The direct line between Wellington and Washington will see material results on tackling crime in New Zealand.
The FBI has set up a Wellington based office - meaning it now has an office in each of the capitals of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance.
It will work on combating terrorism, organised crime, and foreign intelligence threats.
Assistant Police Commissioner Mike Pannett told Mike Hosking the FBI has specialist capabilities and having a NZ presence is a testament to a longstanding partnership.
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Episode Transcript
One of the questions we had out of the FBI
announcement last week is is it all about China in
five hours or does some of dub Taylor with the
local crime scene and if so, how do our police
fit in with that particular operation.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Now.
Speaker 1 (00:11):
Mike Pannet is the Assistant Police Commissioner for International and
National Security and is with us Mike morning.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Good morning, Mike.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Are there a whole bunch of jurisdictional issues and boundaries
around this and how it works?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
No, the FBI are not strangers to us in New Zealand.
We've actually had an office set up here since twenty
seventeen and have been actually working with the FBI since
the late nineteen thirties. Believe it or not, what did
the FBI do here?
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Literally?
Speaker 2 (00:40):
But their focus within New Zealand is very much in
our traditional crime types. So we work with them extensively
in the counter terrorism space, on transnational organized crime, on
child exploitation, and on cybercrime.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
So it's the same thing that you hear often in
the news about you working with Interpol. They're just the
American version of Interpol.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Well, they're a little bit more specific than that, and
that they have specialty capabilities that are really helpful for us.
But likewise, as a member of that five Yes community,
they bring different skills that help us all work together
on those crime types.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Given you have worked with them previously. Does a local
office enhance how all this happens?
Speaker 2 (01:22):
I think it is a signal of the strength of
the relationship that we have moved from an individual local
to a full legal attached office. Historically that was covered
out of Australia since the nineteen seventies, so in some
ways a coming of age and certainly a time for
recognition of New Zealand as a five Yes partner within
(01:42):
the law enforcement space.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Good will we see given the cooperation between the two
you and them, will we see material results in terms
of crime and crackdowns?
Speaker 2 (01:51):
I am absolutely assured that we will. We are seeing
it on a day to day basis now they are
providing us information and in return, crime, particularly transnational organized crime,
which across all the five Vice community, is a threat
to the national security of each of our nations.
Speaker 1 (02:08):
Good stuff, Mike, appreciate the insight. Mike Penity's the Assistant
Police Commissioner International and National Security. For more from the
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