“Jacinda Ardern’s assertion on AM this morning that the “majority” of ramraid cases are being prosecuted shows she’s either in denial or living on another planet when it comes to crime,” says ACT Leader David Seymour.

“The Prime Minister tried to say that 14 ramraids last month was a good statistic and shows that we’ve turned a corner. In no way is 14 ramraids in a month acceptable.

“The claim that the “majority” are being prosecuted if farcical and frankly insulting to victims. It’s time Ardern woke up to the reality of this situation.

“It was reported in July that only 37 per cent of ram raids resulted in enforcement action, and only 61 per cent of those instances led to prosecutions.

“If the Prime Minister can provide figures showing a different picture, she should.

“We have called on the Government to get tough, and smart on the epidemic of retail crime that followed the epidemic of COVID-19. We have proposed idea after idea to try and get on top of the ram raids and the robberies, but the Government has barely listened, if at all.

"We have challenged the Government to expedite its retail crime prevention fund, particularly after someone who sought and didn't get help from it was robbed. That fund has continued at a glacial pace and now needs to be sized up and expedited.

“As a local MP, I’ve gone through periods where every time I return from Parliament I go and visit the latest victims of retail crime. This death could have happened a hundred times before, in hindsight it has only been luck that has prevented something like this happening earlier.

“The Government needs to show a clear pathway of consequences for young offenders, from instant practical penalties as proposed by ACT, to ankle bracelets for offenders, to secure facilities to keep offenders in if they do not comply with earlier sanctions. It then needs to get them back to school or employment.

“It should never have got this far and the Government must now act to ensure it does not happen again.”

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