It's an election year, so of course the law and order drum is being beaten.

It's beaten every time there's an election, with one side saying the other isn't doing a good job - but it's not just because it's an election.

The law and order drum is being beaten because innocent New Zealanders are being beaten in their homes and their places of work, in the street.

The hammer attack on a woman behind the counter of her dairy in broad daylight this week is yet another example, as if we needed any more of the brutality and lack of humanity we've seen so much of in the past few years.

We've got dairy owners now serving from within cages in their own shops, security guards outside so many stores, security camera footage of children, some in their pyjamas being driven round homes by adults, by their caregivers, to steal whatever they can find from their neighbours’ homes and backyards.  

This is not a New Zealand to be proud of.  

New Zealand doesn't feel as safe as it used to, and the Police Minister confirmed that on Newshub this morning.

Crime has risen exponentially and violent crime is up. She is right that family harm incidents have pushed up the violent crime stats, but the retail crime is real.

Finally, the one good take out from that interview is that finally, at last, you've got a government minister who is not gaslighting us, who is not saying no, no, no, it's all in your heads.

No, it's the hammer that's in my head.

Not some kind of fearful fantasy of my own imagination. Somebody from the government is finally telling the truth.

It's an election year, so of course the law and order drum is being beaten.
It's beaten every time there's an election, with one side saying the other isn't doing a good job - but it's not just because it's an election.
The law and order drum is being beaten because innocent New Zealanders are being beaten in their homes and their places of work, in the street.
The hammer attack on a woman behind the counter of her dairy in broad daylight this week is yet another example, as if we needed any more of the brutality and lack of humanity we've seen so much of in the past few years.
We've got dairy owners now serving from within cages in their own shops, security guards outside so many stores, security camera footage of children, some in their pyjamas being driven round homes by adults, by their caregivers, to steal whatever they can find from their neighbours’ homes and backyards.  
This is not a New Zealand to be proud of.  
New Zealand doesn't feel as safe as it used to, and the Police Minister confirmed that on Newshub this morning.
Crime has risen exponentially and violent crime is up. She is right that family harm incidents have pushed up the violent crime stats, but the retail crime is real.
Finally, the one good take out from that interview is that finally, at last, you've got a government minister who is not gaslighting us, who is not saying no, no, no, it's all in your heads.
No, it's the hammer that's in my head.
Not some kind of fearful fantasy of my own imagination. Somebody from the government is finally telling the truth.

Join Kerre Woodham one of New Zealand’s best loved personalities as she dishes up a bold, sharp and energetic show Monday to Friday 9am-12md on Newstalk ZB. News, opinion, analysis, lifestyle and entertainment – we’ve got your morning listening covered.