Green MP Tamatha Paul was widely criticised for suggesting not everyone wants to see more police on the beat. Is that really such a crazy idea? Lyric Waiwiri-Smith argues with Lyric Waiwiri-Smith.

Comments made by Wellington Central MP Tamatha Paul that she had heard from “a lot” of her constituents in that they “do not want to see police officers everywhere” as “heaps of cops” make them “feel less safe” have copped flak from the police minister, the prime minister, the Act Party, Winston Peters, Chris Hipkins and various corners of social media comment sections.

But Paul’s police stance is definitely not the most insane take to have in 2025, especially taking into account the history of police violence, particularly against Māori.

Yes, seeing more police out and about provides a sense of comfort and safety to many people, even if they don’t actually see them doing anything – just their presence is enough to disquiet fears of being harmed. There are few other figures in this country with that ability.

On the other hand, there are also plenty of people who will see a group of police officers and feel the exact opposite. The anxiety bubbles in their chest, the dormant trauma they’ve stored in their body reawakens, they worry they will be targeted, they instantly feel guilty for simply being alive.

Someone does need to sort out all this bullshit though, right? Almost every day you walk down Manners Street and Te Aro Park and think to yourself, ‘shit, this place has gone to the dogs’. There’s drug abuse, verbal abuse, physical abuse … And then you go to work and read at least 15 horrific crime stories in the Herald.

Too right – sometimes I think I digest so much crime that it makes me feel genuinely depressed about the world, and I can’t be the only one. I also can’t help but notice when I walk down Manners Street that there’s a defunct community centre, and most others walking through there treat the streeties with a caution that is akin to contempt, like they’re an obvious problem that should be swiftly and quietly dealt with.

It just makes me think that there could be a better way to deal with these things, you know? Like maybe we should be asking ourselves why these people are committing crimes and support them out of that cycle. It might also help if we start humanising these people in our minds and save a little bit of empathy, then we might be able to tackle these things at a community level.

Honestly, seeing more police on the beat just causes a bit of uneasiness for me, even though I know I’m not doing anything “wrong”. Are they looking at me? Am I about to walk into something dangerous? Who or what are they looking for? Will I see something I don’t want to see?

Girl, so true that getting to the source feels better, but we need to be realistic here. A lot of people are feeling unsafe, and you can’t immediately see the results from some kind of systemic overhaul. The police play a role for a reason. Isn’t a bandaid better than nothing at all?

But is it worth it if it comes at the expense of making already vulnerable people feel more vulnerable? Wait, I’m not the only one who feels scared by a police presence, right?

I mean, you’d be agreeing with Paul, and look where that has got her. I get it: you’re both young wāhine Māori who think of themselves as progressive, but aren’t you worried you’re victimising yourself a bit?

I think it speaks more to a collective Māori experience than us seeing ourselves as victims. Sure, David Seymour can accuse Paul of bringing “identity politics” into it all he likes, but it’s a fact that we have been disproportionately targeted by police.

Surely it’s not unreasonable for Paul to be sharing the concerns of constituents and for her to feel concerned about where police resourcing is going in her electorate, right? Police throwing away the few belongings of homeless people who are, well, homeless, doesn’t send a positive message about how those at the lowest levels of society are treated.

When I lived in Auckland …

Oh, here we go.

Yeah, forgive me. But when I lived in Auckland, more police on the beat genuinely did look to me like more homeless people were being approached for, well, being homeless. And then you sort of think to yourself, how are they supposed to pay the fine that’s been slapped on them, or show up to court? Do they end up like Dean Wickliffe?

Hey, at the end of the day, if you’re abusing substances or people, you’re committing a crime and you have to face the consequences. What if the day comes where you need to call the police?

That day has come and gone so many times that it’s not even funny! Burglaries, mental health episodes, violence … I can’t remember any of these cases being made better by a police presence also being there. Sometimes they’ve made things feel worse, but most times, it feels like they genuinely offered nothing at all.

What if the day comes when you reeeaalllyyy need their help, though?

Then I’ll put on the performance many Māori have learned to put on when talking to police: be respectful to the point of making yourself look small, be so self-conscious of your Māoriness that you try not to show it at all, agree with everything they say, do not do anything that makes yourself look even slightly suspicious.

So you admit it: you’re not really scared of all cops, are you?

I guess it’s kinda like when people tell me they can’t stand journalists and the world would be a better place without us in it. I’m like, ouch, not all journalists, we’re trying to provide a service to the public here. And then I remember the many times we’ve let the public down, too.