Young Jonathan: General Debate 
Young Jonathan: General Debate 
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JONATHAN YOUNG (National—New Plymouth) 
: 
 The National-led Government came to office with a steely determination to turn the tables on crime so that it is no longer victims who pay. As a child living in Taranaki every summer we went on holiday across the country. We left home with our back door unlocked. We did that every summer. Honesty and respect for other people’s property was the prevailing attitude in our country which made this one of the great places to live in the world. In recent years many New Zealanders would have looked on in dismay at some of the values that underpin our good and decent society being eroded. When this Government came to office there was a strong feeling in the community that crime needed to be attended to. It was out of control and the scales of justice were tilted too far in favour of criminals rather than victims. 
Our position is that although we understand that the drivers of crime can pervade communities for generations crime must never be an accepted activity and it must always be resisted and never tolerated. We have worked very hard over this last term to bring some changes which we are seeing the benefit of in our country. It is why law and order continues to be one of the Government’s biggest priorities. The good news is that under the National-led Government the crime rate has dropped by 6.9 percent per head of population. We have passed 18 new laws to make families safer in their communities and in their homes. We are addressing the drivers of crime with a range of cross-agency initiatives. These address behavioural issues in young children reduce harm caused by alcohol offer alternative approaches to managing low-level offenders and offer pathways out of offending. I am very proud to be part of a Government that has delivered and is delivering a better and safer society. 
One of the biggest law and order issues facing this country is the spread of organised crime. I am sure members will be aware as many others will be that in recent months Australia’s largest and most troublesome outlaw motorcycle gang the Rebels Motorcycle Club has been attempting to set up base here in New Zealand. The evidence is that gangs are no longer groups of small-time thugs. They have large criminal businesses with global connections and they have a willingness to use violence. Of course the game-changer around all of this has been methamphetamine. The vast amount of money that can be made from the sale of this drug has brought gangs wealth and influence previously unheard of. The police estimate that the combined profit from methamphetamine and cannabis sales alone in New Zealand is between $1.4 billion and $2.2 billion per year in New Zealand. Our Government has led the charge in its fight against drugs. We are fighting a war against P. In 2010 P busts took $30.4 million worth of P off the streets. Of course one of the biggest concerns is that when criminals gain access to large amounts of money it increases the possibility of corruption taking root. It has been very important to address this issue. 
On 1 September not long ago—just over a couple of weeks ago—it was reported that every known patched member of the Rebels Motorcycle Club gang in Taranaki was locked up on that day following a massive police hunt. The police executed search warrants at 13 addresses in New Plymouth one in Otaki one in Auckland and seven in Northland. Ten vehicles were located and searched in New Plymouth. In stark contrast to this it was only 3 years ago that New Plymouth was voted New Zealand’s top city heading off Christchurch Wellington and Auckland as the best place in New Zealand to live love work and raise a family. This gang from Australia which seeks to come and pillage our society and sell its drugs has sought to take root in the province that I come from and the city in which I live. I say congratulations to the police and well done to the National-led Government on its war against P which has seen New Plymouth eradicate these sorts of problems. The people of New Plymouth will no doubt be thankful and I am sure their support will come forth on 26 November this year.