“Labour’s bumbling approach to crime is continuing to have real consequences for Kiwis. With Epsom and West Auckland resembling Johannesburg this morning during a police helicopter chase after an attempted gunpoint carjacking in Epsom,” says ACT Leader and MP for Epsom David Seymour.

“New Zealanders deserve to feel safe in their communities, somehow in the past few years we’ve gotten to a point where even the commute to work is a risk. Previously safe suburbs such as Epsom and Kingston in Wellington have seen armed carjackings recently.

“The problem starts at the top. Labour has stripped away deterrents for criminals and installed a culture where offenders can evade meaningful sentences far too easily. Some of the questions the Government should be asking are:

• Will the armed carjacker be able to receive a reduced sentence by 20-30 per cent due to a cultural report? The amount the Crown has spent on cultural reports has increased by 593 per cent since 2019.
• Would this offender have been eligible for a strike under Three Strikes legislation, did they already have any strikes? If so, they got an early Christmas Present from Labour this year
• Has the offender previously been to prison? If so, did they receive any meaningful rehabilitation to ensure they had numeracy and literacy competency?
• Did the firearm used in the carjacking have a serial number? If not, then what’s the point of an expensive firearms register that only tracks the firearms not being used for crime.
• Will they be given home detention, like the 900 gang members on ankle bracelets, about 300 of whom were convicted of a violent offence, 40 of whom were convicted of a violent offence with a weapon, that ACT uncovered earlier this year?

“The answers to these questions will likely be a reality check for Labour. ACT would get rid of cultural reports, reinstate Three Strikes, ensure prisoners receive proper rehabilitation before they’re released back into society, and will stop the creation of the firearms register.

“Labour’s approach to crime has come with a thick dose of ideology. They have been getting criminals and victims mixed up. Now we’re feeling the consequence of having no consequences for crime. It’s time for solutions and to put victims back at the centre of our justice system and marginalising criminals.

“Enough is enough. It should never have gotten to this point and the Government must now act decisively to turn things around.”

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