ACT seeks to introduce Three Strikes for Burglary Bill

Press release: ACT New Zealand
February 11, 2016. 1:30pm

ACT Leader David Seymour will seek leave to introduce a Three Strikes for Burglary Bill to Parliament today, in the face of declining burglary resolution rates.

“By saying burglars have a 90% chance of getting away with it, Phil Goff is actually understating things,” says Mr Seymour. “Firstly, because uninsured victims typically do not report this crime, the reported rate of burglaries represents only about 45% of actual occurrences, according to a 2006 Treasury estimate.

“Then, around one in 10 are resolved, but 'resolution' does not even mean charges are laid. It just means the likely perpetrator has been identified and a decision is made how the deal with them. So somewhat less than 10% of burglaries result in charges.

“Only a proportion of those charges (about 30%) result in conviction. Only 40% of those convicted of burglary are imprisoned. So in the end, less than 2% of reported burglaries result in any burglar serving a term of imprisonment, and when they do, it is generally a term of only a few months.

“Burglary is peculiar among crimes in that it is planned, not spontaneous. So incentives matter. A one percent chance of prison provides almost no deterrent.

“Burglary is also committed by a small group of chronic recidivists. ACT would provide a strong incentive against this recidivism.

“We campaigned on Three Strikes for Burglary in 2014. I now have a draft Bill ready to introduce to the House, and with Opposition politicians finally taking an interest in burglary, it will be interesting to see if they are open to a debate on tougher laws.

“The Sentencing (Minimum Term for Repeated Burglary Offences) Amendment Bill would introduce a Three Strikes for Burglary regime (separate from the existing violent crime regime). Any burglar convicted for their third offence would face a mandatory three-year jail sentence. This would protect countless New Zealanders not just from material loss, but from the unquantifiable anguish and stress of having their homes violated.”

ENDS

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