21 May 2002

Brian Neeson MP Waitakere

“The Latest and second Murder in Auckland by a cold-blooded killer tempts me to call for the death penalty for this person” said Brian Neeson MP. I do not support the death penalty per sae, but based on past history one would have little faith in the judiciary who on past performance does not deal with killers like this to the full level of the law.

92% of New Zealanders have made it quite clear to respective governments, past and present that crime is not being dealt with seriously enough. The Justice System has focused itself on the “fixing” of the criminal rather than focusing on public safety and the care of the victims of crime. Therefore it should be no surprise that the public of New Zealand find the Justice System sadly lacking. “For 7 years I have campaigned both inside Parliament and in the public arena for not only tougher sentencing but also fundamental changes to/in the Justice system”, said Brian Neeson.

The police are starved of resources and the CIB in particular cannot cope with the rash of homicides that invade and consume their meagre resources. As a percentage of the population police numbers are falling dramatically. Violent crime is on the rise and there appears to be no respect for the law. Past and present Governments rejected my Three Degrees of Murder Bill and thumbed their noses at public concern,. Three Degrees of Murder would be the beginning of a change of emphasis from a criminal focused system to a public safety and victim focused system.

“Goff’s latest attempt to toughen up the law is a sham and will do nothing to allay the fears of the public who have had a gutsful.

My heart goes out to the families of all murder victims and in particular to Marcus Doig and Vaughan families. They have my deepest sympathies” concluded Brian Neeson MP.

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