“The Prime Minister’s refusal to call crime a ‘problem’ on Morning Report shows he spends too long in the back of a Crown limo and not enough time out on the streets”, says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“Just because the Prime Minister and the Police Minister feel safe ensconced in their Wellington bubbles doesn’t mean New Zealanders who are being terrorised do.

“The Prime Minister sets the tone for how our entire government responds to crime. If he can’t call crime a problem – instead referring to it as a ‘challenge’ – what message does that send? It would be laughable if it wasn’t so serious.

“It has echoes of the previous National Government refusing to call housing affordability a crisis.

“New Zealanders being terrorised by thugs in their homes, in their businesses, and on the streets is not a ‘challenge’, Prime Minister.

• There has been a 465 per cent increase in ram raids in the last two years
• Violent crime is out of control, with serious assaults resulting in injury up 121 per cent since 2017
• Knife crime is up 20 per cent over the last two years
• Acts intended to cause injury are up 42 per cent since 2017
• Common assaults are up 47 per cent since 2017.

“I’d say we have a serious problem, and it all comes back to values.

“Chris Hipkins needs to get his head out of the sand and say what every right-thinking person knows.

“He won’t, and it’s going to take a Government with ACT at the centre to take crime seriously, restore proper consequences, and put victims first.”

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