Andrew Dickens: We ignore what's possible when we talk about crime and policing

Andrew Dickens Afternoons

So, it's been a week since I was last on ZB, and last Monday we were talking law and order and what really needs to happen.

But of course in the week since, the former Police Minister Stuart Nash has had a spectacular meltdown and we now have our 5th Police Minister in 5 years. In fact, it's our 10th in 14 years. Police would like the revolving door to stop spinning so fast, but that's not in their control.

But the funny thing I noticed about Stuart Nash's supposed crime is how little anybody really cared. In fact, one woman questioned by telly over the weekend said the classic line: he was just saying what everybody is thinking.

The people who were most vocal about Nashie's misbehaviour were the opposition MPs. Particularly Mark Mitchell and David Seymour.

"A flagrant overreach of ministerial authority and an instantly sackable offence" they chanted in unison.

What Stuart Nash did was suggest what the police should do operationally. The Cabinet manual for all parties forbids this. It also forbids instructing the judiciary. These are facts that the opposition choose to ignore when they spin their "the Government is soft on crime" line. Operationally the police and the judiciary will be exactly the same no matter what the government.

And last week the talkback also seemed to ignore was is really possible.

We had suggestions of trucking offenders off to other countries and overseas detention camps. International Law Courts might have something to say about that, I said.

Callers wanting judges to be told to increase their sentences. Can't do that they're independent.

Mark Mitchell even phoned and said what was needed was more wrap around services, which is exactly Labour's line, and military academies. Which he told me were already operating well in Whenuapai and elsewhere.

Now I can find no mention of military academies for offenders anywhere in New Zealand. The closest is Vanguard school, which is a special character school which started as a charter school. It's one that requires a voluntary choice by parents and kids who are committed to a change. And the thing that Defence Forces have told me is that they don't want feral, foetal alcohol affected, life time crims to rehabilitate.

And towards the end of the conversations, a caller texted me and said you've dismissed all our ideas, what are yours?

I guess the first thing I'd do is support the police more. Having talkback callers parrot an opposition line that police have no respect anymore damages only the police and empowers the crims.

I'd insist on a standard ratio of police numbers to population. An idea and target floated in 2022 but still being missed. The problem is churn. We're employing new police, but they're not replacing the police who have had enough and are leaving the force. So I would up the numbers of new police.

And like everyone, I'd like to toe rags identified early and interventions put in place.

Policing and crime is not simple and the soft on crime rhetoric helps no-one.

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