11-06-2022, 03:07 PM
It seems that every time there's an election within cooee, National starts banging the worn old ' lock them up & throw away the key' drum in a blatant attempt to gain votes from voters who don't understand that it doesn't work.
This time they want to copy Australian 'anti consorting laws'. Which don't work all that well over there.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politic...-gang-plan
"He also said police should have the power to issue ÔÇ£consorting prohibitionÔÇØ orders, making it illegal for identified gang members with a criminal record from meeting or communicating with each other. These consorting prohibition orders could be issued to anyone with a category 3 or 4 criminal conviction ÔÇô this includes aggravated assault or a third drink-driving conviction, up to murder."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-17/a...a/10908048
A former bikie, who was one of the first to be charged under NSW's anti-consorting laws, says they stop bikies from hanging out in public but do nothing to stop the secret planning of crime.
Experts have backed a retired bikie's view that anti-consorting laws in the ACT would not stop gang violence, saying they had not worked elsewhere in Australia.
He said criminals had instead gone "underground" and, as a result, the authorities were "less knowledgeable about who's who and who's not".
"It's made the dumb c**** become smart. It's led to a reduction of weak people joining [the gangs], not hard criminals," he said.
"They're the people you don't want anyway, they're the ones the police want to infiltrate gangs because when they get done, they roll, so if anything, the police just upper-cutted themselves."
https://rlc.org.au/article/consorting-la...ble-people
"In spite of the majority of submissions received recommending that consorting be repealed, the Ombudsman has recommended to Government that consorting laws remain but that the laws should not apply to children under 17, and that changes be made to police policy. These recommendations do not go far enough in protecting the community from these broad and undemocratic laws.
Consorting makes it a criminal offence to continue to associate or communicate with people who have previously been convicted of an indictable offence, after having received an official warning from police.  An indictable offence is any offence punishable by two years imprisonment, and includes shoplifting, robbery, assault and damaging property. 
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, young people, and those experiencing homelessness were found by the Ombudsman to be disproportionately targeted by police, despite any evidence of engaging in serious or organised crime.
The disproportionate impact on vulnerable people identified by the review aligns with the experience of clients at Redfern Legal Centre. We have found that warnings, or the threat of a warning, are frequently issued to young people (many of whom are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander) simply for being in a public space.
The OmbudsmanÔÇÖs recommendations do not however go far enough and do not address the fundamental problems with the law. Consorting will continue to criminalise otherwise lawful behaviour, because there is no requirement that the consorting be done for a criminal purpose. People will continue to be punished just for associating with anyone who is a convicted offender."
This time they want to copy Australian 'anti consorting laws'. Which don't work all that well over there.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politic...-gang-plan
"He also said police should have the power to issue ÔÇ£consorting prohibitionÔÇØ orders, making it illegal for identified gang members with a criminal record from meeting or communicating with each other. These consorting prohibition orders could be issued to anyone with a category 3 or 4 criminal conviction ÔÇô this includes aggravated assault or a third drink-driving conviction, up to murder."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-17/a...a/10908048
A former bikie, who was one of the first to be charged under NSW's anti-consorting laws, says they stop bikies from hanging out in public but do nothing to stop the secret planning of crime.
Experts have backed a retired bikie's view that anti-consorting laws in the ACT would not stop gang violence, saying they had not worked elsewhere in Australia.
He said criminals had instead gone "underground" and, as a result, the authorities were "less knowledgeable about who's who and who's not".
"It's made the dumb c**** become smart. It's led to a reduction of weak people joining [the gangs], not hard criminals," he said.
"They're the people you don't want anyway, they're the ones the police want to infiltrate gangs because when they get done, they roll, so if anything, the police just upper-cutted themselves."
https://rlc.org.au/article/consorting-la...ble-people
"In spite of the majority of submissions received recommending that consorting be repealed, the Ombudsman has recommended to Government that consorting laws remain but that the laws should not apply to children under 17, and that changes be made to police policy. These recommendations do not go far enough in protecting the community from these broad and undemocratic laws.
Consorting makes it a criminal offence to continue to associate or communicate with people who have previously been convicted of an indictable offence, after having received an official warning from police.  An indictable offence is any offence punishable by two years imprisonment, and includes shoplifting, robbery, assault and damaging property. 
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, young people, and those experiencing homelessness were found by the Ombudsman to be disproportionately targeted by police, despite any evidence of engaging in serious or organised crime.
The disproportionate impact on vulnerable people identified by the review aligns with the experience of clients at Redfern Legal Centre. We have found that warnings, or the threat of a warning, are frequently issued to young people (many of whom are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander) simply for being in a public space.
The OmbudsmanÔÇÖs recommendations do not however go far enough and do not address the fundamental problems with the law. Consorting will continue to criminalise otherwise lawful behaviour, because there is no requirement that the consorting be done for a criminal purpose. People will continue to be punished just for associating with anyone who is a convicted offender."
in order to be old & wise, you must first be young & stupid. (I'm still working on that.)