TAKING ACTION With Nicole McKee ACT Party MP

Gang membership has steadily risen during the last five years at a rate faster than recruitment of our valued New Zealand Police force.

Since 2017 gang numbers across the country have increased by around 3500. Meanwhile our communities still await the 1800 new Police first promised in 2017 to be in place by election 2020 and each year since. The reality is Labour will struggle to have those promised Police numbers in place to look after your community by election 2023.

Those living in the Bay of Plenty have had more than their fair share of the nation's crime wave with ram raids, drive-by shootings, theft and unsolicited random violence occurring in the towns and streets of provincial NZ.

Statistics I received from the Minister of Police show the BOP has the most gang members in the country.

The soft approach on crime taken by Labour and New Zealand First Governments since 2017 has created a storm of acceptable bad behaviours where consequence has been abandoned at the expense of deterrence. No wonder the gangs grow faster than the Police.

ACT says it is time to bring back the deterrence and consequences. Young men and women need to see there are other ways of prospecting your life and that life will indeed become difficult for them if they join a gang and commit crime. ACT has a law and order policy where we will reinstate the Three Strikes legislation for those repetitive serious violent criminals and where we will introduce rehabilitative initiatives to promote civil behaviour and give hope and aspiration to those leaving incarceration.

Deterrence, consequence and rehabilitation is the key.