• Green MP Tamatha Paul criticised police beat patrols, saying they make people feel less safe. 
• Police Minister Mark Mitchell called her comments “nonsense”, citing a 5.5% decrease in violent crime in Wellington Central. 
• Paul suggested alternative institutions could take over some police functions, sparking debate on policing roles. 

A Green MP is again under fire for comments made about the judicial system – this time for taking aim at beat cops during a university students’ panel discussion on “radical alternative to policing”. 

Wellington Central MP Tamatha Paul told the event – hosted by the University of Canterbury’s Greens and Peace Action Ōtautahi – that she has heard “nothing but complaints” about police beat patrols across the country. 

She also said it was “completely possible” to “set up institutions that can overtake lots of functions of the police”. 

“Wellington people do not want to see police officers everywhere, and, for a lot of people, it makes them feel less safe. It’s that constant visual presence that tells you that you might not be safe there, if there’s heaps of cops,” she said. 

“All they do is walk around all day, waiting for homeless people to leave their spot, packing their stuff up and throwing it in the bin,” she added. 

Green MP Tamatha Paul suggests institutions could be set up to "overtake lots of functions of the police". 

Those comments are being questioned by Police Minister Mark Mitchell, who labelled them “absolute nonsense”. 

“The Community Beat Teams work, and we know that because where they’ve been deployed we have seen a larger decrease in violent crime than elsewhere,” Mitchell said. 

The initiative, established last year, put a visible police presence in major cities in a bid to crack down on anti-social behaviour and curb retail crime. 

Mitchell pointed to Wellington Central as an example of the success of beat policing. 

“We’ve seen a 5.5% decrease in violent crime in the area that the Beat Team is deployed, compared to a 2% drop nationally,” the minister said. 

He said the Greens “don’t believe in our police or prisons”. 

Police Minister Mark Mitchell is confident police Community beat Teams in major cities across the country are working well. Photo / Mark Mitchell 

This month, Paul expressed “regret” about a TikTok in which she incorrectly claimed the “vast majority” of people in prison were there for non-violent offences. 

Late last year, Paul’s Green Party colleague, Kahurangi Carter, told the House: “For many people in New Zealand, they would feel safer alone with a patched [gang] member than police”. 

“The Greens are not credible on law and order,” Mitchell said. 

Asked about Paul’s comments regarding police throwing away homeless people’s items, Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said she had “definitely” received complaints as a local MP. 

“There’s a diversity of views that all of us hear from our different constituents,” Swarbrick said. 

She said she was engaged with beat police in her electorate of Auckland Central and heard they are not properly equipped to deal with situations they are confronted with. 

During the panel discussion, Paul expressed concern about police dealing with those with mental illnesses, using the example of the death of Sam Matue in Auckland’s Ōrere Point. 

“That, to me, is the clearest evidence that we need to see that the police do not have the skills or the life experience to deal with someone who is high on drugs, experiencing drug psychosis, [or] in extreme mental distress.” 

Police previously told the Herald there are several investigations under way into the circumstances relating to Matue’s death. 

A report released last year found a majority of people Tasered over a six-month period were in mental distress or unwell. 

Paul suggested teams working with the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi could take over road policing, and that mental health teams should respond to certain callouts. 

Azaria Howell is a multimedia reporter working from Parliament’s Press Gallery. She joined NZME in 2022 and became a Newstalk ZB political reporter in late 2024, with a keen interest in public service agency reform and government spending.