Gang bill passed as debate continues over future of gun register

The government is wrapping up a week dominated by crime, but a coalition war could erupt, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in this excerpt from The Bulletin.

Gang law passed with last-minute additions

The government has passed the Gangs Bill, including two new additions that will give police extra search powers to clamp down on patches even in the home, as the prime minister vows to “harass” gang members. The ban on gang patches will come into effect on November 21, 1News’ Felix Desmarais reported, as will new powers to allow police to stop criminal gangs by association and communication. In line with the coalition agreement, gang membership will also be given greater weight in sentencing, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said.

The ability for police to search someone’s home for gang insignia if they breach the public ban three times was a controversial last-minute amendment to the government’s bill. A second amendment extended the ban to private vehicles. As discussed in the latest episode of Tova O’Brien’s Stuff podcast, the human rights impact of these changes was not assessed and concerns were raised about possible implications for the Bill of Rights. Ministers have defended it, despite concerns that it would not be subject to public scrutiny, but Police Minister Mark Mitchell admitted the rushed process was not ideal, the Herald’s Adam Pearse reported.

Police are beefing up their numbers… or not?

The passing of the gang legislation capped a week that has been heavily focused on crime for the government. We’ve been talking about the topic pretty much every day this week – from the PM’s police ride-along last weekend to the controversy over crime figures (another reminder to read Alice Neville’s article on The Spinoff).

There was another announcement on crime yesterday, Stuff’s Glenn McConnell reported, confirming where the 500 extra police officers the government had promised would be deployed. About 160 will join community patrols, while 77 will be deployed directly to the government’s new gang disruption units. The problem, McConnell noted, is that there are now 43 fewer officers in the force due to attrition than when the coalition came to power in November. And of the “new” 500 officers, 167 will fill vacancies that have been vacant since last year.

Damn goals‘

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister was visibly frustrated by a series of questions from a reporter during the announcement about new police officers. The Prime Minister, along with Police Minister Mark Mitchell, were asked about the police removing gang members from the national gang list. It was said that this was to ensure the list was accurate, for example by removing deceased gang members. Luxon was asked if this was politically “convenient” as it could show that the official number of gang members was falling. “Guys, guys, no disrespect,” Luxon said. “It’s not about the bloody targets, it’s about the outcomes.”

Given that the outcomes – such as reducing violent crime – are based on the “bloody targets”, it is a slightly unusual comment from the Prime Minister, coupled with the fact that this Government has prided itself on having announced targets in a number of areas (an update in the Herald this morning on the Government’s target to reduce the number of jobseekers, for example).

Debate on gun registration

The passage of the gang legislation doesn’t mean the end of the government’s focus on crime. And as Jenna Lynch reported for ThreeNews, there could be a new row between cabinet members over the future of the gun register. Act campaigned to scrap the register, but National and the police support it. “The register will stay, there’s no question about that,” Mark Mitchell said this week. That’s a pretty definitive answer, but Gun Reform Minister Nicole McKee, who is responsible for the register, wants to stick to the Coalition’s promise to conduct a review. “No minister can make that decision alone… and we’re in a Coalition,” she said.