Police Commissioner on controversial shoplifting directive
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers speaks to media on Tuesday.
Photo:
RNZ / Nick Monro
The police commissioner has told media a controversial shoplifting directive is "inconsistent with his expectations".
The directive told officers not to investigate allegations of shoplifting below $500, while petrol drive offs below $150 and online scams under $1000 also not be investigated.
Speaking at a media conference this afternoon, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said he had "a lot of trust and confidence" in his staff.
But he said they would not always get it right.
"I was disappointed that the memo was inconsistent with my expectations when it comes to retail crime."
Chambers said he was worried that the memo could undermine the trust and confidence in police.
Chambers earlier called the memo confusing and unhelpful, but has not said if he will reverse the directive.
It has drawn concerns from business and advocates, including the Sensible Sentencing Trust, who described reports of the directive as disturbing.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has said says he expects police to tackle crime everywhere, and that the memo got it wrong and was not appropriate.
Hamilton dairy owner Manish Thakkar said the police directive gave shoplifters a free pass.
"We are giving liberty to the criminals, 'come and steal up to $500, you are free to go', so that is wrong," he said.
He said all offenders should be treated equally.
"Whether it is 500 or a thousand [dollars], their intention is to steal from the property, so all criminals should be taken equally, and the should be punishable, they are punishable."
Thakkar said crime - even crime that was perceived to be on a small -scale - had a financial impact on business owners and their emotional state.
"If a shop keeper, retailer, is fearless, he can happily enjoy his business and he can happily think about his prosperity, what next I can do for my future growth," he said.
"Right now, that [...] has been wiped out."
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Liquor shop owner Ash Parmar said retailers needed confidence that reported crimes are being followed up.
"They just need to do a much more better demonstration of giving retailers confidence," he said.
"I'm aware of countless examples where high levels of thefts have happened, and the follow up has been very less than ideal, especially when so much footage has been uploaded."
He was asking questions about whether the current 105 method for reporting was up to scratch.
In Wellington, Ngaio GAS petrol worker Julian - who did not want his surname published - said the rule change was quite unfair, as most drive-offs were under the new $150 threshold.
He was worried about busier stores.
"We are community based, we are not on the main road, so we kind of carry a lower risk," he said.
"However, for those petrol stations located on the main road they will be targeted again, there will be so much petrol drive offs with this."
Police Director of Service Superintendant Blair McDonald confirmed on Monday there would be a financial threshold for investigating crimes - saying they must prioritise what resources they have.
But the police commissioner released a statement saying retail crime is a top priority.
He said he'd asked all district commanders to continue to catch offenders wherever possible, regardless of the memo's thresholds.
Speaking in Auckland on Tuesday, Luxon said he welcomed the commissioner's statement this morning.
"We're a party of law and order, we expect our police to tackle crime everywhere, and that's good to see him clarify that this morning.
"We want our police helping New Zealanders, protecting and serving us, and hunting down crime in all sorts and all types."
But there were those who needed convincing.
The Sensible Sentencing Trust called reports of the directive "disturbing".
Spokesperson Louise Parsons condemned the move, saying it sent the wrong message.
"The past five or six years, retailers have been hit with an onslaught of crime, and now they're being told that crimes under certain thresholds are essentially not worth investigating," she said.
"This is a green light to criminals."
The directive flew in the face of work already done by the Ministerial Advisory Group on Retail Crime, Parsons said.
"If we let this stand, it could undo all the progress we've worked so hard to achieve."
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