Action plan for crime
A unlikely piece of history from Paraparaumu is to go on display soon, with the first ever crushed “boy racer” car sold to the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland.
The remains of the car have been brought for $800 with the proceeds going to Youthline, which is a telephone counselling service for young people.
National passed the Vehicle Confiscation and Seizure Act in 2009 which targets illegal street racing by requiring a vehicle to be destroyed after a third offence
As part of this, local councils have the power to create by-laws banning “cruising” by boy racers.
It’s important that we have meaningful penalties, and for many young racers losing their prized car will be a serious incentive to behave.
We’ve had issues in Kapiti and Horowhenua with dangerous street races, which are upsetting and intimidating for local residents.
This sends a strong message that the law will be applied, and this kind of behaviour won’t be tolerated.
Tackling crime and reoffending is a big priority for the Government. A few weeks ago Prime Minister John Key announced some ambitious targets to build safer homes and communities.
Our overall goal is to reduce the crime rate by 15% and violent crime by 20%.
Already crime rates are at a 30 year low, and for the 2010/11 year we saw falls in local crime of around 6-7%. We want to see continued improvement on this good progress.
To achieve this, interventions for young people will be improved and the availability of alcohol will be reduced. We know that alcohol is a major driver of crime, responsible for 30 per cent of all offences, 34 per cent of family violence, and one in every two homicides.
We also need to increase alcohol and drug treatment, both in prison and in the community, and invest in rehabilitation.
It won’t be easy reaching these targets, but the right mix of laws, penalties and support can make a real difference – as we’ve seen with boy racers.
From my diary
*Cabinet met on Monday and Parliament is sitting all this week.
*Wednesday evening I’m giving a speech to an international forestry conference in Auckland.
*Friday I will be around the electorate, including a meeting with community groups in Paraparaumu and with the Junior Neighbourhood Support group in Levin.
*This weekend I will be in Auckland at the National Party’s annual conference.