Police Minister blocks MP from meeting commanders, says cops ‘too busy’

Police Minister Poto Williams has refused to let National’s police spokesman meet the Commissioner or any district commanders, saying cops are too busy for him.

Mark Mitchell took over the National police portfolio late last year and has cried foul over Williams’ repeated refusals of his requests.

The Opposition MP and Williams also had a feisty exchange in the House today, where the minister accused former cop Mitchell of “disrespecting” police.

I’ve never really liked Poto Williams. Her attempt to smear Willie Jackson and stop him from becoming a member of Labour (a strategic decision that ended up winning Labour the 2017 election by the way) by hiring a PR team to promote a bullshit letter signed by 100 Young Labour activists (where is that letter with all those signatures now I wonder? All at The Standard?) has always left a bad taste in my mouth, so her latest disastrous attempts to smear Mark Mitchell is more par for the course from the Minister.

Look, no one like Mark Mitchell, and nor should they, but he is the Opposition spokesperson on Police, he has to be allowed to meet the top brass and talk to them.

This is basic stuff and yet Poto is refusing to allow him to meet Police and then has the audacity to accuse Mitchell of ‘disrespecting’ police.

Mark Mitchell worships the bloody Police, of all the things to claim he is, ‘disrespecting Police’ ain’t one of them.

This is Poto Williams playing petty games and thinking they are Machiavellian masterstrokes and then when she gets caught out in Parliament doing it, resorts to name calling Mark Mitchell.

It’s petty and it’s beneath the mana of Parliament and the office she holds.

Let Mark Mitchell meet Police and criticise his actual policy suggestions rather than play games and name call!

In light of the petty spite Trevor Mallard showed during the Dumb Lives Matter protest, do we honestly think Labour should be playing this type of politics?

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