Commissioner too ‘woke’, Bridges says

WELLINGTON: National justice spokesman Simon Bridges says police head Andrew Coster is a ‘‘wokester commissioner’’ and is not fit for the job.

Mr Bridges accused Mr Coster of putting ‘‘being nice’’ ahead of applying the law.

‘‘What you see is, right from the top, an agency or police force that’s much less about arrest, much less about catching gangs and criminals despite huge problems in our society at the moment, and much more about being hip and doing things to impress a bunch of other wokesters.’’

Mr Bridge’s attack came as National set itself up to crack down on crime and gangs.

On Friday, Mr Bridges tweeted a report from The New Zealand Herald in which Mr Coster said police could not ‘‘arrest their way’’ out of the organised crime problem and promised staff would take a nuanced approach to work with communities.

He called Mr Coster a ‘‘wokester commissioner’’ and said his ‘‘softly, softly approach’’ would lead to worsening gang and gun violence.

Mr Bridges reiterated his description of Mr Coster yesterday.

‘‘I think there’s a lot of things he’s done where he’s wanted to put ‘being nice’ in a variety things ahead of actually the law of the land and catching criminals.’’

Mr Coster’s commitment to ‘‘police by consent’’ did not marry up with the law and while there was a need for police to have a social licence the commissioner had got the balance wrong.

‘‘I don’t think it’s his role and I think he’s out of place doing that.’’

Mr Bridges refused to be drawn on what specifically made Mr Coster so woke but rejected his language as an MP towards the police commissioner was irresponsible.

He said police had their priorities wrong when they did not attend 70 gang members holding up a road in his Tauranga electorate or show up when someone was punched in a shop.

‘‘If that’s policing by consent, it’s fundamentally wrong.’’

Mr Coster will appear tomorrow before the Justice Select Committee — on which Mr Bridges sits — for the police’s annual review.

Mr Bridges said he was ‘‘really looking forward’’ to it.

National corrections spokesman Simeon Brown attacked Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis yesterday over his suitability for the portfolio.

‘‘We need an inquiry into whether Kelvin Davis is across his portfolio.’’

Mr Brown would not say what the inquiry into the minister would look like but said there needed to be an independent inquiry into the sixday Waikeria prison riot.

Mr Brown said when Mr Davis was in opposition he railed against the government every time something went wrong.

‘‘Now that he’s in government, he’s as silent as anything.

‘‘He needs to take responsibility for what’s happening in these situations and answer whether he thinks its acceptable or not.’’

He also pointed to Mr Davis’ request for a briefing from the Department of Corrections about a judge’s ruling that inmates at Auckland Women’s Prison were treated in a ‘‘degrading’’ and ‘‘inhumane’’ manner.

‘‘It was a court case going through the courts and it doesn’t even sound like he’s been briefed on it.

‘‘This raises the question — is Kelvin Davis actually across his portfolio or not?’’