Opinion: Crime is an unintended consequence of growth

Four men allegedly removed cocaine from a cavity near the rudder of the Maersk Antares soon after its arrival from Chile. Photo/file

The law of unintended consequences says that all actions always have effects that are unanticipated or unintended.

Reading Jared Savage's investigation into the new National Organised Crime Group in Tauranga has brought this law into sharp relief.

Our little old city is home to the busiest port in New Zealand.

That's a great thing for the city in terms of the huge impact it has on our economy, but as we are learning, it also has unintended consequences.

Our busy port is exposing our city to a risk of becoming one of the country's main entry points for illicit drugs - if we aren't already.

And what goes hand-in-hand with illicit drugs? Organised crime.

We're likely going to be seeing a lot more of that, too.

A whole lot more hardened criminals will be gracing our shores thanks to Australia's programme of deporting convicts with the faintest of ties to New Zealand, no matter how long it's been since those convicts resided here.

Savage reports that members of the Comancheros and Bandidos have been seen riding in the Bay of Plenty region recently, among hundreds deported from Australia for failing the "good character" test over the past few years.

It sounds like a recipe for disaster.

For these reasons, Tauranga is a logical base for the new National Organised Crime Group, a police squad dedicated to grappling with organised crime, specialising in drug investigations.

It's good the police is being proactive about targeting organised crime, and I hope the crime unit can prevent the worst elements of Australian society spreading to our slice of paradise.

This is one of the downsides to growth - we're becoming an attractive playground for the underbelly.

Let's hope this is nipped in the bud before it becomes an even bigger problem.