South Auckland small business owners are feeling safer after a series of violent attacks in 2008, but say more police and security are needed.

Both are loving mothers, who after years of devoted care to their disabled children felt they had no choice but to take the law into their own hands but while one was allowed to walk free from court yesterday the other will go to jail.

A proposed three strikes law would have done nothing to prevent some of New Zealand's most notorious killings, critics say.

Judith Collins has criticised the prison guards' union for suggesting the Government's 'three-strike' policy would put guards at risk.

Offenders with a record will have "nothing to lose" and could be more likely to kill under the three-strikes law, a prisoners' advocate says.

A new scheme to warn offenders rather than put them through the courts is a 'breeding ground' for more serious crime, a former detective has warned.

National and Act have agreed to pass a three-strikes law under which some killers will be locked away in prison without any chance of release.

The blogger accused of breaking name suppression says he is amused at the police's "lack of depth in IT skills".

Crime victims are owed more than $80 million in reparations, a 33 per cent jump over three years ago.

An internet blogger says his arrest on charges of breaching court suppression orders has seen a huge increase of hits on his site.