Friday, 20 October 2017 - 3:41pm -
Commissioner Mike Bush

Organised crime – making sure crime doesn’t pay

2 min read

Congratulations to Canterbury District Organised Crime staff and members of the Southern Asset Recovery Unit for restraining the Head Hunters pad in Christchurch. This shows our relentless focus on dismantling organised crime groups who take advantage of innocent people in our communities for the sake of making money.

Operation Coin is a multi-agency investigation targeting the assets of organised crime groups, particularly the Head Hunters Motorcycle Gang. As part of this investigation, in September, we restrained approximately $6 million in property and $275,000 in cash from the Head Hunters East Chapter Headquarters in Auckland.

With financial gain being the principle driver for organised crime, the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 is a major tool in our arsenal to fight profit-motivated crime.  It allows us to apply to the court to freeze or recover money or property derived from illegal activity. 

We won’t tolerate the harm criminal activities are causing in our communities and we’ll continue to prevent criminals from benefiting from their “ill-gotten gains”.

John Kirwan puts ‘mental wellbeing’ in the spotlight

Last week I was privileged to listen to Sir John Kirwan speak to Australasian Police leaders about mental health and how the culture of “helping out a mate” at work starts at the top.

The former All Black spoke about his personal journey with anxiety and depression and the importance of supporting our staff’s wellbeing in the workplace.

In occupations like ours it is critical that we all stay well every day, both physically and mentally.  

The former Blues coach acknowledged how busy we all are and gave good advice on creating a moment in our day for reflection, along with understanding where our pressure points are and how to address them.

It was great to hear from Sir John during mental Health Awareness Week and I appreciated that he shared his personal story.

You will know that we have good support systems in place, but as Sir John reminded us, please remember to “help out a mate”.

Labour Day Weekend driving

This weekend marks the last public holiday of the year before the Christmas break, and our roads will be busier as people head off to enjoy the long weekend.

Please look after yourselves and families this weekend while driving.  Road safety is everyone’s responsibility and we want you to reach your destination safely.  

 


Subscribe to the Commissioner's blog.