Labour’s only answer to ram raids is to shovel more fog cannons out the door instead of actually stopping the criminals who are destroying businesses and traumatising workers, National’s Police spokesperson Mark Mitchell says.

"New Police data shows that ram raids are increasing rapidly. There were 44 ram raids in February, 57 in March, and 68 in April - a 55 per cent increase in just three months.

"Not only does this show Labour’s claims that ram raids are going down were utterly baseless, but it also shows their attempts to thwart youth offending is not working.

“Criminals are quickly adapting their tactics to new countermeasures. Until this Government starts getting tougher on crime, simply throwing millions of dollars at fog cannons will not solve the problem.

“Labour’s soft-on-crime approach is obviously devastating for victims, but it also hurts the economy and makes life tougher for all New Zealanders.

“When retail businesses are considering closing down and are scared to invest because they are almost expecting to be ram-raided, that is hurting New Zealand’s productivity.

“Sadly, that 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.