched to breaking point by the new demands placed upon them guarding MIQ facilities, coping with the influx of New Zealanders in gangs expelled from Australia, dealing with the failed firearm reform following the mosque shootings and Labour’s policy of releasing prisoners from jail into the community without support. He said he had “a massive concern for public safety.”
He said if National wins the next election and he was appointed Police Minister he would set up Task Force Resolute to tackle the gang problem which has escalated out of control and has this and two other pieces of policy currently before the National caucus for consideration.
He fielded many questions from
the audience saying he would:
Recruit more police, especially to serve in rural areas,
Tackle the drug problem by attacking the gangs, tightening the borders and education,
Give police tools to tackle white
collar crime,
Invest socially to tackle intergenerational crime by educating parents and even making them accountable for the crimes of their children,
Attempt to speed up the justice system through the courts.