RADIO NEW ZEALAND: More prisons, police and and tougher sentencing are being advocated by the National and New Zealand First parties in the fight against crime.
But in a debate on Law and Order on Nine to Noon on Radio New Zealand National on Tuesday 28 October, the Maori Party argued the way to fight the increasing level of violent crime is to deal with the causes.
Labour's corrections spokesperson Phil Goff defended the party's policies of the past nine years, pointing to the introduction of tougher legislation on bail, sentencing, parole and gangs.
He also says police numbers have increased by 2,500 and despite an increase in violent crime, the overall crime rate is down.
"We have had an increase in crime, particularly violent crime, but the police tell us that the vast majority of that is in the domestic sphere. They say that back in the 1990s, maybe one domestic violent incident in five was reported."
National's corrections spokesperson Simon Power says Labour is underplaying the level of violent crime, which he says has increased by 46% over the past nine years.
He says National's policies would get the worst offenders off the streets by building more prisons and ensuring the worst repeat offenders do not get parole.
"We've got to keep the community safe and the fact is that the prison population is the end product of a more violent society," Mr Power says.
New Zealand First's corrections spokesperson Ron Mark is also calling for tougher sentencing.
But the Maori Party's Pita Sharples says stiffer penalties do not deter potential criminals and the best way to deal with crime is to fight the real enemies such as poverty and ignorance.
"I've been working in prisons since 1972, and I still am, and criminals don't think like that. You've got to fight the real enemy which is poverty, which is not having stuff, is ignorance, so it's about getting attack from the community by putting better education out, education that means people to read or write, that can get to the youth."
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment