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Bullet holes in front window of Clover Park house. Video / NZ Herald
NOW PLAYING • Drive-by shooting in Clover Park
Bullet holes in front window of Clover Park house. Video / NZ Herald
National Party leader Christopher Luxon is calling for Police Minister Poto Williams to be replaced as gang tensions and crime increase.
He told AM that Williams has not been able to provide the leadership, tools and support frontline police officers need.
"Poto Williams is struggling and she now needs to be removed by the Prime Minister and replaced," he said.
Luxon said that Williams' inability to adequately support police was behind rising gang tensions, but he said it wasn't personal and that he was sure she was a good person.
"People are feeling incredibly unsafe in their homes and communities and the second reality is that frontline police actually want to get on and crack down on gangs but they don't have the tools to do so," he said.
Luxon also said the National Party will be announcing policies to help crack down on crime but in the meantime is keen to work with the Government, particularly on a firearms prohibition bill.
He said he'd like to see the bill be taken out of the select committee and into parliament to be passed urgently.
He also said he'd work with the Government on moving assets from gangs.
A tit-for-tat war between the Tribesmen and Killer Beez gangs has had Aucklanders on edge for weeks, after a number of brazen shootings and suspicious fires across the city.
Former Police negotiator Lance Burdett said the more authorities target gangs and those carrying out illegal activity, including ram raids, the more some young people look up to those gangs and want to take part in the same criminal activity.
"It's inter-generational. How many times do you see brothers and families and fathers and sons in gangs?"
Speaking to ZB's Mike Hosking about Australia's response to gangs, Burdett said New Zealand can do more - "absolutely".
"You don't need laws to do this. You need resources."
He said New Zealand is about 2000 police per head of population under-resourced.
Burdett acknowledged there was fear among the community in light of the many ram raids and shootings between gangs that have hit headlines over the past few months.
But he said authorities needed to counter that fear by reporting results - for example, reporting more of the number of people being arrested.
"It's following through the justice system. It's not just the police as well," Burdett said. Other Government agencies - including Customs - can help and work harder to beat criminal behaviour.
"It's not just the police's responsibility," he said.
National Party leader Christopher Luxon says Poto Williams has not been able to lead successfully in her role as police minister. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Manukau ward councillor Alf Filipaina said he is waiting to hear from other community leaders and hopes to be able to broker a truce between the two gangs.
Filipaina said he believed the younger members of the gangs are responsible for causing violent mayhem around Auckland, and that it was important to keep dialogue open with the gangs to keep communities safe.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern this week said there was an escalation "between two gangs" and police were focused on de-escalation.
"When it comes to law changes, we are always very focused on what works. We don't need politics here. We don't need tokenistic changes. We need things that work.
"We know that some of the things that will make a difference are those we are already doing. We've had 500 firearm seizures this year. Getting firearms registered in New Zealand - even Chris Cahill from the Police Association says that will be one of the things that make the biggest difference. We're also doing firearm prevention orders. We are constantly looking at the landscape.
"We're looking at a couple of other measures in the New Zealand context. We're not in a position to talk about this just yet but we are looking at some other possibilities but my lens will always be 'will it make a difference?'"
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