It should be no surprise that violent crime has increased when the prison population and rehabilitation services continue to decline, National's Corrections spokesperson Simon O'Connor says.

"The prison population has decreased by 24 per cent under Labour. At the same time, violent crime has increased by 21 per cent, and gang membership is up by 51 per cent.

"Labour has an explicit target to reduce the prison population without a plan to reduce crime. This recklessness demonstrates public safety is not a priority for this Government.

"Moreover, data demonstrates a record low number of offences resulted in a prison sentence in the latest year, representing an overall decrease of 44 per cent under Labour. This means that while violent crime has risen, prison is being used less as a tool to remove offenders from circulation and provide them rehabilitation before they return to our communities.

"Despite fewer people being in prison, a record low proportion of prisoners are being provided access to rehabilitation services. In 2017/2018, 52 per cent of prisoners were accessing rehabilitation services. But in 2022 and after five years of Labour, that figure has dropped to just 29 per cent.

"We should be using prisons to hold offenders to account, provide a circuit breaker and address the underlying causes of their offending.

"Instead, Labour's aversion and neglect of our prison system mean worse outcomes for public safety and offenders’ rehabilitation.

“Labour’s performance in corrections is symbolic of their five years in power and a Government that consistently fails to deliver. More money is being spent, but we’re getting worse outcomes.”

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On The Government’s Smokefree Laws Debacle

The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out - for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public. The less charitable view is that the government was being deliberately misleading. Are we to think Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is a fool, or a liar? It seems rather early on in his term of office to be facing that unpleasant choice. Yet when Luxon (and senior MP Chris Bishop) tried to defend the indefensible with the same wildly inaccurate claim, there are not a lot of positive explanations left on the table.... More