00:00Former Police Commissioner Gary Griffith says the debate over the Special Operations Zone in Maloney should focus on public safety
00:06rather than politics.
00:09Griffith noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of people needed permits to move around the country as restrictions
00:15were introduced to protect lives.
00:18He argues that while the threat has changed from a virus to violent crime, the objective remains the same, saving
00:24lives.
00:25Griffith also rejected suggestions that special security operations should be based solely on murder statistics, saying policing must be driven
00:34by intelligence and the ability to act quickly on credible information.
00:38At the same time, he stressed that law-abiding citizens must not be treated like suspects and that special powers
00:45must be exercised professionally and within the law.
00:48Griffith said special operations zones should remain temporary, targeted and intelligence-led, while balancing public safety with citizens' rights.
00:57Mark Bessant, TV6 News.
