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Manurewa MP George Hawkins has hit out at police top brass accusing them of arrogance in their handling of community concerns about the killing of shopkeeper Navtej Singh.
The former police minister told NZPA he did not have confidence police would adequately review the case and said the community was preparing a complaint to the Independent Police Conduct Authority.
Yesterday Mr Hawkins had talks with Deputy Commissioner Rob Pope over a delay in emergency services getting in to help Mr Singh and community concerns about policing in the area.
Police received the first 111 emergency call at 9.05pm but did not enter the store until 9.31pm and paramedics entered at 9.38pm after waiting 20 minutes to be allowed in.
A few minutes after the shooting and before police arrived, security camera footage showed up to 10 people in the shop.
Mr Singh, 30, died in Auckland's Middlemore Hospital 24 hours after the shooting which happened during the robbery of his Manurewa liquor store on Saturday night.
Police said they would review the delay but said they had to establish where the gunman was before they entered so no one else's life was put in anger.
Mr Pope said decisions would be looked at in a debrief at the end of the investigation.
Mr Hawkins said the community felt rules around armed offenders had been blindly adhered to despite it being clear the robbers were no longer in the shop.
He believed police were being arrogant.
"I think when the police say they got it all right they would do it the same way again (then) I think they really do need to start listening to what's being said to them."
Mr Hawkins said he was told a South Auckland liquor store had been robbed yesterday and on Sunday.
"This is why people are really upset -- what happens if someone else gets shot, do they have to wait a long while? I would've thought human life is most important."
Mr Hawkins said a full review was needed rather than a debrief.
"I don't have any confidence really that it will actually be a detailed way of looking at things."
He said several meetings were being planned and the police complaint was being worked on. He had invited Mr Pope to come to South Auckland to meet with the community.
"I spent six years as Minister of Police defending police but I don't think its defendable unless they do look at it very seriously and see if they can improve on things."
The community was his priority, Mr Hawkins said.
"I've at times perhaps defended the police position, as a party member I fight jolly hard for the Labour Party and what it stands for but I stand solidly behind my people when there is something that is really upsetting them, I am not going to shrink away."
Mr Pope did not return NZPA's calls today. Yesterday he told reporters the police response was appropriate.
"Within 25 minutes we had enough cars and resources applied to the immediate area," he said.
"Police have established and very clear procedures in terms of preventing further loss of life or injury, and it takes some time to cordon an area and contain it before we can take further action.
"I'm satisfied that took place as quickly as possible."
Mr Pope said police had a responsibility for emergency services staff as well as the public.
He said it was unclear if police had been told the robbers had left.
- NZPA
