Side-stepping a question whether New Zealand is facing a crime emergency, Police Minister Chris Hipkins said youth offending particularly in the upper half of the North Island is a real concern for the whole country.
Hipkins and Sunny Kaushal (Chair, Dairy and Business Owner's Group) briefed the media in Mt Roskill Wednesday morning about the dire situation of crime and fear in NZ and what is being done to address it.
When asked whether New Zealand faced a crime emergency, Hipkins replied, "I absolutely accept... that particularly in the upper half of the North Island we're seeing an escalating pattern of youth offending. And that is a real concern for the whole country. It’s more acute in this part of the country than in others, but that’s not to say that we’re not seeing it in other parts of the country as well. But certainly the upper half of the North Island is where the data will tell us we’ve got the biggest challenge ahead of us.
"If you're a business which is a victim of that, then clearly, that is an emergency for your business. We're committed to working with the small business community to make sure they can feel safe in their businesses,” Police Minister Hipkins said.
While addressing the media, Hipkins stressed that the government doesn't want to see escalating violence and wants to take the heat out of this issue. He said, “We want there to be fewer ram raids, fewer instances of businesses becoming victims in the first place. That's got to be our key area of focus. I've acknowledged the genuine concerns of the small business community and the concerns that they have around their safety. I think that there is more that we can do to support them, and we'll continue to do that."
He said the Small Retailer Crime Prevention Fund is an area where the government can make more progress faster. “At the moment, I'm focused on getting the $6 million that we've currently got spent because I think we want to see faster progress there, and we're starting to see that progress accelerate. It has been too slow to get up and running, and I acknowledge that,” said Hipkins.
Safeguarding and praising NZ Police, Hipkins said the police are doing a very good job of supporting businesses that are victims and identifying who the offenders are. “But there is a challenge in ensuring that the intervention that follows from that is effective because we're seeing too many young people reoffending. And that is an area where you'll see a real focus of the government. We've got to do new things to get these young people out of the offending patterns they find themselves getting into. The more we can do to get young people back on the straight and narrow and out of trouble, the safer the whole community will be.”
Hipkins also acknowledged that the harsh reality of the current situation is that there is no overnight fix. “Police are very active in this space. But it will take us some time to turn the whole situation around. I think anyone that says that there's a magical solution that's going to make this problem go away overnight, there isn't one. I agree that the global image of NZ is being tarnished. There has been heightened interest in the level of criminal offending, particularly youth being in space. That is something that the government needs to address,” said Hipkins.
Kaushal, who has been taking up the cause of a safer community on behalf of small business owners, believe that the time for talks is over, and actions are required. “I thank you, Minister, for accepting that there is indeed a crime emergency. And if there's an emergency, we need urgent actions. Also, until the government gets tough on crime, I don't think any money can solve this problem. There should be a message of accountability and consequences to offenders. I think we have been too lenient. Our judicial system is failing our police and community. There is a need to make sure that we can run our businesses safely and trade safely, not living every day in fear.”
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