Cyclone Gabrielle: Army needed to restore law and order, say Act and NZ First after reports of looting, local roadblocks

Act and NZ First are calling for the armed forces to take over control of the streets of Hawke’s Bay after reports of violence and looting following Cyclone Gabrielle.

It comes after a report road workers had guns pointed at them and residents in cyclone-hit Hawke’s Bay have resorted to erecting roadblocks in some suburbs to protect their properties and homes from looters and thieves. Police have so far arrested at least 59 people.

A traffic management boss said staff in the region had a pistol and sawn-off shotgun pointed at them while working.

Ryan Lawson of East Coast Traffic told Newsroom staff were facing daily abuse.

Such a decision for the military to assist police rests with the Prime Minister and ultimately would rely on a request from police that they could not handle the emergency on their own.

Police Commissioner Andrew Coster said this morning he felt police had the situation under control and the number of law and order issues was actually lower than normal. He said more resources were on their way.

The region had got 120 additional frontline police staff in the wake of the cyclone and an extra 25 were coming on top of 770 already there.

Coster also said reports of crime were down on normal levels.

Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise told RNZ regardless of reporting levels people were scared and wanted more people on the ground. Wise also said crime was potentially underreported due to widespread communications issues.

One of several roadblocks in place around the wider Puketapu area being manned by locals. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Meanwhile, local residents spoken to by the Herald have said they would like to see armed forces take over the roadblocks they had set up to prevent looting of damaged properties. Some local residents have even indicated they could take up their own arms if the situation worsened.

Act Party leader David Seymour said the Prime Minister needed to order the military to assist police.

“The first duty of Government is to keep people safe. People on the East Coast are terrified and their pleas for help should be listened to.”

Seymour said more than 600 police were sent to the Parliament protest and yet only 100 have been sent to Hawke’s Bay.

“A presence in the worst affected areas would make a huge difference to communities that are suffering. They are exhausted and they shouldn’t have to be up all night manning their own checkpoints.”

NZ First leader Winston Peters said the lawlessness would only get worse if it was not taken seriously.

“The Prime Minister needs to approve sending Army personnel to assist police to maintain order - it is a state of emergency and is out of control.

“The first responsibility of any government is to ensure people’s safety and security - the people of the Hawke’s Bay shouldn’t have to put up with guns being pointed at road workers, or people being threatened and robbed for food and petrol.”

Members of the Puketapu community gather to discuss creating and manning roadblocks in the area to stop potential looters after Hawke's Bay was smashed by Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Mike Scott

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and senior ministers are currently in a meeting of the Cabinet and not available for comment. Hipkins will be asked about military intervention at the post-Cabinet press conference at 4pm.

Grilled by Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB this morning, Police Minister Nash was asked whether he thought the gangs would actually “pull their heads in” after the minister had made the plea to do so. “My plea ... no, not my plea ... my request is pull your bloody head in, get your animals off the streets and out of their cars. They have whanau and family affected as well. Get out and start helping them,” Nash told Hosking.

Referencing Nash’s comment about it not being the right time to commit crime, Hosking asked the minister when was the right time.

“There is no right time,” Nash responded.

Nash said that the criminal behaviour by gangs in Hawkes Bay was totally unacceptable.

“Police are onto this and, as a community, we won’t stand for such behaviour by gangs.”

Nash said gangs had a very strict hierarchy, with leaders and then men who go out on the streets.

“I ask them to take control of these men because their families are also impacted.”

Nash said it was not the right time especially when the city was in distress and people had no communication.

“We don’t want gangs. I called gang leaders and told them to get this under control, they call themselves community leaders so this is the time to show that leadership.

“Eagle helicopter has also come down from Auckland.”

Gang response units were also on the way and army personnel were also in the region, he said.

Forty-two people had been arrested since the storm, Nash said. Referencing a false rumour that Gun City in Napier had been ram raided, Nash said, “this is the situation when you get no power and no telecommunications. There is an information void.”

“I understand people are highly stressed and suffering in ways they haven’t before.”

It was up to the district commander to determine the resources she needed in terms of the police force, Nash said. He said he was aware of what had been going on in the city and he had contacted the police commissioner about increasing resources. He told him that Eastern District Commander Jeanette Park had the authority to get any resources she needed.