Todd Talks By Todd Muller

The Government is working hard so women and children are safer in their communities – and in their homes. Our $500 million Safer Communities package, which Prime Minister Bill English and Police Minister Paula Bennett announced this month, recognises more is needed to protect women and children from crime, particularly at home.

The additional 1125 Police staff mean officers can respond faster to callouts, wherever they are. This is especially good news for rural families, because it means 95 per cent of people will be within 25km of an around-the-clock Police presence. The investment also addresses the underlying drivers of crime through preventative work and more rehabilitation for prisoners.

We are determined that this significant investment will genuinely keep women, their families and their wider communities safer. That's why the package includes some challenging targets, including that Police will contribute to 10 per cent fewer deaths from family violence, a 25 per cent reduction in reoffending by Maori, and more than 90 per cent of 111 emergency calls answered within 10 seconds.

The Safer Communities package builds on the work National has done to reduce family violence, which is preventing too many families from enjoying healthy, happy and fulfilling lives.

Last year, we announced a major overhaul of family violence laws, supported by an investment of $130 million during four years. The changes included making the safety of victims a principal consideration in all bail decisions and central to parenting and property orders; enforcing tougher penalties for people who commit crimes while subject to a Protection Order; and creating new offences of non-fatal strangulation and assault on a family member – with tougher sentences than common assault.

Tackling family violence is difficult and complex. But as the Prime Minister said, we are not here to shy away from the tough issues.