Farmers must be defended against rustling
Farmers must be defended against
rustling
"Livestock theft is the rural counterpart to
urban burglary. It is becoming more prevalent and much of it
goes unreported. Many of the thieves are becoming
professional heavily armed rustlers. Yet penalties do not
reflect the seriousness of the crime," said ACT Leader Jamie
Whyte.
"ACT considers that it has not been dealt with in proportion to the hardship it creates. Farmers more often live in isolation. There are often no neighbours in walking distance who can keep an eye on rural properties. Response times from police can be lengthy because of the distances involved.
Livestock is a farmer’s stock in trade. They can have a serious effect on farmer’s livelihood. Stealing livestock puts fear into the rural community. The ACT Party supports tougher sentences as well as confiscation of weapons and vehicles used for livestock theft, in line with sanctions applied to fish poachers.
ACT’s Three Strikes for burglary will apply to rural thefts in the same way as city burglary.
ACT says the solution lies in stopping rural thieves getting into a pattern of constantly repeating their crimes.
ACT’s “three strikes” sentencing law will reduce rural crime by stopping burglars making crime a career option."
ends