1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: So good news around crime and victims. We have forty 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:04,360 Speaker 1: nine thousand fewer victims of violent crime. The numbers dropped 3 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:05,960 Speaker 1: to one hundred and thirty six thousand, which is still 4 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:06,200 Speaker 1: a lot. 5 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 2: Of course. 6 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:09,720 Speaker 1: Paul Goldsmith, Minister of Justice, is with us. Good morning, 7 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: Good morning. So is it courts, is it cops or 8 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 1: is it both? 9 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:16,119 Speaker 2: Look, it's a combination right across the justice system. I 10 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:18,759 Speaker 2: think it's about sending a clear message two years ago 11 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,439 Speaker 2: that we weren't in the culture of excuses anymore, that 12 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 2: people had to be accountable for their actions. And the 13 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 2: government's focus on the whole justice sector was not reducing 14 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 2: the prison population by thirty percent like it was under Labour. 15 00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 2: It was about reducing the numbers of victims of crime. 16 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 2: And we've done a whole series of things, more cops 17 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 2: on the beats, tougher legislation, clearer messages, and I think 18 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:41,160 Speaker 2: in combination it seems to be working. 19 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: You can't argue that you've blown past your forecast having 20 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 1: said that, how much of this is low hanging fruit 21 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: and the one thirty six from here on in is 22 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: hard work. 23 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 2: Yes, it will continue to be hard work. And you know, 24 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 2: I mean good news is these forty nine thousand families 25 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 2: that haven't had to go through the trauma of being 26 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 2: the victims of violent assaults. But they're still many, and 27 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 2: that's why we wake up every morning we push even harder. 28 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 2: I mean, the obvious place to start if you're wanting 29 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 2: to reduce the number of victims of crime is with 30 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:10,319 Speaker 2: that very small group of New Zealanders who create multiple 31 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 2: victims over and over and over again. And then you know, frankly, 32 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 2: some of them need to be locked up for longer 33 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 2: to keep off our streets and keep our people up. 34 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: Which was my next question. How much of this is 35 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 1: a direct result of putting a handful of people away, 36 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 1: therefore the crime rate drops exponentially. 37 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:27,039 Speaker 2: Well, look, it's hard to know the exact mechanism by 38 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 2: which this has happened. All we can say is that 39 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 2: we send a very powerful message two years ago. We've 40 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 2: been working very hard, and it's very pleasing to see 41 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:36,119 Speaker 2: the trend at the moment. Now. We don't take anything 42 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:38,720 Speaker 2: for granted. Things can bounce around, but it's been consistently 43 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 2: falling now for eighteen months. 44 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:42,320 Speaker 1: Gangs and police. There seems to be a fixation in 45 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: the media. I mean, mind you you did make the promise, 46 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: but gangs and police doesn't matter how many gang members 47 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: there are. If the crime rate from the gangs is 48 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: coming down, well, yes. 49 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 2: We want to keep on reducing that. We want to 50 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 2: reduce the number of people and gangs. Gangs are again 51 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 2: a tiny section of society, a responsible or a very 52 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 2: significant section of the crime. So we're fighting gangs on 53 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 2: every front. The good news is that, you know, the 54 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 2: gang patch ban has worked well in terms of public 55 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:13,679 Speaker 2: sense of intimidation. I've done napier yesterday. Actually remarkable how 56 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 2: the visibility and intimidation of gangs in the Hawks Bay, 57 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 2: for example, has disappeared over the last couple of years. Now, 58 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:24,239 Speaker 2: We've still got to deal with the hardcore gang members. 59 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 2: A lot of work to do, but you know, at 60 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 2: least we're making progress the move on orders. Have you 61 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 2: been surprised at the pushback, No, not at all. I 62 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 2: mean there is you know, in New Zealanders a warm 63 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 2: hearted people. We want to help people in need. And 64 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:41,040 Speaker 2: the simple way I'd explained is we've got lots of 65 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 2: tools to help people who are in desperate need. We're've 66 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:46,160 Speaker 2: got one of the most wealth generous welfare states in 67 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 2: the world. We got lots of accommodation things available, but 68 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:53,119 Speaker 2: we were short on tools to deal with people who 69 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:57,240 Speaker 2: don't take that and very antisocial in their attitudes and 70 00:02:57,280 --> 00:02:59,639 Speaker 2: make it a blighting our cities. And we want to 71 00:02:59,680 --> 00:03:02,160 Speaker 2: have places where people really feel welcome or want to 72 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 2: come in and. 73 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 1: Look one hundred percent convinced if you had to poll, 74 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:06,960 Speaker 1: the public's on your side on this, and this is 75 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: just the group of people who you would have thought 76 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 1: would complain. 77 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:13,239 Speaker 2: Do you get that sense, yes, But you know we're 78 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 2: going to work hard to explain to New Zealand's exactly 79 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 2: what we're doing in the context of it, which is 80 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:20,240 Speaker 2: a context of huge amount of support available. But we've 81 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 2: also got to send a clear message that it's not 82 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 2: actually your right to live on Queen Street, and it 83 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 2: is actually the right of people who come and go, 84 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 2: who live here and work here to feel safe in. 85 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 1: Than advant And that press conference yesterday that I watched, 86 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: you were there for it if it was like you 87 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: had covered the media and excrement and insulted them, And 88 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:42,160 Speaker 1: how big of a battle are you facing with the 89 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 1: media in this country when you present forty nine thousand 90 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: fewer victims. That's a fact, you didn't make it up. 91 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:51,680 Speaker 1: It's not spin, it's a fact. And yet to listen 92 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:53,080 Speaker 1: to them, you'd think you'd shot them. 93 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 2: Well, yes, I mean a politician complaining about the media 94 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 2: is like a farmer complaining about the whether it is 95 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 2: what it is, and we've got to find a way 96 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 2: to get our message across and that's what we can do. 97 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: Nice to see you have a good weekend, Justice Minister 98 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 1: Paul Goldsmith. For more from the My Asking Breakfast, listen 99 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: live to News Talks it' B from six am weekdays, 100 00:04:13,640 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.