Stuart Smith
National MP
Kaikoura
Below is Stuart Smith’s response.
Since Labour took office in 2017 crime has increased at a rapid pace. New Zealanders across the country do not feel as safe as they once did, and front-line police are under immense pressure as crimes not only worsen, but also become more frequent.
Data shows that for the first seven months of this year alone, there have already been over 1,000 armed-offender squad callouts across New Zealand. In the month of August this year, there were 67 ram raids – which is equivalent to over two per day. Gang recruitment is up with new figures showing that there are more than 8,000 gang members in New Zealand – a 50 per cent increase since 2017.
What these figures show is that we have a Labour government who is soft on crime and is ultimately unable to deliver outcomes.
Youth crime is skyrocketing and that stems from having an ever-growing number of young students not attending school regularly. Thousands of children are also living in emergency accommodation, many in the form of motels.
To deal with the increase in these youth offenders, a balance must be found which protects the community, and gives sentences that fit the seriousness of their crime. That said, if we are too focused on the rights of a criminal, we will lose sight of the people we are trying to protect and fail to provide justice to their victims.
A few months ago, Labour repealed the Three Strikes legislation. This was a big mistake and has ultimately weakened the justice system and made New Zealand less safe.
Three Strikes meant that the worst repeat offenders spent longer in prison and kept communities safer. Victim advocate groups and those who have suffered from repeat offenders were disappointed with the removal of Three Strikes and felt that offenders could go on to inflict pain on other innocent people.
Although it is never for politicians to criticise the decisions made by the judiciary, it is our responsibility to craft and pass legislation that makes New Zealand safer and ensures that the public have confidence in the system. Right now, with the state of crime in this country, I am not convinced that New Zealanders are confident in our justice system and in the judiciary’s ability to give appropriate sentences to serious offenders.
The National Party are acutely aware of this, and we have committed to reinstating the Three Strikes law to ensure that repeat offenders are not a danger to the public. We need to deal with the rises in violent crime and youth crime – and tougher consequences for that type of offending will undoubtedly help.
