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Speaker 1: The government's so called crackdown on crime is more than

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Speaker 1: just tough talk. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's going

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Speaker 1: to make a difference. Not for want of trying. It's

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Speaker 1: because the courts are a law unto themselves. They apply

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Speaker 1: sentencing discounts like a Brisco's sale. Judges are like the

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Speaker 1: Briscoes lady, ninety percent off for remorse, ten percent off

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Speaker 1: for your family report. You're free to leave the dock

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Speaker 1: with time served. Don't worry it. If it's a murder

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Speaker 1: charge off, you go. Good on your son. We look

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Speaker 1: forward to welcoming you back to court again soon. I

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Speaker 1: mean you feel like there's unless must be a sign

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Speaker 1: and a cup of coffee when you leave. And we

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Speaker 1: all know the story. COVID lockdowns happened, Communities fell apart,

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Speaker 1: lives thrown off kilter, crime spreads, police hq the courts.

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Speaker 1: The government went softer on crime. Wrap around services trumped

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Speaker 1: a good old whack around the back of the years.

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Speaker 1: The authorities lost control of the streets, We lost faith

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Speaker 1: in the authorities, and now here we are, having elected

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Speaker 1: a government to do something about it. Couple of their

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Speaker 1: new laws into force yesterday, including caps on sentencing and

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Speaker 1: new aggravating factors. These are real changes, not just rhetoric,

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Speaker 1: but whether they actually make a difference or not will

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Speaker 1: depend on whether the courts get the message. They're the

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Speaker 1: ones with the real power here. Look no further than

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Speaker 1: the current aggravating factors that they're not using properly, including assault,

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Speaker 1: its assaults on first responders. You know, your ambulance, your paramedics,

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Speaker 1: your cops. The government is stepping in to fix this,

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Speaker 1: even though it shouldn't need fixing. It's already an aggravating

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Speaker 1: factor in sentencing, but the ambulance staff and the first

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Speaker 1: responders say it's basically fallen by the wayside. The courts

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Speaker 1: weren't focused on them when making decisions, even though they're

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Speaker 1: the victims, and even though they're the first responders. Courts

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Speaker 1: have a lot of leeway here. So now the government

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Speaker 1: is stepping in again to extend and expand this provision

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Speaker 1: to make it even tougher. Hope filly fingers crossed this

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Speaker 1: time we might actually see some movement from the courts

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Speaker 1: following the direction they've been set by Parliament. But it's

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Speaker 1: just like those as you see on TV selling sofas

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Speaker 1: up to eighty percent off stare wide is not the

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Speaker 1: same as eighty percent off store white, is it. And

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Speaker 1: there's big enough leeway here to drive a truck through

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Speaker 1: when it comes to the courts and tough on crime.

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Speaker 1: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, Listen live

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Speaker 1: to News Talks itt B from five am weekdays, or

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