Looting: Crime and Punishment in post quake Christchurch

Looting seems to be an almost inevitable consequence of a disaster, and post-earthquake Christchurch is no exception. The response to looters has been vitriolic; A 61-year-old sickness beneficiary who had her house burgled after the quake told The New Zealand Herald “These looters should be turned around and shot in the back” one of her neighbors told the paper “If I saw one of those pricks I would f***ing bury the ****,”. The anger is not limited to the person-on-the-street though, police minister Judith Collins said in regard to looters "I hope they go to jail for a long time - with a cellmate." the implication being that these people are deserving of being beaten or raped in prison. Not the sort of thing we want to hear from a woman who strongly advocated double-bunking in prison cells. Opposition Labour Party leader Phil Goff was calling for execution, speaking to bFM he said “I saw the army out in the street and I thought court martial, firing squads” he has since claimed this comment was a 'joke'.

looting 8FHN3 17844

arie smith QsjvC 17844

Arie Smith-Voorcamp

Its difficult to have sympathy for the likes of the two men who stole electricity generators in the days following the disaster. The same can not be said for the story of Arie Smith-Voorkamp. The 25 year old man, who has Asperger's syndrome was arrested for stealing two light bulbs and an antique light fitting from a quake-damaged home. On the night of his arrest he was taunted by New Zealand Army personnel and brutally beaten by two police officers. The beating left him with a black eye which was still bruised and swollen more than a week later. In a devastated city where lives have been turned upside down an overly emotional response to crime is understandable (though Collins and Goff are likely just being populist) but it doesn't offer a just solution to looting. Instead, looters could be put to work in the relief effort, for public safety (and probably for their own) that could be done from prison. After all, prisoners are already helping the recovery;

We had the resources, and the labour, to offer some practical support to Christchurch, and with our prisons largely unaffected by the quake, we were only too happy to do so. We told the prisoners working in the kitchens exactly what we were supporting and the difference it was making and they worked incredibly hard.

Prisoners have made up over 5000 ration packs which were delivered to welfare centres around Christchurch along around 350 one kilogram heat and eat packs of macaroni cheese, stew and mince meals which were distributed by the Rangiora Express group and the New Brighton welfare centre in the east of the city.