crime

Categories under crime

domestic violence (14)
police (244)
prisons (101)

Hughes stood down

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:02 pm, March 24th, 2011 - 114 comments

Darren Hughes has been suspended from his shadow portfolios due to the continuing police investigation. Goff probably should have done this earlier, despite the understandable wariness of a leader can’t punish an MP on the strength of a complaint alone. As Key did with Wong and Worth, Goff has waited until the media issue became too big.

Cuts! Cuts! Cuts!

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 12:42 pm, March 21st, 2011 - 42 comments

There was already going to be too little money in Budget 2011 for maintenance of public services. Now what little there was is being further slashed in the name of Christchurch. An Earthquake Levy is not an option, rather we’ll all pay through increased borrowing and 25% cuts in services like police, transport, justice and social services.

Labour exposes planless Key

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:04 am, March 16th, 2011 - 128 comments

There’s been increasing concern over the past week or two that not only has the government failed to communicate its plan for the Christchurch recovery, it doesn’t actually have one, and isn’t particularly worried about getting one. Yesterday in the House, Labour took Key to task on this important issue. And he was found terribly wanting.

New Citizens’ Party paper flouts electoral law

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:30 am, March 8th, 2011 - 36 comments

The United Chinese Press newspaper is potentially facing prosecution under the Electoral Act after it ran adverts on the day of the Botany by-election supporting New Citizens’ Party candidate Paul Young. The paper, the party, and the bidders for the Crafar Farms all appear to have strong links each other and the Chinese government.

Boot camps yet another Key failure

Written By: r0b - Date published: 7:01 am, February 15th, 2011 - 39 comments

Key ignored all the experts with his boot camp policy. But it turns out that the experts were right. Reoffending rates are 50% within the first year, and likely reach 65 – 70% two years after course completion. Add boot camps to the ever growing list of Key’s failures.

Key’s solution for Maori problems: prison

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 6:22 am, January 25th, 2011 - 101 comments

John Key on Radiolive yesterday: “There are a lot of factors at play sometimes socio-economic, so there are a lot of negative statistics for the want of a better description that that Maori dominate and we need to make changes there whether it’s prison, incarceration or whatever”. Key thinks all Maori are crims. Welcome to your brighter future: it’s behind bars.

Pike river facts needed

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 11:58 am, January 20th, 2011 - 27 comments

The dearth of solid information on the Pike River situation and the contradictory statements from the government have naturally led to suspicion that we’re not being told the whole story. The government has been caught flat-footed by the blowback. Now, finally, the Police are going to release their technical information, allowing independent assessments.

Nats: Bring Back Debtors Prisons

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 1:18 pm, January 17th, 2011 - 38 comments

The government is to introduce a new Courts and Criminal Matters Bill, much of which is sensible. But sending fine-evaders to prison because they can’t afford to pay seems madness. The ridiculous cost of building and maintaining ever more prisons as unsustainable. Minor offences like unpaid fines should not result in the taxpayer spending vast sums to lock the offender up.

Brethren taking subsidies for illegal discrimination

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:16 pm, January 13th, 2011 - 65 comments

Another great piece of work from I/S at No Right Turn: “the Exclusive Brethren have set up their own KiwiSaver scheme… The scheme will only be offered to members of the cult. This is, of course, illegal.” They’re trying to take taxpayer money for a business that illegally discriminates on the grounds of religion. It must be stopped.

Newtering the rhetoric on crime

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 1:33 pm, January 11th, 2011 - 37 comments

As has been amply demonstrated by comments on The Standard in recent days, there are many who believe that the answer to an ineffective deterrent is more deterrent; that leaving in place the likelihood that fleeing from a police car will result in your death is somehow discouraging an unknown number of drivers from fleeing. Increasingly, though, people who respond with their critical faculties as opposed to their knees are realising that the present model of law enforcement and incarceration is a failure.

Stop the carnage

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 10:27 am, January 7th, 2011 - 116 comments

Back to civilisation after a few days bush. First thing I see in the paper – another kid killed in a police pursuit. 20 in the last 12 months. Makes me so fucken angry. Police policy needs to change. I don’t have the answers. But these people didn’t deserve to die. 20 lives and who knows how many injured is not acceptable. Can’t be beyond us to do better. Can’t be.

Ministerial review: law & order

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:31 pm, January 4th, 2011 - 91 comments

A few of us have chipped in to review the performances of the government in major areas. We’re looking at whether the facts back up the promises that National made to get elected. Let’s have a look at crime/law & order. Rightwing governments are always big on scaring the middle-class about crims and promising solutions. Has National delivered?

Richlister calls for huge benefit increase

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 12:30 pm, December 21st, 2010 - 25 comments

Mark Hotchin is expected to become a campaigner for beneficiaries if cleared of serious fraud allegations. His assets frozen, the SFO has given him a 1K a week allowance. Not enough for the basics: private school, hire car, mortgage on mansion. A family of 7 needs 360K a year, he says. Not being a hypocrite, he’ll be wanting more for beneficiary families too – eh?

Nats’ ideology: outsourcing NZ

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 9:54 am, December 15th, 2010 - 29 comments

3 under the radar stories yesterday. All linked by ideology. Kiwirail to buy 300 wagons from China because its cheaper than building them here. Not allowed to consider wider economic gains. Collins outsources her new prison to a multi-national with a history of prisoner abuse. English wants more ‘value’ from public assets. Value for whom? The likes of Serco?

National Attacks Vulnerable Children

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 7:25 am, December 14th, 2010 - 22 comments

National are consistently attacking the vulnerable in society – those who cannot fight back and complain. This is where a lot of their cuts are aimed at – those who need it most. Be it in health, education or welfare.

And in several recent health and education National cuts have hurt the most vulnerable – our children. Not just the massive ECE cuts of Tolley, but cuts hurting those at the bottom even more.

Abomination becomes law

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 9:30 am, December 9th, 2010 - 45 comments

Paul Quinn’s appalling Electoral (Disqualification of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Act passed last night with the support of just two parties – ACT and National. We’ve talked about why this law is so bad in the past. The Attorney-General agreed it is an unjustified breach of our human rights. Why did ACT, the supposed ‘Liberal Party’ vote for it?

Collins to Police: keep on killing

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 1:18 pm, December 7th, 2010 - 40 comments

19 dead in Police chases in 12 months. You’re more likely to be killed in a police chase than by being shot. Most of the dead were being chased for minor traffic offences. What a waste of life. Collins’ response: harsher sentences. Cause tougher sentences has brought down crime so far, eh? Nats have no ideas. The death toll mounts.

The spirit of Peterloo

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:57 am, December 5th, 2010 - 30 comments

David Cameron made the commendable decision to create a national happiness index to compliment GDP but there’s a lot of unhappiness in Merry Old England under his rule. To avert fiscal disaster, while allowing bankers and the elite to keep their wealth, Cameron is making savage cuts to public services. And the Police are going old school on the resulting protests.

Police Commissioner: prison breeds crime

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 6:30 am, November 26th, 2010 - 230 comments

It’s pretty bloody late in his tenure to be saying it, but Police Commissioner Howard Broad has joined with every expert in telling politicians that their braindead, populist policy of increasing the number of crimes and ramping up prison sentences has to stop. It’s not a solution to crime, it’s making it worse.

17 dead in police chases

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 11:45 am, November 16th, 2010 - 131 comments

In the last year, 17 people have been killed in police chases. Many more injured. They might be criminals but they don’t deserve to die. Yet the Police policy – chase anything that flees – is killing them. The carnage needs to end. The human and financial cost is unbearable. But the Police are determined to continue. The government needs to step in.

Pansy’s future wilting

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 6:30 am, November 15th, 2010 - 40 comments

Will Pansy Wong face criminal charges for fraudulently abusing her MP’s travel perk? Will she be forced to leave Parliament triggering a(nother) by-election and possibly even an extra early election? What will Lockwood Smith’s investigation turn up? Whatever comes, at least she isn’t a minister anymore but who will replace her?

National’s Privatisation Agenda Continues

Written By: Bunji - Date published: 9:17 am, November 4th, 2010 - 25 comments

National are continuing their privatisation by stealth. Hospitals services and a new prison are the current targets. Tony Ryall, Judith Collins and Bill English are the ministers currently pushing their ideology in their respective areas.

Going backwards with National

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 11:59 am, October 29th, 2010 - 34 comments

It takes a lot to screw up a great country like New Zealand. It can’t be done overnight. But if you’re really negligent, anti-worker, and focused on hand outs to the rich, you can start to make things worse pretty quickly. Let’s look at the key measures of National’s performance, according to their own criteria:

Some “watchdog”

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 12:20 pm, October 24th, 2010 - 24 comments

No Right Turn asks some questions about the behaviour of the Independent Police Conduct Authority in deeming the release of information about unlawful behaviour by the Police as “not in the public interest”. There are few safeguards on the police – perhaps the main one should explain its decision in this case.

The dark side of our society: Intoxication reigns supreme

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 10:30 am, October 14th, 2010 - 24 comments

The Sunday show last week featured the Prescription for Change campaign of Dr Albert Makary. Dr Makary has set out on a mission to drive social change surrounding the culture of binge drinking within our country. He hits his audience with hard facts, some disturbing trends, and presents everything in a way worth listening to.

What will future generations condemn us for?

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 11:25 am, October 2nd, 2010 - 19 comments

This question is something that has been on my mind for some time. In this article, Kwame Anthony Appiah, a philosophy professor at Princeton, sets out four examples of current policy that he believes those in the future will look back and say “What were people thinking?”

Something odd in crime stats

Written By: Marty G - Date published: 12:02 am, October 2nd, 2010 - 51 comments

The crime stats are not good news. Homicides are up, violent offences are up, sex offences are up, harassment and related offences are up, drug offences are up, public order offences are up. Oddly, though, the total number of offences is down (by 0.1%). The decrease is all down to a 25.6% decrease in recorded fraud offences. What’s up with that?

RWNJs worried msm may awaken

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 6:14 pm, September 26th, 2010 - 19 comments

I guess we shouldn’t really mock such unfortunates but this latest missive from the Bog is too hard to resist. Farrar and his merry band of ignorant loons are furious that the ODT, one of New Zealand’s better newspapers, is daring to ask pertinent questions of ACTs replacement for David Garrett. It seems pretty fair […]

Time for a new approach

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 9:17 am, September 26th, 2010 - 11 comments

On Thursday, the 2010 Organised Crime Assessment for New Zealand was released to the public.

Essentially it told us what we already know; we have a problem, we know what the problem is, and we’re failing to solve it. It is time we approached the problem rationally and responsibly.

Cosgrove slams McVicar’s role in Garrett affair

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:00 am, September 23rd, 2010 - 10 comments

Great video of Clayton Cosgrove getting right stuck into the Sensible Sentencing Trust’s Garth McVicar over his hypocrisy on David Garrett. Cosgrove’s certainly no bleeding heart liberal so I’d say McVicar’s credibility on law in order is now pretty much shot.

Tashkoff: Hide lied to ACT Board about Garrett

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 4:08 pm, September 17th, 2010 - 83 comments

According to ACT’s Peter Tashkoff, Rodney Hide misled the ACT Party Board by hiding his knowledge of David Garrett’s passport dishonesty offence. So here we have a party leader who couldn’t see the problem with accepting someone who’d committed such a distasteful crime becoming not only an MP, but ACT’s Law and Order spokesman, and so […]