NZ First MP Darroch Ball thinks his shoplifters' fine bill will have the support of the whole house

New Zealand First Law and Order Spokesman Darroch Ball submitted the bill to the members' ballot last week.

The MP behind a members' bill which would give police the power to issue on-the-spot fines to shoplifters is confident it will have the support of the whole house, if it's drawn.

New Zealand First Law and Order Spokesman Darroch Ball submitted the bill to the members' ballot last week.

The legislation would allow police to issue instant fines to shoplifters of either $150, or 1.5 times the value of the item stolen.

Although he has yet to lobby any other political party, Ball is confident the bill would have the support of all parties if it is drawn from the ballot.

"I think it is a pretty common sense [piece of] legislation and I would struggle to see any party in the house not voting in favour of it."

As it stands, Ball said almost 70 per cent of shoplifting incidents go unreported.

He said the process at the moment is very time consuming and can be quite expensive for retailers – this is the reason many shops don't report these type of crimes, he said.
But his bill would change that, he said.

He is, however, waiting for it to be drawn before approaching any other political parties to gauge their support.

"It's a simple bill and a simple principal to understand. I'm confident if it does get pulled then we will have some positive conversations around it."

Speaking to the AM Show this morning, National Leader Simon Bridges said the bill looked like a good, practical idea but would not fully commit to supporting it before it had been drawn from the ballot.