Simon Power National Party Law & Order Spokesman
13 September 2006

Chadwick finally wakes up to crime solution

It has taken Rotorua MP Steve Chadwick six weeks to wake up and realise that the possible solution to the crime problem in the central city was in her hands the whole time, says National's Law & Order spokesman, Simon Power.

He is commenting on a report that Ms Chadwick is to support a Rotorua District Council decision to draft a local bill to Parliament to ban repeat criminals from the CBD.

"What has she been doing all that time?

"Dithering is one word that comes to mind.

"She has been quoted as describing the ban as being legally too problematic to implement, that she was 'not convinced it's a member's bill I'd want to put my name to', and 'I don't think it's going to fly, even with the best intentions'."

"Now finally, after six weeks, she is doing a U-turn on those comments because she has suddenly been told that the best way forward is by way of a local bill.

"MPs have been able to introduce local bills for years, and I told her on August 4 that she should put the proposal as a local member's bill so it could go to a select committee, but she either wasn't interested or wasn't listening.

"In any case, the whole idea of a special bill for the Rotorua CBD is an indictment on the Labour Government's crime-fighting.

"What it signals is that local government feels forced to make its own arrangements for crime prevention because central government isn't fronting up to the job."

ENDS

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