A meeting between the new Police Minister Mark Mitchell and the Commissioner has ended in an agreement of expectations.
The document, titled Ministerial Expectations for the Commissioner of Police, highlighted several responsibilities Commissioner Andrew Coster must meet in his role.
In a statement, Mitchell said Coster had agreed to all his expectations after the pair met earlier on Wednesday.
"I expect you to deliver on the Government's priorities outlined in this letter while providing effective leadership of the New Zealand Police," Mitchell wrote. "I also expect that you will regularly report to me on your progress to deliver against the expectations I have set for you."
The letter, released by the Public Service Commissioner who helped draft it, has been published on its website.
"Our New Zealand Police organisation and frontline staff are working in a far more complex, demanding and dangerous environment that requires focused, strong and supportive leadership. My expectation is for that leadership to be evident," Mitchell said.
"I have been open about the fact I do not agree with the direction policing has taken under the previous Government and I expect the Police Commissioner to focus on core policing with a back-to-basics approach."
Mitchell added: "I want people to feel safe on their streets, in their homes and in their workplaces".
The Government has set out intentions to introduce legislation in its first 100 days to ban gang patches, stop gang members gathering in public, stop known gang members from communicating with each other and give police greater search powers.
"Gangs have become more violent and more present in our communities, intimidating the public and taking over public roads and spaces. This needs to stop," Mitchell said.
"I expect police to be using the full force of the law and the tools and resources it has available, to significantly disrupt gang and organised crime within communities across New Zealand. I expect to see an immediate and sustained focus to deliver results in this area by police.
"We will support police through new legislation to disrupt and stop this harmful gang activity."
Coster said in a statement he is committed to working with the Minister to deliver on the priorities as set out in the letter.
"Our meetings to date have been very constructive and productive. We share many of the same concerns about crime and people's feelings of safety. We also share the same goal of keeping people safe and our communities free from crime. Not only that, we also have strong agreement on the shifts required to enable Police to achieve these outcomes," Coster said.
"The Minister is working with his colleagues to advance new legislation and powers that will strengthen Police's hand in suppressing unlawful gang activity and I look forward to our staff having these new tools."
Coster added that he shares Mitchell's admiration and respect for our front-line police.
"I appreciate his support as we look to reduce our involvement in areas such as mental health where others are better placed to address needs, freeing up our staff to focus on the things only police can do, such as visible public place policing and attending to crime in our communities," he said.
