Simeon Brown: Transport Minister on the planned meeting in the wake of the Onehunga bus stabbing

The Government's meeting with Police and transport officials today over Wednesday's fatal stabbing in Auckland. 

Police are expected to lay charges against a 37-year-old man who handed himself in to North Shore Police Station yesterday afternoon. 

It came after a woman was fatally stabbed on a bus in Onehunga on Wednesday in a seemingly random attack. 

Transport Minister Simeon Brown told Ryan Bridge he and Police Minister Mark Mitchell will be sitting down with Police and Auckland Transport today. 

He says the key issue is to ensure they're using the resources they have effectively, keeping public transport users safe, and looking at what more they can do. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Auckland is be vigilant in public. That is the message
from Police Safety on public transport in the spotlight following
the death of a woman on an on the Hunger bus.
It was half mid afternoon. This happened. A thirty seven
year old man sought by a police handed himself in yesterday,
but no charges have yet been laid. Simeon Brown is
the Transport minister. Minister, good morning, thanks for being on

(00:21):
the program.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Can you tell me anything about this is a tragedy
for the victim here in the victims family. Do you
know anything about her?

Speaker 2 (00:31):
No? I don't at this stage. All I'd say is
this is an absolutely tragic situation for the family the victim,
and really I feel for them. But also it's really
important we now work across Auckland to make sure that
we are restoring confidence for Uklanders to use public transport.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
Is it safe to go on a bus or a
train in.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Auckland, Well it is. I think The issue here though,
is there we have real challenges around law and order
across New Zealand and that's why we are really focusing
in our police back on the front line. I'm meeting
with Mark Mitchfield and with officials from police and Aukland
Transport later today to talk about the situation and what

(01:20):
more can be done. The key issue here is to
ensure that we are utilizing the resources that we have,
to give Aucklander's confidence around utilizing public transport, keeping public
transport workers safe, and looking at what more we can do.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
The heroes reported on previous and are threatening to kill
by stabbing. Sentenced in May. This is the guy who
has been arrested. Got a year and seven months. People
get automatically released after half of their sentence if it's
less than two years. You know, it was alleged to
a breach bail. Should this guy have been on the streets.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Well, that's why we're changing things like the Sentencing Act.
That's why we're removing, you know, making it harder to
get parole in some of these circumstances. That's why we're
reducing the work that Paul Goldsmith's doing around reducing some
of the discretions that judges have around discounting sentences. You know,
that's what we were elected in order to deliver, and
that's what we are. That's the legislation that's currently going

(02:14):
through parliament and.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
Auto release after half your time served under two years.
Those seems a bit a bit loose, but you're not
changing that.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
Well, if there's a range of things, we are changing
because ultimately we need to make sure that you know,
serious violent offenders our help account and we're a public
safety first in our criminal justice system. That's why God
of our legislation going through parliament.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
Should he have been on the street.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Well if I don't know all the details in terms
of that, but all I say is does it make
we are changing?

Speaker 1 (02:44):
Does it make it?

Speaker 2 (02:45):
Absolutely? Absolutely? I feel you know, I feel like most
AUK doers probably feel this morning, which is a sense
of anger, a sense of you know, concern, And I
think the key thing here is, you know, whether you're
walking down the street, going on a bus or a train,
you deserve to feel safe. And you know, we need
to make sure that the legislation prevents serious dangerous offenders

(03:07):
from being able to be you know what, then we
want to protect New Zealanders from them. We also need
to make sure that police resources focused on the rudio
that Mark Mitchell's doing, but making sure the police are
focused on frontline activities. And it's why We also meet
with Auckland Transport and police officials a bit later today
to talk about, you know, what what can we do

(03:28):
with the resource we've got. There's also some funding that's
available around putting more screens and for bus drivers and
getting that rolled out of it faster potentially. So there's
there's things that we can do and we're going to
be talking about how we can how we can continue
to do that.

Speaker 1 (03:41):
Well, let's hope something comes with that. Minister, Really appreciate
your time this morning. Thank you for being with me.
That's Simeon Brown.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
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