Jones Dail: Supplementary Estimates — Imprest Supply Debate 
Jones Dail: Supplementary Estimates — Imprest Supply Debate 
[Volume:618;Page:13789] 
DAIL JONES (NZ First) 
: 
 This was not a very good Budget at all because it failed to address one of the major problems facing New Zealand today and that is the way in which our police force is being treated not only by this Government but also by some offenders around the country. New Zealand First has made it clear that we must improve the law and order system and in particular in so far as the size of the police force is concerned we have made it clear that the police force must be doubled in size. Our law and order policies are tough but they are fair and they are non-restrictive for law-abiding citizens. We have made it clear that our police force will have the front-line police numbers power and resources to create safer communities. We will double their numbers. 
What is the Labour Government doing about it? Absolutely nothing. We have made it clear that parole should be earned not presumed after one-third of a sentence has been served as stated in the law at the moment. Parole would not be treated as a right as it is today under this Labour Government. We have made it clear that there should be a rehabilitation board and that people should not be able to get parole and home detention and suchlike as a right as suggested by this minority Labour Government supported by United Future in their soft law and order policies. 
We have made it clear that we will give local police and community groups greater power and ability to deal with local problems. We will introduce new measures designed to prevent crime at its source and we will aim to eliminate the reasons young people enter into a life of crime. 
In so far as the treatment of police officers is concerned—and the standard of public behaviour to the police is going down and down and down; it is no wonder the police are having so many problems themselves—we in New Zealand First will instigate a regime of zero tolerance of abuse and crimes against police officers in the discharge of their duties. If people want to abuse the police and to behave intolerantly and assault the police there will be zero tolerance. Those people will be dealt with severely. We will not give in in the way that this minority Labour Government supported by United Future is doing. 
We have heard time and time again about recidivist offending—people who commit an offence go to jail come out commit another offence and do so again and again and again. New Zealand First has made it clear in its policy that for those types of people it is three strikes and they are out. This will mean that offenders who have been convicted of three crimes for which they have been sentenced to any period of community service or incarceration in a prison or corrections centre will be required to serve a minimum period of 10 years in prison irrespective of the nature of their crime. That is our policy. That is a tough law and order policy. 
One of the problems with people who commit small crimes here and there is that they think: “Ah well it’s only a small crime. I know what the judge is like. I might get 6 months. I’ll take the risk.” They commit the offence get caught finally—usually about the 21st time they have committed the offence—get charged with 21 offences get 6 months’ imprisonment serve about 2 to 3 months get out and they do exactly the same thing once more. Those people are a darned nuisance. 
Nandor Tanczos 
: Flog them! 
DAIL JONES 
: The Green member wants to flog them. He keeps saying “Flog them!”. That may be what the Green Party wants to do but no we will go better than that we will just lock them up. [ 
Interruption 
] Was it the ACT party saying that we should flog them? 
Stephen Franks 
: Well we’ll think about it. 
DAIL JONES 
: Someone over there was saying that we should flog them and I thought it was coming from the Green member. If it was not him— 
Stephen Franks 
: It was the Green member. 
DAIL JONES 
: Right we know that is the Greens’ policy—to flog them. It is the new Green policy announced today by New Zealand First. We say “Three strikes and you are out.” These people have to be locked up because they are a nuisance. All the police time is often spent on catching and trying to catch minor offenders again and again. They know they will be dealt with leniently. They are absolutely certain about it because the judges are lenient—they cannot help themselves. The judiciary is made up of decent people and they find it very very hard amongst themselves or in themselves to lock these people up for the length of time they deserve. New Zealand First will do something about it. 
What it will mean of course is that once these people are locked away and out of the way the police can deal with real crimes. They can catch the murderers and rapists and do something about violent crime in the home for example instead of the way those crimes run rampant at the present time. 
New Zealand First will increase the use of mandatory minimum sentences for violent offenders with no automatic rights to sentence reduction. I am sitting on the Care of Children Bill at the moment and we are trying to grapple with the problems of women who get beaten up by their husbands and who never actually complain to police because they often find the police cannot do anything about it. We have to create a situation where in order to make the home safe for children if the wife is beaten up and the children are in danger of being beaten up then those men know they will be caught and dealt with and that the police have the time and the resources to do something about it rather than chasing around time and time again for those people who constantly convert cars and commit what is called minor theft but really create a lot of problems in an average police officer’s day. 
As far as the Parole Board is concerned—and really that is something of a joke—as we said in the third reading of the Parole Board Bill when we voted against it on 1 May 2002 we should have a rehabilitation board with the primary objective of minimising recidivism. We are determined to cut back on people committing repeat offences. There should be a rehabilitation board. The Parole Board should not be just for people to come along and say: “Look I have been nice for the last year or two in prison where everyone has been keeping an eye on me. Please let me go home now or put a bracelet on me and I’ll be a good chap.” If one agrees with that what happens? Offenders are out on the streets committing offences again. 
The rights of the victims do not end once a sentence has been passed. We will ensure that victims of crime will be given a permanent representative on the rehabilitation board. Families of victims will have mandatory rights to full information on rehabilitation hearings and to appear in person to have an advocate or to make written submissions. Something further has to be done about law and order and New Zealand First is determined to make sure it happens. 
Recently with regard to the Parole Board we had Dr David Chaplow acting as an adviser. I understand that for a while he was a member of the Parole Board but when he ceased to be a member he still continued to give advice to members of the board about what they should do with the people in front of them. That is clearly a breach of the law. I put down some written questions to the Minister of Corrections about the situation expecting him to get cracking and do something about it. But he said “The board is a statutory body and I understand that it is considering its options in conjunction with the appropriate Crown agencies (Ministry of Justice and Crown Law)”. That is it. 
Here we have a person who I understand has been involved in about 160 parole decisions by advising the Parole Board totally illegally to come to certain decisions. What is done to him or that board? Nothing. All of the members of that board should be sacked. They should not have allowed that situation to arise. The Minister if he had any sense at all would have sacked the board and put on it people who understood their full responsibilities—including the judges who were members of that board. 
Stephen Franks 
: Was he actually flogged? 
DAIL JONES 
: No no flogging as yet. I will leave that to the Greens. 
New Zealand First at the last election asked the people: “What about those promises that Labour is not telling you about?”. For example on Labour’s “debit card” we said Labour would legalise prostitution and soliciting. It has legalised prostitution and soliciting. We said it would legislate for gay marriages and gay adoptions—it is legislating now for gay marriages. We said Labour would raise further taxes on cigarettes alcohol and petrol—it has clearly raised taxes on alcohol to try to combat the dreadful situation amongst the aged in our community who go on the binge on sherry and port! Labour has legislated to try and cut down on those people’s misbehaviour when they are on sherry and port. We said that would happen we warned the people and it has happened. 
We said Labour would continue to bring in 53000 immigrants per year. Fortunately the Labour Party has finally taken the advice of New Zealand First and taken some action and the level of immigration is coming down. That has been a clear success for New Zealand First’s policies. 
We are seeing the sad situation now where the Civil Union Bill is being introduced which will be another nail in the coffin for family life. I will be opposing the Civil Union Bill and I will also be opposing the Relationships (Statutory References) Bill which constantly refers to civil union. I cannot see how anybody who opposes the Civil Union Bill could possibly support the Relationships (Statutory References) Bill. The legislation virtually runs together. I understand that the United Future leader Peter Dunne has said he will oppose the Civil Union Bill but support the Relationships (Statutory References) Bill. 
Marc Alexander 
: That’s not true. 
DAIL JONES 
: Last night on television I heard Peter Dunne say he would oppose the Civil Union Bill and support this one. Now a member of his party says that is not true. What is happening to United Future? It is in total disarray.