New Police Minister Chris Hipkins has acknowledged crime statistics will be a partial measure of whether he's making a difference in the job.
The former Covid-19 Response Minister also says he will not rule out legislative changes to accommodate asset seizures of gang property, and wants officers to have all the necessary tools available to tackle crime.
Hipkins has taken over from Poto Williams, who was moved on following heavy criticism from the opposition and a flare-up in gang violence and youth-driven ram raids in Auckland.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had said the narrative around the portfolio had become distracting.
"With all of these things there's always a bit of a bit of backwards and forwards with the PM when she's considering a reshuffle, but policing is something that I do feel quite strongly about," Hipkins told Checkpoint.
"I think the work they've been doing around culture change within the police is incredibly important, and I really want to be able to support them to continue to do that work.
"I acknowledge that there are some areas where we're seeing an escalating picture and then escalating pressure at the moment.
"Gang crime is clearly one of them. Some higher visibility youth crime is clearly another. So I think I can help and I'm really looking forward to the challenge."
Gang crime was certainly among the top issues to address, he said.
"We do have to recognise that in the last few years there's been an escalation in gang tension and gang-related activities. And I think that is something that community are rightly concerned about."
Regarding moves like asset seizures of gang property, Hipkins said he would not rule out changes in that area.
He said he would be looking at the firearms protections legislation before Select Committee to make sure the detail was right, and looking to see if there were any other "legislative tools" that would help police as soon as possible.
A clear indicator of progress or failure was statistics around violent crime, but it was one of many indicators, he said.
"The number of incidents that we're seeing around gang-related activity make it very clear to the community there is more activity out there and so more needs to be done… We absolutely do need to be doing more.
"I absolutely appreciate the limitation of crime statistics. They are one indicator. So yes, I think they will be one of the indicators, there are others as well. The resolution rate - the amount of time it takes police to resolve issues - all of those statistics are useful, but you need to consider the whole package of them."
Hipkins acknowledged it was not his job to tell the police what to do, but to make sure they had the tools to do their job effectively. He said he was aiming to get crime figures "pointing in the right direction".
"I think one of the things we do need to do is make sure we've got right up at the top of the policing agenda these issues that New Zealanders are rightly concerned about, because we're seeing escalating gang tension, we're seeing some high-profile youth offending.
"New Zealanders want to know they are front of mind for the government and they are front of mind for the police, so I absolutely want to give them that reassurance and make sure those things are happening."
He said he believes police should have access to firearms when it was justified, but should not be routinely armed.
Banning gang patches is not on the agenda, he said, citing evidence in New Zealand and overseas that it does not reduce gang activity, but makes it less visible.
