'Three strikes' crime cure, says Act

Three strikes and you're out.

It worked for California, says the Act party, and it will work for New Zealand.

Act on Friday unveiled its crime and justice policy on Parliament's front lawn amid 131 white crosses representing every murder victim since the last election.

The party believes it can make New Zealand one of the safest countries in the world by taking a zero-tolerance approach to crime through tougher sentencing and abolishing parole.

It also wants to boost police numbers by 2500 to match Australia's policing rate, ensure that life sentences for first-degree murder mean life in prison, reprioritise police to focus on criminals rather than issuing traffic tickets and give victims input on sentencing.

Act justice spokesman Stephen Franks said "three strikes" was aimed at people who showed contempt of the law by repeating a crime after two previous "second chances".

"I believe we can reduce New Zealand crime as steeply as the best US states have achieved," he said.

"We should expect to cut violent crime rates by 40 per cent over five years."

Violent crime had doubled since 1990 under successive National and Labour Governments, Mr Franks said.

"When we say tougher sentencing for violent crime we mean every sentence, every word, every syllable."

California's "three strikes" law imposes prison terms of 25 years to life on those convicted of a third offence and has been the subject of heated debate in the United States.

Opponents say the law results in large sentences for minor crimes and overburdens the prison system - California's prison population has quadrupled in the past 25 years.

Act's policy would cost billions and remove essential preventive measures, said Justice Minister Phil Goff.

"Where is the money going to come from? You're probably going to slash health, education, and preventive measures that are necessary to stop people committing crime in the first place."

- NZPA