Garrett David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Garrett David: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:666;Page:13358] 
9. 
DAVID GARRETT (ACT) 
 to the  
Minister of Police 
: How many people have been convicted of a “strike” offence since 1 June 2010 and how many offenders have been sentenced? 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS (Minister of Police) 
: 
 The Ministry of Justice has advised me that as at 22 August 45 offenders have been convicted of a first-strike offence. There have been no convictions of second-strike or third-strike offences. Five of those 45 offenders have now been sentenced. 
David Garrett 
: What effect will the “three strikes” law have on recidivist offenders who under Labour’s legislation could be released after serving just one-third of their sentence? 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: The new law means that the worst repeat violent offenders will not receive parole. Parole is a privilege that must be earned. It should not be granted to those who demonstrate total disregard for the law by continuing to commit serious violent offences despite warnings. Offenders who remain in prison to serve their full sentences will not have the opportunity to commit further crime. This means there will be fewer victims and that is an excellent outcome. 
Grant Robertson 
: I thought ACT was an independent party. Are all the supplementary answers written down? 
David Garrett 
: Does the Minister agree with the ACT Party—and Grant Robertson MP—which recently expressed the view that we should be focusing on zero-tolerance policing which as Mr Robertson noted has been hugely successful in slashing crime rates in New York; if not why not? 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: I am always happy to hear suggestions even when they are from the Opposition. However I would like to say that the police are now implementing a policing excellence programme which has a number of work streams that will change the face of policing in New Zealand. Several aspects of the programme have already been trialled particularly in Counties-Manukau and the programme is already having a marked impact on community safety. The police will be rolling out these programmes nationwide and I expect that they will make a very positive impact. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: How many cases have there been where a strike should have been recorded against a sentenced offender but has not? 
Hon JUDITH COLLINS 
: I do not have those figures for the member but I am happy to provide them to him should he put down a written question. 
Hon Clayton Cosgrove 
: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I ask you to reflect on that answer. The Minister obviously prepared a set of statistics very germane to the primary question. Is it the case that this Minister will prepare in a very narrow way and then on a number of occasions simply say— 
Mr SPEAKER 
: The Minister gave a commendably honest answer to the question asked. She told the House that she did not have that particular information. She did not put a lot of political padding round it and I think it was a perfectly fair answer to the question. She would not have known that exactly that question would come up and I think she is to be commended for giving an honest straight answer to the House.