Uniformed guards will patrol some of the country's main courts as the Government responds to courthouse violence and escapes. That was the only new initiative in the $1.5 billion law and order budget yesterday, which effectively recapped earlier announcements.
Security will be boosted in a $3.8 million upgrade at 10 courts, including Palmerston North, where a 42-year-old woman was stabbed to death in front of 20 horrified onlookers last year in the country's first fatal courthouse attack.
The Minister for Courts, Georgina te Heuheu, said: "People must be able to come to our courts and go about their business and feel safe while doing so.
"We must ensure we take all practicable steps to ensure our courts provide a safe environment for everyone involved in the court process."
Other courts to receive security guards include: Auckland, Otahuhu, Papakura, Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua, Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill.
Other initiatives already announced include: the creation of eight crack 12-member police units to target violence and property crime; eight youth prisons to keep teenage inmates and adults apart; and just under $1 million for technology to allow prison officials to monitor inmates' phone calls. - Darrel Mager
LAW AND ORDER: Boost for courthouse security
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