Hugh Perrett: Criminal Gangs — eradicate them from our society — NOW !!

I refer to recent issues of the NZ Herald and to the spoken media and their respective recent publications / presentations concerning the serious escalation in Criminal Gang violence/ drive-by shootings — albeit mainly inter-Gang violence.

It is encouraging that the totally unacceptable nature of this shooting-violence is at last attracting greater attention from Government, who have until now had an observably VERY soft attitude to Criminal Gang activities, although clearly Government have not yet come up with a meaningful, let alone an appropriate, strategy, to combat them.

Hugh Perrett: Criminal Gangs — eradicate them from our society — NOW !!

I refer to recent issues of the  NZ Herald and to the spoken media and their respective recent publications / presentations concerning the serious escalation in Criminal Gang violence/ drive-by shootings  — albeit mainly inter-Gang violence.

It is encouraging that the totally unacceptable nature of this shooting-violence is at last attracting  greater attention from Government, who have until now had an observably VERY soft attitude to Criminal Gang activities, although clearly Government have not yet come up with a meaningful, let alone an appropriate,  strategy, to combat them. 

However, WE MUST REMEMBER that as bad and as seriously threatening as gun-based gang violence is, their “business and primary income source” comes from the much more serious  procurement, distribution of and highly profitable sale of illegal highly addictive drugs — all while knowingly and deliberately destroying many New Zealanders’ lives in the process. That is their UNDERPINNING business and (hugely profitable) livelihood.

Stephen Franks: Competition to end parole

ACT and the Conservatives are making excellent criminal justice policy announcements. If both are in Parliament we might see an end to the cosy major party consensus that has fostered our high rates of serious violent and youth crime.

Garth McVicar's announcement on parole is more straightforward than I had expected. Most criminals come up for parole at one third of their Judge-given sentence. Garth says: