Tim Dower: What is Cuddles Coster up to?

Some interesting stuff has come out of Police Commissioner's session with the Justice Select Committee. 
Andrew Coster said we need to be careful about fixating on the gangs. 
When it comes to drugs and especially the big importers, he says discreet operators with global connections are the real problem. 
Coster says "90 per cent of people charged with importing, manufacturing, or dealing methamphetamine are not patched gang members.” 
He went on to say that in reality a gang member's lifestyle can be quite pitiful. 
They mostly deal drugs to support their own habits he says, and maybe have a bit left over to pay for petrol. 
Is he trying to make us feel sorry for them? 
I wonder if he's missed the point about the public's feelings over gangs. 
National's Mark Mitchell seems to have a better handle on that. 
He's appalled at the open warfare between gangs on his patch. 
And he says the public is sick of gang members taking over roads and public spaces, behaving as though they have licence to do what they want, quote unquote. 
And I think that's the point. 
If you or I have so much as an out of date warrant the police are all over us. 
Yet time after time we seen motorways blocked by processions of patched bikers. 
Burnouts in the streets and two-fingers to the rest of you, while the police stand there with their arms folded, watching it. 
New Zealanders should be able to feel safe going about their lawful business. 
Increasingly that is not the case, and it's happened on Cuddles' Coster's watch.

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