Simon Power MP National Party Justice & Corrections Spokesman
Chester Borrows, MP for Whanganui

National Party Police Spokesman
8 May 2007

Labour lacks will to deal to gangs

The Labour Government lacks the will to deal to gangs because it seems to care more about their civil liberties than the rights of the public to live without fear, say National MPs Simon Power and Chester Borrows.

"In the House today, Justice Minister Mark Burton proved once again that he and this Government have no stomach for dealing with real crime problems like gangs," says Mr Power, National's Justice & Corrections spokesman.

"He refused to confirm support for Chester Borrows' Member's Bill to ban gang patches from Wanganui's central business district.

"Then he could not give an adequate answer when asked why there has been virtually no work on the Organised Crime Strategy he promised at the election.

"And neither could he confirm if he had asked why police don't record how many gang fortifications they have busted, despite them having the power to do that.

"The fact is this Government has had seven years to do something about the gangs and all they seem to have come up with so far is the Secondhand Dealers and Pawnbrokers Act 2004, which he claimed today was one of his weapons against gangs.

"If that's the best Mark Burton can do, he should hand over the reins to a party that is serious about this problem."

Mr Borrows said his bill to ban patches from the centre of Wanganui would be a positive first step in the fight against gangs, and he was astounded at Mr Burton's hesitation to support it.

"Why should the people of Wanganui and elsewhere believe his Government cares about stopping gangs from spraying bullets around our streets, when it has done so little around combating organised crime in the past eight years?

"Communities like Wanganui that have to put up with gangs want to see action from this Government, not more words and more reports."

ENDS

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