The Government has spent $3.6 million dollars on a retail crime advisory group, including paying its chair $920 a day, to come up with ideas already dismissed as dangerous by police.

“Instead of focusing on real solutions, the Government has wasted millions on an advisory group that took several months to release a report, only to recycle old and bad ideas,” Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said.

“Worse still, they’re paying Sunny Kaushal $920 a day to deliver a report with dangerous recommendations, like encouraging people to take the law into their own hands, which police have already rejected because they would put both retailers and the public at risk.

“These are millions of dollars that could have gone to resourcing frontline police. Instead, they’re being used to pay a lofty salary for Kaushal to rehash his bad ideas.

“His advisory group initially promised recommendations within weeks, but after months of delay, they’ve produced proposals that encourage citizens to use force against retail crime, something Police have consistently warned is unsafe.

“This Government promised New Zealanders they would fix retail crime, but so far, all they’ve delivered is a hefty bill and no results.

“The reality is they still don’t have a plan. This Government promised 500 more police officers, but they’re losing officers faster than they can recruit. Meanwhile, methamphetamine use is skyrocketing and instead of addressing the root causes of crime, they’re focusing on distractions like confiscating gang patches.

“We need a government that will keep communities safe and break the cycle of crime, not one that wastes millions on rehashing bad ideas,” Ginny Andersen said.