Alexander: Tougher sentences for looters

Looters who prey on the victims of emergencies should get tougher sentences than "garden variety" thieves, United Future's Marc Alexander said today.

Citing media reports of looting in this week's eastern Bay of Plenty floods and February's massive Manawatu-Wanganui floods, Mr Alexander said harsher sentences should be meted out to looters to reflect the public's disgust at their behaviour.

Teen hoods are reportedly using canoes to steal from flooded houses while the owners are living in emergency accommodation.

"In February, I asked the Minister of Civil Defence in Parliament whether he would ensure that the full force of the law is brought down on those who take advantage of people facing what would clearly be for anyone, one of the most traumatic experiences of their lives.

"However, there is no separate offence of looting under the Crimes Act, meaning that it is treated the same as normal thefts and burglaries," Mr Alexander, United Future's law and order spokesman, said.

"Any burglary or theft is bad, but looters prey on vulnerable people who already have to face rebuilding their shattered lives, yet they decide to twist the knife a bit further for petty personal gain."

Looting is an offence for members of the armed forces and is punishable by life imprisonment.

"We don't need to go that far, but we do need to send a powerful message," he said.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>