Police Minister Mark Mitchell has met with Te Rūnanga ā Iwi o Ngāpuhi about an increase in violent crime and family harm. Photo: RNZ / Calvin Samuel
The Police Minister says there will be a targeted gang bust in Northland, similar to last year's Ōpōtiki raids, in an effort to crack down on methamphetamine use in the region.
Mark Mitchell met with Te Rūnanga ā Iwi o Ngāpuhi yesterday, who are calling for government intervention to deal with what they called an escalating methamphetamine crisis fuelling a tide of violent crime and family harm.
Mitchell told Morning Report the meeting resulted in a clear path forward, and police would work with iwi and other local leaders to address the problem.
"Police can't do it by themselves, and the great thing about that meeting is there was a firm commitment from him (Te Rūnanga ā Iwi o Ngāpuhi chair Mane Tahere) to work with police, and work with government, to identify those of the community that are most vulnerable, the ones that are dealing the drugs," he said.
"The police and iwi know who they are, and we're going to start a targeted programme."
Morning Report's Paddy Gower asked Mitchell if he was planning "Ōpōtiki-style action" with police making a "massive bust" on a gang there.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Mitchell responded.
Gangs were the "biggest pedlars of the misery", he said.
Mitchell said he would not call methamphetamine use in Northland a crisis, but there were deep social issues that needed to be addressed.
"We know that we've got a problem... this is a global problem. Can we show that we can make gains and make an impact? Of course we can."
Mitchell referred to efforts in Ōpōtiki, saying police raids and mass arrests there resulted in the Mongrel Mob Barbarians "effectively taken down".
Ngāpuhi chair Mane Tahere previously told RNZ he wanted to see a crackdown on supply and an increase in wrap-around social services in Northland to try and help those using drugs to come off them.
The community also needed to start calling people out, he said.
"There's no secret and we need to speak up about it ourselves, around the supply and who's doing it."
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