THE FAMILY PARTY
www.thefamilyparty.org.nz

PRESS STATEMENT FOR RELEASE

Violent crime: Labour fails South Auckland families

1 April 2008. Family Party leader Richard Lewis says Labour's Law & Order policies have failed South Auckland residents who are contending with the highest rates of violence in the country.

Compared to the rest of the country, Counties Manukau recorded the highest violent crime figures with 8,876 reported incidents, a whopping 2,057 more than the next highest district of Wellington. Counties Manukau also outranked all other districts for sexual crimes and came second only to Auckland for overall crime figures.

"These crime statistics paint a bleak picture for our communities in South Auckland and demonstrate a complete failure by the Labour-led government to recognise and respond to violent crime in this district, which has been trending upwards for years," says Mr Lewis.

He says Government's promise to deliver 1000 new police officers has made very little difference on the ground and has clearly made no impact on violent crime trends.

"Our most effective approach to violence in this community is not in creating bureaucracy to analyse and talk about it, but in providing a greater presence of frontline staff on the ground. It is the greatest deterrent and enables the police to respond effectively. However, from a proactive viewpoint, government needs to look at policies that strengthen family structure, empower parents and set boundaries for children and young people in the home and community. Stronger families create safer communities - it's not PC but it will work," he added.

A former South Auckland police sergeant, Richard Lewis will contest the Manukau East electorate in the 2008 General Election.

ENDS

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