00:00The former Attorney General says the government is within its right to pursue stand-your-ground legislation,
00:07noting that it was a promise outlined in its election manifesto.
00:12He tells us, by securing the support of the electorate,
00:16the government has effectively received a mandate from the population to act on such commitments.
00:22However, Nicholas warns, this mandate does not give license to act recklessly.
00:27He stresses that any such legislation must be carefully and responsibly crafted
00:34to avoid unjustified or overly aggressive actions.
00:39The law should, even in the stand-your-ground situation in public spaces,
00:45should still have that level of proportionality, and it should be clear that the person was in danger.
00:52Nicholas also pointed out that the government appears to be modelling its proposed legislation
00:58after the Florida stand-your-ground law, a framework that has been the subject of intense debate in the United States.
01:05He is urging policymakers to take note of the unintended consequences associated with that model,
01:12including concerns over increased violence and unequal application of the law.
01:17So that the prime minister and the government, they are in a position where they can have it narrowly defined or broadly defined.
01:26And I think once you take into consideration all of the things that we discussed this morning,
01:31we can have a narrowing of the definition and greater certainty.
01:36Because again, what you want is certainty.
01:38So you want to ensure that people don't feel emboldened to just do whatever they feel like.
01:44And I suppose, and that is the problem with the Florida law.
01:48People feel emboldened to do whatever they like.
01:51According to Nicholas, while he has no inherent objection to the legislation,
01:55reiterating that it was, after all, a manifesto promise,
01:58he stresses the importance of taking a broader view.
02:02The former attorney general is suggesting that in addition to legal reforms,
02:07government must also focus on preventative remedies aimed at addressing the root causes of crime.
02:13What I would also like to see done do is that we move away from just the idea of having to protect ourselves.
02:23And even with the issue of hanging, which is the last step in the prosecution,
02:29we look more towards prevention.
02:32We need to actually create a society where people feel safe
02:37and people also feel that they don't need to get involved in criminal activity.
02:42Nicholas believes the Stand Your Ground legislation must be thoughtfully done
02:47with the assistance of the DPP, the Criminal Bar and the Law Association.
02:53Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
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