Karl du Fresne: Kiwi crime capers

It looked like a scene from a Hollywood heist movie. Three expensive, late-model cars (stolen, of course) race through a deserted shopping mall in the early hours of the morning. CCTV footage shows the cars followed close behind by a swarm of teenagers on foot, their faces concealed by hooded jackets – the clothing of choice for New Zealand street gangs.

Their objective is an electronics store, where one of the cars smashes through the front doors. The robbers load their bags with cellphones, tablets and laptops and within minutes have fled with their booty, leaving behind a shaken cleaning lady who had to leap out of the cars’ path.

The raid was planned and executed so slickly as to be almost worthy of admiration. It happened last month at Ormiston, in the south-eastern suburbs of Auckland, in a stylish mall that has been hit by four ram raids in the year since it opened.

Since then there have been others, sometimes several in a single night. The businesses targetted range from high-end fashion shops to liquor outlets and humble convenience stores (‘dairies’, in New Zealand parlance) in the suburbs. In one raid, police apprehended an 11-year-old driver.

Mike Hosking: Supporters of strong law and order are losing the battle

 

Welcome to the new week, New Zealand styles. Do you think Poto Williams might have been over the crime news for the first day of the week yesterday? 

One gang shot up another gang's headquarters because one of the gang's mates got shot up at a strip club. So, a lot of gangs and a lot of shootings. 

Downtown Auckland, the bit they want the tourists to wander up when the cruise ships return, if they return, got a couple of ram raids. One at Gucci and one at Louis Vuitton. That, by the way, was the second ram raid on at least one of those outlets. As the police will often tell you, once they've done it, they will do it again. 

Point of Order: New poll (does the mainstream media know about it?) affirms Ardern govt is on the back foot

The Ardern government may feel pleased it hasn’t fallen lower in the latest Roy Morgan poll, but there wasn’t much to cheer about, particularly for those MPs who it indicates face being banished to the political wilderness come election day.

The key element in the poll – the fourth in a row in the Roy Morgan sampling to show a change of government, were there to be an election now – is the decline in net country direction from -5% to -12.5%, as has been pointed out by another pollster, David Farrar.

The gender breakdown of the direction question is also pertinent: in February women were + 8% but are now -6%.

Of course, Covid is still dominating the headlines in the mainstream media, few of which level any kind of criticism at the Prime Minister – and there was barely a mention to be found in the media of the Roy Morgan poll.

Andrew Dickens: Poto Williams joins a growing list of ministers who appear to enjoy the baubles of office

And so we come to the end of a week where I have barely mentioned Covid.

A week where the Director-General of Health has resigned. And he told us he wanted to finish the job, Dr Bloomfield leaves his position in July.

With that departure date, you can get no better indication that this phase of the pandemic is coming to an end.

Which is not to say some new twist might yet emerge. But let's not go there until we have to.

And as the virus falls off our front pages we're beginning to see stories that were hidden by the fog of war Covid provided. A fog that protected senior ministers from scrutiny.

None more so than Police Minister Poto Williams. She's had a week from hell.

Point of Order: Williams has faith in data on Police recruiting but gang growth numbers are – a bit bent?

Police Minister Poto Williams was responsible for one of just two new ministerial press statements at time of checking on what the Beehive mob are up to.

She was obviously delighted to be able to end the week with something to crow about (she used the word “celebrated”):

Barry Soper: Labour is abusing its absolute power

What's happening to democracy in this country, let alone the promised transparency of this Government?

Labour is abusing its absolute power and it seems those opposing it are powerless to do anything about it because majority rules.

A couple of weeks ago National wanted Police Commissioner Andrew Coster to appear before the Justice Select Committee to answer questions about the three-week occupation of Parliament's grounds by protesters.

The Labour majority of MPs on the committee blocked their request, arguing the Independent Police Conduct Authority was the "appropriate place for the review of police operational activities".