29 Aug 2017

Know your policy: Law and order

From Election17 - Policy Comparisons, 2:37 pm on 29 August 2017

Inside the maximum security prison at Paremoremo in Auckland Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham Farrelly

1125 more police staff over the next four years
$115m boost for Corrections rehabilitation and for the courts to handle more cases
$1.8m for robbery prevention at dairies, superettes and small local businesses
Introduce a Young Serious Offender classification and 50 of those young people would be sent to a defence-led Junior Training Academy for one year

Fund 1000 more police officers and the resources they need to make communities safer
Work with police to tackle the increasing numbers of assaults, sexual assaults, burglaries, robberies, as well as methamphetamine supply
Community policing will be a priority
Address the causes of crime through policies to create more jobs and lift incomes, reduce poverty, make education and training more readily available to young people

Support a dedicated and well-trained victim support unit working with police and other agencies
Encourage police recruitment from a range of ethnic groups
Establish a truly independent police complaints authority
Conduct a wide-ranging review into police culture, investigation methods and relationships with communities

Photo: Supplied / NZ Law Society

Introduce a stop/search form to be filled out by police on the occasion of any warrantless search
Legislate for employers to provide domestic violence leave
Increase funding and support for restorative justice in the criminal justice system
Adequately fund victim support services to pay for victims to attend restorative justice processes
Provide counselling and compensation for victims.
No private prisons

Add an extra 1800 frontline police
Introduce legislation to ban all criminal gangs
Provide fast, easy access for police officers to all the tools and equipment required to do their jobs properly, including firearms
Provide minimum double staffing of all existing sole-charge stations
Officially separate traffic police from general duties police
Provide proper and adequate resourcing for community policing, including Māori wardens, Pasifika wardens, and Neighbourhood Watch
Review police pay and conditions with the goal of achieving parity with those in Australia
Set a mandatory minimum non-parole period of 40 years for premeditated murder
Set up a public paedophile register
Make it an offence to be drunk or drug affected in a public place or while trespassing on private property

Introduce 'three strikes' for burglary, meaning someone convicted of a third burglary offence gets three years in prison
Reward prisoners who complete literacy programs and driver licensing tests with reduced sentences
Cut red tape to allow people to volunteer in prison education and rehabilitation programmes

Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly

Push for a review of the entire justice system and restructure it upon the basis of the Treaty of Waitangi
Reduce the rate of Māori over-imprisonment by 30 percent by 2027
Throw out the three-strikes legislation
Place a moratorium on the building of new prisons and extend Whare Oranga Ake to every prison service
Dismantle institutional racism within the justice system as a matter of urgent priority
Support whānau-focused alcohol and drug, addiction, recovery and restoration services
Review protocols around police use of guns and tasers.
Introduce legislation to ensure that assets maintained by white collar criminals are able to be used to pay outstanding debts to investors
Disestablish the Independent Police Conduct Authority

Remove Class C drugs from the Misuse of Drugs Act and place them within the Psychoactive Substances Act testing regime
Establish community safety plans with police, local bodies and communities
Ensure that police target and monitor the persistent criminals in communities, particularly gangs
Ensure that police co-ordinate closely with social service and child protection agencies
Establish a transparent police staffing formula that ensures a minimum presence in all areas

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