Press release from the Leader of the Opposition, Federal Member for Warringah Tony Abbott

A Coalition government will help make our streets, homes and communities safer with tough and effective measures to assist the fight against crime.

Law and order on our streets is traditionally the role of state and territory police forces but a federal Coalition government will work to support them at a national level.

Decisions made in Canberra can make an important difference in the fight against crime.

Unfortunately, six years of federal Labor Government has made the task of crime prevention harder, not easier for police.

Through cooperation and consultation with the states, an elected Coalition government will work to undo the damage caused by Labor and ensure those on the street fighting crime have the tools they need to get on with the job of keeping our streets safe.

If elected, a Coalition government will:

• Establish Local Anti-Gang Squads to tackle organised crime and outlaw bikie gangs at the local level using national tools, resources and intelligence;
• Implement the Coalition’s $50 million Safer Streets programme, which provides local grants for measures such as increased CCTV surveillance and better lighting in our streets, parks and community areas;
• Reduce the number of illegal guns and drugs flooding onto our streets through a $100 million boost to Customs screening;
• Send people to jail for a minimum of five years if they are caught bringing illegal firearms into Australia;
• Work with the states and territories to get nationally consistent penalties for serious firearm offences, so that those caught with an illegal gun go to jail for up to 14 years;
• Give police a greater say in the development of a national effort to fight crime through a Crime and Community Safety Standing council, which will bring law-makers and law-enforcers together around the same table for the very first time;
• Pursue a zero tolerance approach to corruption in Customs agencies.

By restoring our borders and ending Labor’s era of savage cuts to the agencies tasked with protecting our country, the Coalition can help local police to stamp out organised and violent crime to make our communities safer.