As gang crime escalates and the gang war in Auckland sees almost a shooting a day, we can wonder no more as to why this is happening. It is Labour’s soft on crime law and order policies which have seen the number of hardened gang members in prison drop to the lowest levels since 2015.
The number of gang members in prison is the lowest it has been since 2015 but the percentage of the population is at a 12-year high.
The gangs with the most prisoners can also be revealed after new data was released by Corrections following an Official Information Act request.
It comes as the Corrections Minister says tackling gangs is “a key priority”, something disputed by the National Party corrections spokesman.
A Corrections executive member said gang violence was not something it could resolve or manage on its own.
There were 2736 gang members or affiliates in prison as of February 28, with the total prison population being 7775.
The majority belonged to Mongrel Mob (810), followed by Black Power (505) and Crips (264).
At 35 per cent, the ratio of gang members to other prisoners was the highest it had been. The data only went back to 2010, when it was 14 per cent.
In 2017, the prison system was bursting at the seams and the Government faced a multibillion-dollar decision of having to build extra capacity to keep up, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis said.
Data showed there were 3099 gang members in prison and 10,260 prisoners in 2017.
“Instead we took a different approach and have safely reduced the prison population by 27 per cent,” Davis said.
NZ Herald
That different approach has tipped more than 350 hardened criminals back on the streets instead of leaving them in jail.
There is no way that Kelvin Davis can claim they have safely reduced the prison population. The residents of West and South Auckland would beg to differ about any claims that it has resulted in a safer community.
The reality of Labour’s catch and release policy is that 350 more feral gang scumbags are roaming in the wild; warring it up on the streets of Auckland.
Between Cuddles Coster and Kelvin Davis, the criminals have never had it easier. Rather than going after criminals, both Labour and the Police keep on victimising, stigmatising and harassing lawful firearms owners.
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