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Garth McVicar

Garth McVicar is the founder of the Sensible Sentencing Trust.

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Tough policies reduce crime
Garth McVicar
9 October 2011

Following the Maori Party's allegations of Police bias towards Maori Sensible Sentencing Trust Spokesman Garth McVicar is asking if the Maori Party is really a covert organisation in disguise!

Alarm bells start ringing when I read the statement from Pita Sharples which announced that the Maori Party wanted a review of the justice system and given the opportunity they would get rid of the recently introduced ‘Three-Strike’ legislation.

Pita Sharples comments shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Allegations of ‘bias’ or ‘racist’ is a tool the left have used very effectively to promote their agenda and ridicule and silence anyone who dared question their views. While a vast majority of New Zealanders believe many of the social polices [experiments] promoted by the left are stupid, the fear of being labeled ‘racist’ has terminated any debate.

The result of these tactics in the political spectrum has seen all political parties avoiding any utterances that could be construed as ‘bias’ or ‘racist’. Until recent times the only difference between Labour and National was which one could throw the most money at so called ‘social problems’. The result has been escalating social decline and burgeoning growth in unproductive sectors such as welfare and bureaucracy and alarming increases in crime, particularly violent crime. Even though the warning signs were obvious as welfare blossomed and criminal activity escalated, the only answer coming from our political leaders was ‘throw more money at it'.

This money laundering created a cesspool of writhing inhumanity, solo parents, unwanted and unloved children, domestic violence and rampant violent crime became an everyday occurrence. Remember this is a country that was the safest in the Western World.

It should have been obvious to anyone with even half a brain that this corrupt social ideology could never work, yet as mayhem took hold the promoters of this nonsense knew no-bounds. Their next trick was to try and portray the social miss-fits they created as victims – wait for it – yes more money would fix it!

Those of us that actually worked for a living were told we were part of the problem or worse – remember Michael Cullen calling John Key a ‘Rich prick’?

The modus-operandi of the left has been ridicule and destroy – destroy the very values that have defined civilization for generations – obliterate the distinction between right and wrong.

That brings me back to Pita Sharples: to suggest that the Police have an ‘ethnic bias’ or pick on Maori is an insult to Police and every law-abiding New Zealander – no matter what race. Most Maori – like most other people do NOT commit crime – to suggest the Police are to blame for the high level of Maori offending is typical of the tactics used by opponents to discredit anyone who threatens their agenda.

So what is Pita Sharples' agenda?

He has publicly said given the opportunity they will get rid of ‘Three-Strikes’, and “The Maori Party’s review of the criminal justice system will investigate and analyze the facts as the basis for better policy. It might also expose the role of scaremongers like the Sensible Sentencing Trust, whose thirst for punishment and retribution is part of the problem with the criminal justice system.”

Until the Sensible Sentencing Trust started in 2001 criminal justice policy was being driven by a bunch of left-leaning liberals that had implemented the removal of anything that looked like punishment or deterrent. Prison had become holiday camps, work in prison had been banned, parole was an automatic ‘right’ [no matter the threat] bail bonds were removed,

Sensible Sentencing Trust has had some staggering successes with 14 out of the 16 policies on our ‘wish-list’ at the 2008 Election having now been implemented. ‘Three-Strikes’, the ability for Judges to now give true ‘Life’ sentences and giving the Police greater powers to take DNA and greater rights for victims including the $50 offender levy, to name a few.

I am the first to admit that it was not solely the implementation of Sensible Sentencing policies that has led to the biggest drop in crime in recent years including 35 fewer murders this year than last!

In my opinion the single biggest factor in this spectacular result has been the hardening public attitude towards ‘soft’ on crime policies. Driven by, as Mr Sharples call us, ‘scaremongers’ like the Sensible Sentencing Trust!

Is it the reversal of these ‘loopy-left’ policies that has so infuriated Mr. Sharples, or is there another agenda starting to come to the fore?

Is the Maori Party really a ‘covert’ organization – a cover for something far more sinister?

Why else would the Maori Party be so against the Police gathering information that could expose criminal intent – the answer can only be that they do not want criminals caught.

In the existing political climate – National doesn’t need the votes – it will be very difficult for the Sensible Sentencing Trust to eclipse our success at the last Election. But that won’t stop us trying.