Government toughens up on knives

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The Government is moving to increase maximum sentences for knife-related offences while beefing up education and placing restrictions on the sale of knives, Justice Minister Simon Power announced today.

The moves follow the release of a report released in March which was requested by Mr Power following concerns raised by a High Court judge and the Youth Justice Independent Advisory Group about the escalating prevalence of knife crime in New Zealand.

Mr Power said legislation would be introduced to Parliament to amend the Crimes Act to increase the maximum penalty for possession of an offensive weapon from two years in jail to three years.

"This brings the penalty into line with the penalty for possession of burglary instruments. We propose to retain the current legislative requirement that a sentence of imprisonment must be imposed for second convictions within two years for possession of an offensive weapon."

The Justice Ministry will also investigate the development of a voluntary accord with police, local authorities, and retailers to restrict the sale of knives to young people.

That could include the safe display and storage of knives in shops, signs about the dangers of carrying knives, and information sharing between retailers and the police about knife sales to young people.

There are also plans to bring the Education Ministry, police education officers, Child, Youth and Family Service and Fresh Start providers on board to target young people in campaigns about the dangers of carrying knives and to teach them about other ways of dealing with conflict.

CYFS and Fresh Start providers will ensure that where a young person has committed a knife offence the conditions of any family group conference plan or court order are closely monitored.

"Risk management and public protection will form a strongly monitored component of plans where violence is an issue," Mr Power said.

Information sharing between justice agencies would also be improved in order to bolster the sector's understanding of the problem.

"As we have tragically seen in recent times, the possession of a knife or other offensive weapon can easily turn what would otherwise be a minor assault into a life-threatening situation," Mr Power said.

He said knife crime was a significant problem in some countries and action needed to be taken here now to stop it escalating.

"The measures I am announcing today are aimed at reducing the number of young people carrying knives without a good reason, reducing knife-related offending, and increasing public safety."

- NZPA