War On Shoplifters, A Disgrace To Government Justice

The Government should be ashamed that an international security firm has to show New Zealanders how to sue shoplifters to make sure that kind of theft doesn’t pay, said ACT Justice spokesman Stephen Franks.

The security company, Group 4, will, for a fee, recover money directly from shoplifters. Latest figures showed $660-million is lost per year as a result of retail crime. A similar scheme in Britain saw shoplifting reduced by 15 per cent in trials.

“If the Government and the judges were keeping their side of the law enforcement bargain, shopkeepers would not face this expense. It will just go on top of the $516 in extra costs each household now carries because of government tolerance of shoplifting crime, through paltry penalties and worthless reparation orders.

“The courts should automatically order compensation against shoplifters.

“Compensation should cover the goods lost, and also the shopkeepers’ time and security costs. Victims should not have the insult of tiny drip fed payments from criminals pleading poverty. Reparations should be a first priority charge against benefits.

“Criminals who mock the law should not be left with their TV and furniture when they have stolen other peoples’.

“Group Four security should be commended for their initiative but now law abiding families will have to pay for the private law suit costs. This is part of the national scandal that is New Zealand’s criminal justice system,” said Stephen Franks.

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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