Labour on fast track to oblivion
Labour on fast track to oblivion
Clayton Cosgrove’s announcement that a Labour government is likely to ditch the three-strikes law for repeat violent offenders has ensured Labours continued fast track to oblivion according to New Zealand’s most prominent victims advocacy organization.
Sensible Sentencing Trust represents many families who have had a loved one killed or assaulted by recidivist offenders. Spokesman, Garth McVicar said Mr. Cosgrove’s statement is incredibly naïve.
“At a time when our murder rate has virtually halved and recorded crime is dropping and prison numbers are forecast to continue declining Mr. Cosgrove’s comments show that reducing the number of victims and level of crime is just a political game for him.”
Mr. Cosgrove says one of the reasons for getting rid of three-strikes is because, ‘it’s not our policy’
The three-strikes regime was passed into law last year, making it mandatory for judges to impose harsher sentences on repeat criminals convicted of one of 40 violent or sexual offences.
A ‘strike’ offender receives a normal sentence and a warning for strike one, a sentence without parole for strike two, and the maximum sentence for that offence, without parole, for strike three.
Mr. McVicar said three-strikes was designed to remove the repeat violent offender act as a deterrent to all criminals who deliberately and continuously flouted the law.
“If Mr. Cosgrove does not believe a violent offender should actually serve their Judge given sentence after three violent offences one has to ask at what point does he believe public safety comes before the offender’s liberty?”
“Mr. Cosgrove’s party had 9 years in government and violent crime continued to escalate every year.”
“I would have thought 35 less murder victims and a significant drop in recorded crime would be more important than playing politics.”
“It is a very sad day when the safety and protection of New Zealanders is sacrificed simply because ‘it’s not our policy’.
ENDS