Young Jonathan: Sentencing (Aggravating Factors) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Young Jonathan: Sentencing (Aggravating Factors) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
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JONATHAN YOUNG (National—New Plymouth) 
: 
 I am very pleased to speak in support of the Sentencing (Aggravating Factors) Amendment Bill. We have a superb police force and corrections service in our country and it is very important and imperative that as a Government we back up those men and women who on a daily basis put themselves in harm’s way for the protection of our society. We ought not to be negligent in these matters. This bill is to include an offence against a police or prison officer acting in the course of his or her duty as an aggravating factor at sentencing. That means it will be taken into account at sentencing that this is a more serious crime. 
We have in the past seen many situations over the last 4 or 5 years where such situations of risk have occurred and where men and women who serve our country have been injured. Some have sadly lost their lives. Between 2005 and 2009 the total number of assaults on police increased by a third from 1869 to 2481. Serious assaults increased by 38 percent from 298 to 304. These are significant numbers. I think it is also interesting to note at this point in time that we are very thankful that crime has decreased in this last year—there has been a 6.7 percent decrease across the whole country. However at the same time we are finding that assaults against police have increased. 
It would seem to me that we have a very effective police force which is our thin blue line that is standing as the buffer between lawbreakers and law-abiding citizens. Therefore it is our imperative that we strengthen their stance and back them up with legislation and laws that will protect them. The Opposition has made the claim that putting this law in place and making it a mandatory consideration in sentencing will not change the situation. I totally disagree with that. I believe that it is incredibly important we back up our men and women in blue with such laws. 
The term “thin blue line” is very interesting. Where did it come from? It came from the “thin red line”. It is interesting is it not: back in the Crimean War the British and Turks were standing against a Russian cavalry but the British and Turks had very depleted numbers; instead of having four lines in rank they had only two lines. When the Russian cavalry charged them they saw such a thin red line that they thought it was a ploy—in fact they thought it was a diversion and a trick! Behind the thin red line stood what they perceived to be huge ranks of reinforcements and because of that the Russian cavalry turned back. 
Our thin blue line needs to have reinforcements not figments of imagination or a case of “This is what the courts may do if they want to.” We need to have solid reinforcement behind the men and women who stand on that thin blue line in our nation and that will be a bill that will protect them and indeed send the message to those who find it an easy thing to consider disrespecting authority and attacking those people who uphold the law that we as a country will not tolerate that sort of behaviour. 
Police and corrections staff play a vital role in keeping us safe in our communities and it is important that we continue to support that role. We have heard of many tragic situations that have taken the breath away from the people of New Zealand as we have seen pictures of these fine men and women who have been assaulted. I went out with the New Plymouth police one Friday evening not so long ago. We went around all the different places where perhaps infringement of the law and breaking of the law take place and I was incredibly impressed with the calibre of the New Zealand Police. 
We need to realise that at the end of their day these men and women go home and are ordinary citizens. We need to have laws in place that protect them and laws that state that an assault against a police officer or a corrections officer is a serious factor that will be taken into consideration when it comes to sentencing. I am very happy to support this legislation as it proceeds through the House.