Ryan Bridge: Retail crime numbers are hurting the Government

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

Every government is thinking ahead to when they next need to be re-elected.

There's a risk here that the government is taking when it goes for sanctions on beneficiaries, when it goes for tougher requirements and criteria when it comes to social housing, for example, and you're starting to see some kick back already in response to some of these changes.

If you're a centrist voter you might think those are reasonable expectations to put on social housing providers, to put on emergency accommodation criteria, to put on beneficiaries through sanctions or obligations.

You might think those things are reasonable.

On the other hand, you might think that seems a bit cruel. And actually, in an economy like this where jobs are hard to come by, I might find myself in that position. I don't want to have those types of obligations; I don't understand what those obligations are.

So, there is a political risk to doing it stuff, but it's bread and butter for National and it's bread and butter for ACT, this is exactly what their base want what their supporters want and so they are doing it, but it does come with some political risk.

One thing that the Government need to get on top of is retail crime.

The Dairy Owner's group, this is based on police data, say that retail crime is up 17% under National.

This is the coalition government that has said ‘we're going to crack down on retail crime’.

The first five months of this year versus last year theft was up, robberies were down 5%, burglaries down 10%, but here's the one you need to worry about: acts intended to cause injury were up 4%.

That is very bad, and you're seeing it with hammers and all sorts of things being used as weapons in shops. That, the Government needs to get on top of because they made a big promise, Mark Mitchell has talked a big talk, the numbers so far aren't tracking in their direction, and they need to turn them around.

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