'I've always wanted to do it' - New Police Minister sets agenda

New Police Minister Ginny Andersen says the Government must do better on retail crime and repeat offending as the opposition push crime issues amid an election year.

Andersen spoke in her first media conference as the minister — alongside Prime Minister Chris Hipkins — in their home electorates in the Hutt Valley.

"The two areas that I think we can do better on is retail crime and repeat offending," she told media.

"My single focus will be improving community safety. I want New Zealanders to feel safe."

She also said reducing organised crime and gang activity were top priorities.

"It's a big job, and I know first-hand that policing is a tough job out there."

The minister said initiatives like additional fog cannons were going "incredibly well" and helped make business owners feel safer, but acknowledged that "we still need to do more in that space".

Andersen's first media stand-up comes as new youth offending stats released today show an uptick in overall offending for people aged under 18.

Last year, 8007 distinct charges were laid as compared to 7059 in 2021. The Youth Court figures would make 2022 the fourth-highest year for charges in the past decade.

Notably, charges for unlawful entry rose 40%, while charges for theft and related offences jumped 20%.

Andersen said she put her hand up for the police portfolio "a long time ago" and that she was "really proud" to have finally become the minister.

"I put my hand up, a long time ago. I've always wanted to do police. Community safety is a personal passion of mine, and I'm really proud to have [the Prime Minister's] confidence to do this job.

"I worked in a range of areas in police — I worked both in gangs, methamphetamine. I worked across the frontline and also in policy.

"I think I have a good understanding of the mechanics of how police work and also know what it's like for those men and women who put themselves out on the front line."

National and ACT have repeatedly accused the Government of being soft on crime as it shapes up to become a significant issue ahead of October's election. Andersen became the Police Minister after Stuart Nash's resignation from the role last week.

Nash resigned after boasting of speaking to the police commissioner over prosecutor decisions in a 2021 case - though he did not hold the police portfolio at the time.

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National's police spokesperson Mark Mitchell said yesterday that the Government was "floundering around trying to decide their fourth police minister in 12 months".

"More New Zealanders are now victims of crime, which shows Labour is lacking leadership and out of ideas when it comes to law and order," he said. "A National-led government will restore law and order, so New Zealanders feel safe again."