The Corrections (Victim Protection) Amendment Bill, drawn today, would protect victims of crime by preventing their perpetrators from contacting them, National MP for Takanini Rima Nakhle says.

“This bill would create obligations for Prison Managers and Chief Executives to protect those who are subject to a Protection Order and victims of crime from contact with prisoners.

“This is a common-sense, pragmatic, yet simple law change that would provide relief and protection to victims of crime. In fact, many people I have spoken to are surprised that this is not already the law in New Zealand.

“I have heard of several harrowing incidents where prisoners have been able to contact, taunt, harass, and even arrange for the stalking of their victims. This is completely unacceptable and must be addressed.

“Victims should absolutely be able to feel safe when their offenders are in prison, and if passed, this bill would take a significant step towards making that ideal a reality for New Zealanders.

“The fifth National government completed a significant amount of work towards protecting and supporting those who have been victims of crime. The establishment of the Chief Victims Advisor role and the passage of the Victims of Crime Reform Bill were key tenets of this.

“National is absolutely committed to ending the soft-on-crime approach that the previous Labour government employed throughout the course of the last six years. I will be working incredibly hard to garner support from across the House for this bill, and if passed, this would act as an important step in that direction, and as a signal of intention for our commitment to support the victims of crime."