'Three Strikes' Delivers On ACT's Promise To Keep People Safe

News that there are now 132 violent and sexual offenders who have been convicted of a 'Strike' offence and given their first 'Strike' warning comes as no surprise and simply serves to highlight that the 'Three Strikes' policy is working exactly as ACT intended, ACT New Zealand Justice Spokesman Hilary Calvert said today.

"These offenders now know their behaviour will not be tolerated, and will be well aware of the consequences of further similar offending," Ms Calvert said.

"Thanks to 'Three Strikes' these offenders will be in no doubt as to what will happen should they offend again: a second 'Strike' will put them behind bars for the full Court-imposed sentence with no parole, and a third 'Strike' and will see them serve the maximum term of imprisonment for their crime. As such, 'Three Strikes' acts as a deterrent to further offending while ensuring that the worst repeat violent offenders are imprisoned and not left free to harm anyone else.

"Getting tough on violent crime has always been core ACT policy, which is why 'Three Strikes' was included in our Confidence & Supply Agreement with National. The figures reported today show that ACT is delivering on our promise to keep New Zealanders safe now and into the future," Ms Calvert said.

ENDS

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