OPINION
Politicians’ vow to tackle crime proves to be costly
No politician ever lost a seat by being too tough on crime.
They get positively giddy at the prospect of being about to explain to the world how uncompromising they are and then they let everyone know they aren’t ever going to be sorry for that position.
“I make no apologies for being part of a government that’s tough on crime.”
How often have you heard a variation of that sound bite over the years?
The words were invariably coming out of the mouths of either a premier or a police minister, who was invariably flanked by a senior police officer.
That’s good TV.
It feels good to be tough on crime.
Unfortunately, it has a flow on effect.John Quigley realised this early in his tenure as Attorney-General, which is why he set about creating the pithily named Justice Pipeline Project.