10816 (2024). Hon Ginny Andersen to the Minister of Police

10816 (2024). Hon Ginny Andersen to the Minister of Police: What steps was he referring to when he said, “we are working very, very hard on making positive steps in the right direction?”

Hon Mark Mitchell: The Coalition Government has an ambitious plan to restore law and order. In the agreement between National and ACT (found here: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/nationalparty/pages/18466/attachments/original/1700778592/National_ACT_Agreement.pdf?1700778592), the Member can find the following: • Increase funding for the Department of Corrections to ensure there is sufficient prison capacity as required. • Invest in the construction of new youth justice beds. • Restore Three Strikes legislation, with amendments to tighten the definition of strike offences and ensure some benefit for pleading guilty. • Abolish the previous Labour Government’s prisoner reduction target. • Amend the Sentencing Act 2002 and associated legislation to ensure appropriate consequences for criminals, including: • Take advice on amending the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 so the threshold amount for seizing gang assets is $0 if an illegal firearm is found. • Strengthen the electronic monitoring regime. Firearms Law Reform • Rewrite the Arms Act 1983 to provide for greater protection of public safety and simplify regulatory requirements to improve compliance and pass it through all stages during this term of Parliament. • Transfer responsibility for the Arms Act 1983, policy and regulation to the Ministry of Justice, and transfer the Firearms Safety Authority, administrator of the Act, to another department such as the Department of Internal Affairs. • Review whether the Firearms Registry is effectively improving public safety, beginning by June 2024. • Immediately begin to repeal and replace Part 6 of the Arms Act 1983 relating to clubs and ranges. In the agreement between National and New Zealand First (found here: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/nationalparty/pages/18466/attachments/original/1700778592/National_ACT_Agreement.pdf?1700778592), the Member can find the following: • Commit to training no fewer than 500 new frontline police within the first two years. • Increase the number of the trained Youth Aid Officers over the term. • Adequately resource community policing, including Māori and Pasifika wardens, Community Patrol New Zealand, and Neighbourhood Watch. • Introduce a suite of measures designed to tackle youth crime including consideration of a Youth Justice Demerit Point system. • Reform the Fleeing Driver laws to curb the increase in fleeing driver incidents. • Amend the Sentencing Act 2002 and associated legislation to ensure appropriate consequences for criminals, including: o Giving priority to the needs of victims and communities over offenders. o Including gang membership as an aggravating factor during sentencing. o Ensuring real consequences for lower-level crimes such as shoplifting. o Removing concurrent sentences for those who commit offences while on parole, on bail, or whilst in custody. • Where appropriate, require prisoners to work, including in the construction of new accommodation in prisons or pest control. • Equip corrections officers with body cameras and protective equipment, where appropriate. • Seek to make it easier for New Zealanders, including prisoners, to get drivers licences, and better support to existing programmes that are delivering positive outcomes. • Introduce the Protection for First Responders and Prison Officers legislation which will create a specific offence for assaults on first responders which includes minimum mandatory prison sentences. • Introduce the Coward Punch legislation which will create a specific offence for anyone who injures or kills someone with a coward punch. • Investigate the introduction and implementation of Degrees of Murder Sentencing legislation.