I am sure many of you have heard about a large number of robberies, ram raids, and vehicles that have been stolen around hamilton in the past few weeks. And I am sure many of you have had enough of this crime and are not feeling safe either now.

It was reported by the police that in the last month alone 236 cars were stolen - on average that is 7-8 cars being stolen each day in July. These cars have been bought by owners with the hard-earned money that they get from working really hard at a job, and it is not fair on us that people can come along and break into our cars and use them in crimes such as ram raids and aggravated robberies throughout hamilton. It raises the doubt whether or not when we finish work or wake up in the morning whether our car will be there or not - and it is simply not good enough. We should be able to go places without the anxiety of our car being stolen.

These vehicles that are being stolen in broad daylight and in the early morning and overnight are used by youth and organized crime groups to undertake ram raids and aggravated robberies. You would have heard about a number of Waikato businesses being targeted last month with liquor stores, dairies, mini supermarkets, shopping malls, and clothing stores being main targets. While some are reported on the news, many are unreported and I am sure there is plenty more that has happened which we as a community are aware of. These types of crimes are being done by groups of youth as they know they will not get a punishment through the soft justice system in New Zealand. However, I believe that if they are that smart to undertake these crimes, then they should also be punished much harder and face the consequences that a normal adult would. 

The trauma that these business owners are experiencing can't be explained in words, that's how horrific it is, and you would need to experience it yourself to see how scared they are. These business owners should not have to tolerate this kind of behavior and should be able to go to work without the fear of being the next target. Furthermore, these crimes create a mess and a lot of damage which in many cases business owners have to bear the cost of damage upon themselves in the already struggling times of trying to make ends meet on a daily basis.

Yet all the police and government do is say to business owners to increase their security - but they don't realize that no matter how much security there is, this problem will still happen until the laws around this type of crime change and tougher and harsh penalties are introduced for youth and others that are committing these crimes. It is time these people are named and shamed publicly and are not welcome by any business.

I have experienced it myself as an employee of a business and a student - and you go to work every day in the fear that it will happen again. And because of the large number of crimes you do not even get to enjoy my time studying - while studying there is constant anxiety of whether anything has happened again and therefore I do not get to spend time with my friends and make memories and experiences before full-time work. These criminals have taken out the experience for me out of studying.

The government has the power to step up and change the law. They can introduce new laws within a month. And this problem is not just in Hamilton, but it is all over the country. This fight to change the law is a national priority to make a more just and fair justice system.