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Dear John --
Kiwis do not feel as safe as they should and we’re taking action to
change that.
All too often we see footage of thugs attacking law-abiding New
Zealanders and acting like they have the right to hurt and steal
without consequence – I’m sick of it.
We told you we’d restore law and order and here’s our plan to
deliver on that commitment:
- 500 new cops over the next two years
- More highly-visible cops on the beat in our major cities, starting
with Auckland, from July 1
- Reinstating Three Strikes this year so repeat offenders face
tougher consequences
- Capping the sentence discounts judges can apply at 40 per
cent
- Removing the ability for offenders to repeatedly rely on ‘youth’
or ‘remorse’ as excuses to have their sentences reduced
- Introducing a new aggravating factor for serious retail crime
against sole charge staff like dairy workers
- Piloting military-style boot camps to set serious young offenders
on a more productive path, starting next month and introducing a
serious youth offender category
- Introducing wide-ranging new laws to crack down on gangs,
including a patch ban, greater powers to stop gang members associating
with each other and giving greater weight to gang membership at
sentencing.
These changes won’t be popular with the opposition and the pundits
who say we should keep doing what’s been done for years – but I don’t
care. This is about restoring law and order and focusing our justice
system on the rights of victims, not offenders.
The rights we enjoy as New Zealanders come with responsibilities,
including the responsibility to abide by the law and treat people and
their property with respect. If you fail to do so, do not be surprised
if you are met with the consequences under this Government.
National is the party of law and order and we make no apologies for
our approach to making our streets safer.
Thank you,
Christopher
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