Prime Minister rejects claims he is not taking post cyclone lawlessness seriously
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has rejected claims that he is not taking post cyclone criminal activity seriously, saying that people need to report incidents to police so that they can be dealt with.
Hipkins, who was speaking to media in Hawke’s Bay today with Police Minister and MP for Napier Stuart Nash, denied he had earlier dismissed incidents of crime as unsubstantiated.
Asked about first-hand reports to journalists of firearms being pointed at roading crews, Hipkins responded: “My concern here is that people need to report those incidents to the police. I have now seen some first-hand reports of that. That is utterly unacceptable and the police will take a very stern and strict approach against that.”
“As I have said all week, I acknowledge that when the power is out and the communications are out, there is a heightened degree of anxiety and any criminal offending in that time is going to be of extra concern to a local community. That’s the reason why we have an extra 145 police from outside the district here at the moment helping on the ground.”
He promised that the government would “keep that coming as necessary”. The Eastern District Commander Jeannette Park had been told that whatever resources were required, the rest of the police force would make sure that was being delivered on the ground, he said.
He reiterated that if anyone had taken from one of the comments he had made any suggestion that he was diminishing the way they were feeling, “I certainly regret that”.
“I absolutely understand the level of stress that people in the community have been under. My message to them is that the police are here, the police are active, and the police are visible.”
Hipkins also had tough words for gang members who may be involved in crime in communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.
“I don’t have any time for the gangs, I would far rather that they find something useful to do with their lives.”
“The police are very active in the gang space at the moment and there is no room for the gangs to step in and exploit the situation in any way. I fully expect and know that the police will take a very dim view of that and they will come down hard if it happens.”
Asked what assurance he could give hard-hit locals that they would not be forgotten, Hipkins said it would take weeks, months and in some cases, years, for things to get back to normal.
“We are in this for the long haul. We will support these communities that have been affected to get back up and running again and to get life back to something that looks like normal as quickly as possible.”
He pledged that the Government would also be here for the recovery and rebuild as well.
After the media conference at the Distribution Centre in Hastings, Hipkins was set to fly to Wairoa by helicopter, but this was cancelled due to bad weather.
