Our 2011 election manifesto - Labour Party

Dealing effectively with organised crime
Organised criminal groups include domestic and international associations whose sole
objective is to acquire income through criminal conduct. Organised crime contributes to
drug-related crime, costs to the justice system, domestic violence including child abuse,
costs to the health system, and costs to the welfare system. Organised crime
affects families, communities, businesses and individuals.
New Zealand has a growing problem with organised crime that needs to be dealt with
effectively. Organisations that a represent a risk to public safety need to be dealt with by
strengthening existing laws, and by providing sufficient resources to the Police and the
Courts.
Labour will continue to evaluate the various alternative approaches to dealing with
organised crime, and implement a tougher set of measures that effectively target
members of organisations who associate for the purpose of organising, planning,
facilitating, supporting or engaging in serious criminal activity.
Under the previous Labour Government, extensive work was done to combat money
laundering and financing of terrorism. There needs to be greater collaboration between
international and domestic agencies that deal with the enforcement of anti-money laundering
and international networks that facilitate criminal acts in New Zealand. To guarantee the
quality of investigation, the way information is gathered needs to be reviewed frequently to
ensure that the most up to date methods and resources are available to the various
agencies.
Labour will continue to evaluate the adequacy of existing legislation in dealing with
the different types of offences related to organised crime and the adequacy of the
tools and remedies available to Police, other enforcement agencies, and the Courts
in order to effectively address organised criminal activity in any shape or form.
Combatting domestic violence and sexual violence
Dealing with family violence and sexual violence will continue to be a top priority for Labour.
We want a society where all members of a family feel safe and secure and where all children
get a good start in life. We believe in working proactively with high-risk families earlier, to
provide the assistance they need before they reach crisis point. Our Children‟s policy and
Women‟s policy contain detailed information on the initiatives Labour will take to tackle
domestic and sexual violence.
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