 |
Todd Talks |
Like every region of New Zealand, here in the Bay of Plenty we are fed up with rising crime. We live in a country where gangs are growing faster than the Police.
Labour's ‘soft on crime' narrative has seen violent crime skyrocket 33 per cent in the past five years, while criminals are confident there are few consequences for their reign of terror. National is putting a stop to that.
At the weekend, National announced a raft of changes that are designed to strengthen sentences, give more support to victims, and give real help to remand prisoners to rehabilitate.
And the Three Strikes legislation will return.
Offenders who have twice been convicted for a serious offence will get the maximum sentence with no possibility of parole. Yes, there will be exceptions, but they will be few and far between. There will be a limit that judges can reduce a sentence by; and gang membership will be an aggravating factor in sentencing.
So-called ‘cultural reports' have turned into a thriving industry. The $20 million Labour has spent on these reports will be redirected to support victims with counselling, mental health support, or transport to and from court.
And National will pump up rehabilitation programmes for prisoners on remand. Rehabilitation will be worthwhile by directing it to the skills they need to avoid coming back to prison, particularly around addressing violent behaviour.
A National government is putting public safety back at the top of the priority list, along with fixing the economy and addressing the cost-of-living crisis. It is time to get this country back on track.
