The state of law and order in New Zealand has been laid bare by the country’s largest supermarket chain, saying that retail crime has never been at the current levels, National’s Police spokesperson Mark Mitchell says.

“Foodstuffs are reporting a nearly 40 per cent increase in retail crime incidents across its North Island stores in just the past year.

“Sadly, this corresponds with the data that Police are collecting nationally, which shows that retail crime has nearly doubled since 2018.

“Kiwis are clearly feeling the effects of this crime wave based on a Weekend Herald poll which showed 95 per cent of Kiwis do not feel safer than they did five years ago.

“This is a shocking indictment on the state of law and order under Labour. New Zealanders have a right to feel safe in their homes, workplaces, and their communities. But that is not the reality under this Government which has taken a soft-on-crime approach and has no plan to get on top of this offending.

“Not only are Kiwis feeling less safe, but this increase in crime is hurting the economy and making life tougher for all New Zealanders trying to navigate Labour’s cost of living crisis.

“When retail stores are paying higher insurance premiums and are too scared to invest in their businesses because they are almost expecting to be ram-raided, that is hurting New Zealand’s productivity.

“Sadly, this has become a reality under this soft-on-crime Government. Labour’s only target in law and order has been to reduce the prison population by 30 per cent.

“National has released a comprehensive policy to tackle the tsunami of retail offending largely driven by youths.”

A National Government will: 

• Introduce a Young Serious Offender (YSO) category to increase consequences for repeat offenders.
• Set up Young Offender Military Academies where YSOs can be sent for up to 12 months for intensive rehabilitation.
• Give greater powers for Police to tackle the criminal gangs recruiting young people into a life of crime.
• Investment in community organisations to work with YSOs and support their families.