The revelation that Associate Minister of Justice Willie Jackson has met with gang members as a ‘part of his job’ shows the total misdirection this government is heading in with justice and law-and-order, says Darroch Ball, co-leader of Sensible Sentencing Trust.

“It would be interesting to see how many times he has sat down in his ministerial office with the actual victims of gang crime, victims of the drugs they peddle, and the families of victims of gang violence. Perhaps then he would be looking in the right place to see the failures in the current system.”

“All this does is legitimise the continued existence of these groups who are entirely and totally founded as anti-establishment, anti-authority, and are the main peddlers of misery through violence, intimidation, and drugs on our streets.”

“The fact that gang members are being asked for solutions to the problems they are clearly creating shows the very reasons why gang numbers and intimidation on our streets are exploding.”

“We have seen the evidence of the approach, and clear disdain gangs have for the law in recent months, with death threats to MPs, lawlessness on our roads, and the continued violence and shootings – yet the Minister thinks a seat across the table is the solution."

“This is palpable evidence of how offender-centric our justice system has become when the Associate Minister of Justice is literally looking to the offenders of crime for direction and solutions to the very crimes they are committing.”

“Where are the victims in all of this? Where are the hundreds and thousands of members of the public who are now fearful in their communities because of gangs?”

“It is now abundantly clear how deep-seeded the ‘let’s hug it out’ approach is that this government has in dealing with gangs in our country.”

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