The Walk Without Fear Trust welcomes the Government’s renewed focus on law and order, including tougher measures such as the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill.
While we support efforts to come down harder on serious offenders, we urge policymakers to take an equally strong stance against coward punch attacks by reclassifying them as serious offences with mandatory minimum sentencing.
Coward punch attacks — unprovoked, violent strikes that often cause severe injury or death, are a scourge on New Zealand’s streets which occur far too frequently. These attacks destroy lives in seconds but predominantly receive lenient sentences.
In contrast, Australia’s legislative reforms targeting coward punch crimes have yielded positive results, with New South Wales recording a 52% reduction in non-domestic violent assaults between 2014 and 2019 following the introduction of minimum sentencing laws for one-punch killings.
The success of such measures demonstrates that targeted legal reforms can deliver meaningful reductions in violent crime.
New Zealand has seen this approach work before: in 2018, the reclassification of strangulation in domestic violence cases as a specific criminal offence led to stronger protections and tougher sentences for perpetrators. This precedent shows recognising the unique danger of specific violent acts can drive real change.
“One-punch attacks, fatal or not, are a scourge on our streets and society. The devastating consequences of a single blow can destroy lives in an instant, and there can be no argument that the deliberate intent of these acts is to cause the maximum possible physical harm,” said Chairman Eugene Bareman.
“It’s high time New Zealand deals with this crime adequately, as we have done before with the reclassification of strangulation laws in domestic violence. Targeted legislation works — it saves lives and deters offenders.”
We believe reclassifying coward punch crimes as serious offences will ensure that those who commit these violent acts face appropriate consequences. It will send a clear message this kind of premeditated violence will not be tolerated in our communities.
The Walk Without Fear Trust stands ready to support efforts aimed at making our streets safer for all New Zealanders.
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