New police minister Mark Mitchell has released an unprecedented “letter of expectation” spelling out his demands for police boss Andrew Coster.
“Every New Zealander deserves to feel safe in their home, community and workplace,” the letter begins.
“This government wants to see a strong focus on public safety and victims, while ensuring that there are real consequences for crime and serious offending.”
Mitchell asks Coster to “restore law and order in our communities” in a continuation of his political rhetoric during the election campaign.
The governing parties — centre-right National, right-wing ACT and populists NZ First — all campaigned on harsher sentences for criminals and youth offender, and a crackdown on gangs.
It is tough to overstate the importance of public safety issues to the change of government, with National’s campaign chair Chris Bishop telling his party conference in June “this election is about law and order”.
The right-leaning parties attacked the previous government for an upswing in retail crime, including ram-raids, holding press conferences outside Kiwi milkbars, known as dairies, after they had been attacked.
NZ has also seen swollen gang numbers and gang activity, in part due to deportees from Australia who are New Zealand-born but have little connection to their homeland and join gangs.
Jacinda Ardern’s Labour government had a focus on rehabilitation and reducing incarceration, setting a target of having 30 per cent fewer inmates.
Coster was tied to those priorities — earning the nickname “Cuddles” — and the incoming government was tipped to find a way to move him from his post.
Police commissioners are appointed by the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister, with Coster appointed to a five-year term in April 2020, with that commission affording him a degree of protection.
After a series of one-on-one meetings between Mitchell and Coster, the pair agreed on the atypical letter of expectations, crafted with the assistance of public service commissioner Peter Hughes given the legal sensitivities.
“We needed a reset,” Mitchell told Newstalk ZB.
“We obviously have got a pretty serious agenda in terms of returning public safety and so I wanted to have a high level of confidence in (Coster).”
Under questioning from conservative talkback host Mike Hosking, Mitchell said the letter gave him faith in Coster to continue.
“In the meeting that we had, he expressly understood clearly whatever expectations are, what we want to do, what we want to achieve, and he’s fully aligned and on board,” he said.
New Zealand government’s new law and order policies
- A gangs crackdown, including banning gang patches, public gatherings and associating, with extra powers to police to search gang members’ properties
- Harsher sentencing, including gang membership made an aggravating factor
- Gun law reform, moving to a graduated system, with gang members prevented from owning guns
- Hiring 500 new police officers
- Return of “three strikes” policy, giving mandatory sentences for repeat offenders
- New offence for assaults on first responders and coward punches
- Repeat youth offenders as young as 10 to be electronically monitored, or attend military-run boot camps
- Increase prison capacity, including youth justice beds
Australian Associated Press
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