In the red corner
Our Government is working harder and smarter to keep our communities safe, break the cycle of offending and tackle the root causes of crime in New Zealand. We are also committed to ensuring that our justice system continues to live up to its name.
In New Zealand, the Evidence Act already requires that judges exclude unreasonable confessions. And in 2019, following a review into the relevant provisions, the Law Commission considered that no change was required.
However, it is useful to consider the rules of evidence regularly to ensure that our justice system works for all of the participants within it.
We recently made improvements to evidence practices in sexual violence and family violence cases, following recommendations made by the Law Commission. These changes reduced unnecessary harm for complainants and witnesses, including through allowing sexual violence victims to give evidence in various ways.
Also, the justice select committee is currently considering a petition that calls
for a stop to jailhouse informant testimony causing wrongful convictions.
In addition to our work to ensure that our justice system is effective, we have continued to work relentlessly to deliver on our plan to keep New Zealanders and communities safe.
Already we have increased the police budget by 30 per cent, which has seen the number of police on the beat increase by around 15 per cent in the last five years. As a result of this investment, our Government has delivered the largest police workforce ever, with 700 additional officers alone to be focused on organised crime by June 2023.
To further combat the harm caused by organised crime and gangs, we have amended the law around criminal proceeds to hit the gangs in their pockets – with police seizing over $500 million in cash and assets from gangs and criminals in the last four years. We have also seen the charging rate against identified gang members at around 92 per cent in the year to date, which has gone up under our watch.
Our gun buyback scheme and police seizures have taken more than 60,000 prohibited firearms out of circulation. We have strengthened counter-terrorism laws, and we are ensuring the right tools are available to intervene early and prevent harm.
We are also continuing to roll out our plan to rehabilitate offenders and reduce reoffending, including through initiatives that are designed in partnership with Māori. There’s still more to do, but we are making good progress.