A re-elected National Government will make it a crime to remain silent and not disclose information relating to a child being murdered, National’s Justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith says.
“New Zealanders will remember numerous high-profile examples throughout our history where children have been brutally murdered, and Police have been unable to identify the attacker because people have chosen not to share critical information with them.
“The right to remain silent is a fundamental principle, however, it should not be absolute when a child has lost their life and, for example, there are only three people in the house, but no one is talking.
“If re-elected, National will make it an offence under the Crimes Act to not disclose information to the police, when a person has been present at a location where a child 12 years and under has been killed. We will work with legal experts to create an exception to the general right to silence only in exceptional circumstances, involving the death of a child.
“It will carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. It will apply when a child under 12 dies, and at the time of death, or leading up to the death, it is unequivocal that one or more adults were present.
“National is committed to fixing the basics in law and order, and building a future where all New Zealanders can feel safe in their communities. It is a basic expectation that people speak up and provide police with the information they need when investigating the death of a child.
“Too many children in New Zealand die at the hands of, or with the knowledge of, people who should be protecting them. The right to silence should not be abused to the extent that these horrific crimes go unpunished.
“This will place perpetrators, and their accomplices, into a corner where they will eventually call each other out, because if they don’t, they will all face the consequences.”
