Rt Hon Winston Peters
New Zealand First Leader
15 January 2013

Mandatory Jail for Thugs Who Attack Emergency Workers

New Zealand First is calling for the introduction of laws imposing mandatory jail terms on anyone assaulting emergency service workers such as police, ambulance and fire officers.

Rt Hon Winston Peters says the recent spate of savage attacks on police officers shows that new laws are urgently required.

“Anyone found guilty of hitting or attacking a public officer should be automatically sentenced to a six month jail term.

“A similar policy was adopted in Western Australia where assaults on public officers have fallen 40 per cent.”

Mr Peters says the proposed legislation is a no-nonsense approach that will ease the call to arm all New Zealand police officers.

“The reality in Australia is that armed police are also beaten up by thugs because the courts see it as unreasonable to shoot dead someone armed with only their fists.

“But our proposed legislation would have no discretion. Assault an emergency service worker in New Zealand and you will go to jail.

“Our frontline officers deserve this extra protection while undertaking essential and sometimes dangerous work,” says Mr Peters.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>