Seventy per cent of New Zealanders believe the Government is not doing enough to deal with gangs in Aotearoa, the latest 1News Kantar Public poll suggests.
There was 14% who thought the Government was doing enough to deal with gangs and 16% who either did not know or refused to answer.
The groups who were more likely than average (70%) to feel the Government was not doing enough was National supporters (91%), ACT supporters and people living in the Hawke's Bay (both 88%), people on an annual household income of more than $150,000 (82%), men over 55 (80%) and people aged between 35-54 (75%).
The poll found that 48% of Labour Party supporters believed the Government was not doing enough, while only 25% thought they were doing enough.
The other groups who were more likely than average (14%) to think the Government was doing enough was people with a median income of up to $30,000 (23%), men aged 18-34 and Māori (both 22%).
The Government has been under fire from the Opposition, with ACT's David Seymour saying that "New Zealanders don’t want their safety to be at the mercy of a gang truce, we need to strike fear into these gangs that their criminal behaviour is unacceptable, and they won’t get away with it".
READ MORE: Explainer: How do other countries deal with gang crime?
On Tuesday evening, the Government passed a new suite of gun law changes that meant anyone convicted and sentenced to a specific serious crime can be under a firearm order and not legally able to use or access a firearm.
It also announced a gang crackdown last month, in an attempt to "reduce the harm caused by gangs and make communities safer".
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in June said there was no question there is an escalation in gang activity - on June 7 there had been more than 20 drive-by shootings in just two weeks.
Police Minister Chris Hipkins said he understood the concerns over escalating gang activity.
"I absolutely hear the public’s desire for us to do more to combat gang-related violence and gang-related activity, and I think it’s absolutely fair and legitimate for the public to be asking for that, that’s something we will be responding to."
National’s Christopher Luxon said it was obvious to New Zealanders that gangs are getting a hold in the community.
"New Zealanders are not feeling safe in their own homes and their own communities and the primary responsibility of the Government is to protect its citizens, and the reality is the government has been soft on crime."
For more on this story, watch 1News at 6pm.
Between July 30 and August 3, 2022, 1023 eligible voters were polled by mobile phone (504) and online, using online panels (519). The maximum sampling error is approximately ±3.1%-points at the 95% confidence level. The data has been weighted to align with Stats NZ population counts for age, gender, region, education level and ethnic identification. The sample for mobile phones is selected by random dialling using probability sampling, and the online sample is collected using an online panel.
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