Labour’s panicked justice announcements this week are more about the election than any genuine commitment to tackling crime, National’s Justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says.

“New Zealanders are worrying about crime; Labour is worrying about the election and you can see it by the shambolic way it is suddenly announcing policy without doing sufficient homework.

“Whereas National has a fully-costed plan to establish young offender military academies that will provide serious young offenders with structure, discipline and rehabilitation, the Government has announced an uncosted plan to build more Youth Justice Residences.

“Not only does the Government have no idea how these facilities would work, but they do not even know when they would begin to be built.

“After yesterday getting confused between an aggravating factor and a new offence, the public would have expected the Prime Minister would be across the details today.

“New Zealanders are fed up with six years of Labour putting offenders ahead of public safety and victims.

“National has a plan to crack down on serious repeat youth offenders, like ram-raiders, to turn their lives around and to protect the public.

“We will create a new Young Serious Offender (YSO) category, create Young Offender Military Academies, back Police to tackle gangs and empower community groups to break the cycle of offending.

“Only a National Government will restore law and order and put public safety and victims at the heart of the justice system.”