“Gangs and criminals are out of control under Labour because they know Jacinda Ardern’s Government is a soft touch”, says ACT’s Justice spokesperson Nicole McKee....
“Gangs and criminals are out of control under Labour because they know Jacinda Ardern’s Government is a soft touch”, says ACT’s Justice spokesperson Nicole McKee.
“Just in the past 24 hours, five people have been injured in a gun fight in central Auckland and a motorist was critically hurt after reportedly being dragged from his vehicle and attacked by gang members.
“Labour promised its rushed gun laws would get gun crime under control. Every party in Parliament, except ACT, went along with them.
“We’ve seen the opposite – an explosion of gun crime in our communities.
“Labour has failed because it went after law-abiding Kiwis, not the criminals and gangs.
“ACT was right.
“Similarly, the number of gang members exploded by over 50 per cent since Labour came to office in 2017.
“Labour blames the 501s coming back from Australia, but they make up a miniscule proportion of new gang members.
“ACT has proposed Gang Injunction Orders which would allow Police to apply to the courts for an injunction against an individual on the National Gang List.
“The injunction order would then be used to prohibit bad behaviours including being in a particular location or associating with particular people. It could also be used to require positive actions, like attending rehabilitation.
“Gangs are responsible for harm and chaos across the country, they peddle drugs, are violent and intimidating. They cause misery in our communities.
“This is a failure of one of the core duties of government, to keep New Zealanders safe.
“ACT’s plan would take back control from the gangs and deploy an innovative policy to make New Zealand a safer place and ensure we have healthy and thriving communities. As a country we deserve better.”