Francesca Rudkin: We owe our first responders as much support as possible

This week another police officer was struck by a vehicle, this time in Huntly. The officer suffered moderate injuries. 

It comes after the horrible New Year's Day incident in which Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming was killed and another officer injured after being struck by a vehicle in Nelson. 

Police Minister Mark Mitchell said on the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning, Police and first responders are increasingly dealing with violence. Not just here in New Zealand, but globally as well. 

It's good to hear Mitchell, alongside Paul Goldsmith, is planning to bring new legislation into the house in the first quarter of this year to bring in tougher sentencing for violent behaviour towards first responders and prison officers. 

It would have been better if it had been included in Goldsmith's sentencing reforms, which had its first reading in Parliament last September. 

Those reforms too are to ensure criminals face tougher consequences and victims are prioritised. 

This new legislation aimed at offenders towards first responders will not just impose tougher sentences, but also clearly define emergency service workers, and require sentencing to be cumulative rather than concurrent. 

It's aimed at being a preventative measure, but something tells me offenders will get the message through experience rather than media headlines. 

We owe our first responders as much support as possible. 

They go to work and deal with a level of risk the rest of us don't have to confront. These laws show we as New Zealanders appreciate their work and are prepared to do what we can to protect them.

I hope the work to clarify who is a first responder - generally thought of as police, paramedics, and the fire service - is extended to hospital emergency staff, and possibly even other health workers. 

The need for this legislation, this growing anger and agitation experienced by many in public facing jobs - especially those in retail - makes you wonder what has happened to us as a wider community. 

You rarely go into a shop without signs telling you kindness is appreciated, or that they will not tolerate abusive behaviour. 

Is this a post-Covid thing? Have we just got more angry with the world? Is it a need to be seen and heard?

We seem to have forgotten that the consequence of anger is often more damaging than what made us angry in the first place/ 

Hopefully the least these tougher laws will achieve, is help bring that back into perspective. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This week, another police officer was struck by a vehicle,
this time in Huntley. The officer suffered moderate injuries, and
it comes after the horrible New Year's Day incident in
which Senior Sergeant Lynn Fleming was killed in another officer
injured after being struck by a vehicle than Nelson. Police
Minister Mark Mitchell said on the My Costing Breakfast this
morning that police and first responders are increasingly dealing with violence,

(00:21):
and not just here in New Zealand but globally as well,
and it's good to hear Mitchell, alongside Paul Godsmith, planning
to bring a new legislation enter the House in the
first quarter of this year to bring tougher sentencing for
violent behavior towards first responders and prison officers. It would
have been better if it had been included in Goldsmith's
sentencing reforms, which had its first reading in Parliament last September.

(00:46):
Those reforms, too, are to ensure criminals face tougher consequences
and victims are prioritized. But this new legislation aimed at
defenders towards first responders, will not just impose tougher sentences
but will also clearly fine emergency service workers and require
sentence in sentencing to be cumulative rather than concurrent. It's

(01:08):
aimed at being a preventative measure, but something tells me
that offenders will get the message through experience rather than
media headlines. Look, we are it to our first responders
to give them as much support as possible. They go
to work and they deal with a level of risk
the rest of us don't have to confront. These laws
show we as New Zealanders, appreciate their work and are

(01:30):
prepared to do what we can to protect them. And
I hope the work to clarify who was a first
responder generally thought of as police paramedics in the fire
service is extended to hospital emergency staff and even other
health workers. The need for this legislation, this growing anger
and agitation experienced by many in public facing jobs, especially

(01:51):
those in retail, It makes you wonder what has happened
to us is a wider community. I mean you rarely
go into a shop without signs telling you kindness is
appreciated or that they will not tolerate abusive behavior. This
is common. Now? Is this a post COVID thing? Have
we just got more angry at the world. Is it

(02:12):
a need to be seen and heard? We seem to
have forgotten that the consequence of anger is often more
damaging than what made us angry in the first place. Hopefully,
at the least these tougher laws will achieve this and
help bring that back into perspective. For more from Hither
Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news talks it'd be

(02:34):
from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.