National has released policy for victims of crime. National will:

Establish a Victim Compensation Scheme (VCS), which will be funded by a levy on all offenders at sentencing. It is envisaged the levy be $50. The scheme will help victims with one-off expenses not covered by ACC or other state help, such as travel to court and additional counselling.

Direct compensation paid to prisoners into the VCS. Offenders continue to benefit from compensation payouts because the Labour Government still allows them to, and because there is reluctance on the part of victims to make claims. National will put any money left in the Victims Claims Trust Account after victims have been paid out into the VCS.

Establish a Victims Services Centre within the Ministry of Justice to co-ordinate all agencies that deal with victims and support the work of Victim Support, provide an initial point of contact for victims, and receive and address victim complaints. It will also administer the VCS.

Upgrade the Victim Notification Register to allow victims to be on an “active” register, which will notify them of developments relating to their case, or on a “silent” register, for those who don’t want to be involved any further, but which will record only their contact details so agencies can ensure offenders are not paroled to live near them. The registers will be maintained by the Victims Services Centre, which will update them through information sharing with other agencies and ensure victims get the support they need.

Review the Victims Rights Act 2002 to ensure victims’ rights are recognised across the justice system. It is envisaged this review will result in concrete amendments to the Victims Rights Act 2002 that will enhance victims’ rights and access to support services, such as strengthening the ability to make a victim impact statement without censorship.

Red Puppy Appeal – 4 to 6 April This week is the Red Puppy Appeal, the fundraising event for the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind’s Guide Dog Services. There are more than 260 working guide dogs in New Zealand, all trained by the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind’s Guide Dog Services. It costs over $22,500 to breed, raise, train, and match a guide dog to a person. Each year approximately 100 puppies are placed with volunteer puppy walkers who care for the puppies for 12 months before they start their formal training with Guide Dog Services.

With no government funding for this essential service, public support is truly vital for its continued operation. I urge you to support this worthy cause and help out in any way you can

To make a donation, keep an eye out for a street appeal in your area this week, or go to www.redpuppy.org.nz

A Silent March to Support longer opening hours for the Papakura Police Station will be held in Papakura on Saturday 12 April, 11:00am. The march starts at Ray Small Park (next to RSA) and ends at Central Park, opposite the Papakura Police Station. The Police are responsible for operational matters including opening times, but the feedback to my office has been that the residents of Papakura expect the Police to give due regard to the wishes of our residents.