Bagging courts over so-called weak sentences is easy because law and order is popular and there are no votes in rehabilitation.

In the media, cases can be reduced to a few sentences or a 30-second voiceover that fail to communicate the complexities of the matters heard at trial.

Many judges feel they are unfairly maligned because the true reasons for their sentencing get lost along the way.

And then a case comes along that leaves you baffled such as the prosecution of Mr Rodney Phillips, 25 and Mr Sam Liszczak, 23.

Sentenced this week for a series of offences that only by luck does not include murdering a police officer, they have been given a dream deal because the system has chosen pragmatism over justice.

These are not young blokes who made dumb decisions and deserve a second chance. They have priors for violence, including armed robbery and are members of the vicious jail gang, The Prisoners of War.

They are violent, committed criminals who are a clear and present danger to all of us. And yet they were able to plead to reduced charges just to avoid a jury trial.

First the facts. They had been out of jail for two and four days respectively, had sourced themselves a shotgun, stole a car and went out to firebomb the houses of dead drug boss Carl Williams' father, George and ex-wife Roberta.

But the knuckleheads had the wrong addresses and two days later returned to finish the job.

A police car driven by Constable Ben Ashmole followed the suspect vehicle into a dead end and the crooks did a U-turn and blasted the police with a shotgun.

It was only because Ashmore saw the gun that he was able to duck and not take the full blast in the head.

Even so, 14 pellets struck his skull and 11 haven't been able to be removed.

Quite rightly they were charged with attempted murder, arson, firearms offences and several other charges.

But then we had the backroom deals to avoid a trial. The attempted murder charge was watered down to recklessly causing injury and similar offences.

What?

Reckless is doing something when you don't care about the consequences. Pointing a shotgun at the cabin of a police car and pulling the trigger is a deliberate act.

Phillips was given a minimum of six years, two months while Liszczak received a minimum of six years.

Regardless of how this is spun, it is proof that something is seriously wrong with our justice system and police around the state are right now wondering why they bother.

These two should have got at least six years for the car theft, the arson and the firearms charges. They were not cleanskins. They had been out of jail for less than a week for heaven's sake.

Last year the government introduced legislation banning parole for police killers – which in many cases will mean a life sentence.

And yet these two who could have killed were given a dream deal.

We have had a spate of crooks ramming police cars or fleeing at high speed because they know if they are caught the punishment is minor.

Once crooks knew that to shoot at police was an act that would bring about dire consequences.

What should have happened in this case is that all deals should have been rejected and if the crooks wanted to go to trial, so be it.

And then they should have been sentenced to a minimum of 20 years.

Instead they shook hands and smiled when they were sentenced.

Constable Ben Ashmole will have to deal with the consequences of being shot for life. His two attackers will be out of jail in a few years.

Sometimes bargain deals aren't worth the long term costs.