Crime Prevention Group – a community action group for safer businesses and communities, have reached out to the Indian government through the High Commissioner of India to take up the matter of rising incidences of crime and aggravated robberies against Indians urgently with the New Zealand government and prevent such attacks.
A memorandum in this regard was submitted by the executive team of the Crime Prevention Group to the Indian High Commissioner Sanjeev Kohli in a closed-door meeting on Saturday, July 01, in Auckland.
The Crime Prevention Group was formed earlier in the month of March in Auckland to mobilise support and raise public awareness against rising incidences of robberies and aggravated attacks against ethnic communities, especially the Indians and Chinese.
In the last few months, the group has stepped up the ante by organising a public protest march, meeting police and government representatives, launching a public petition demanding tougher punishments against perpetrators of such crimes and also making an anti-crime video portraying that NZ is fast becoming a ‘criminal paradise.’
In this regard reaching out to the Indian government to relay their concern on the perceived deteriorating situation on crime and law and order in NZ, which is affecting many members of the Indian community in NZ is the most recent action of this community group.
Indian High Commissioner ‘counsels’ for positive democratic participation
Indian High Commissioner Sanjeev Kohli had used the opportunity to speak with executive members of Crime Prevention Group and counsel them about the need for the Indian community in NZ to participate proactively in the democratic space in New Zealand politics to raise all of their concerns.
Speaking to the Indian Weekender exclusively, Indian High Commissioner Sanjeev Kohli said: “There was a mutual consensus in the room that such attacks were not racially motivated in any manner and likewise, there is no intention to raise the matter in that way.”
“The natures of attacks are such that they happen on small businesses and dairies which largely operate in remote and isolated locations and are largely operated by ethnic communities including people of Indian origin,” Mr Kohli said, demonstrating his full understanding of the environment in which such attacks have taken place recently.
“However, since this was a genuine concern for the Indian diaspora whereby in some instances those affected were Indian nationals, the Indian government is keen to hear those concerns.
“We will be communicating these concerns to New Zealand authorities through appropriate diplomatic channels.
“However, Indian government remains fully appreciative of the steps being taken by the New Zealand authorities to address the concern of safety and law and order among people of Indian descent,” Mr Kohli asserted.
Not completely unprecedented
It is important to note that reaching out to the government of the country that many consider as their original home for any concerns in their new home is not completely unprecedented. In fact, in modern world politics, it is gaining increasing acceptability as a mode of addressing people’s genuine concerns.
The anti-crime video produced in Chinese language and other efforts by the Chinese Community in NZ for raising the issue was well highlighted in Chinese social media, which prompted the Chinese Government to air their concern with NZ counterparts.
Speaking to the Indian Weekender, Sunny Kaushal, the lead organiser of the Crime Prevention Group reiterated the importance of communicating Indian communities concern to the government of India.
“While we completely agree that the attacks on the shop owners and workers belonging to Indian community were ‘not of any racial nature’, but, it is also the fact that more than anyone else the spate of recent crime primarily affected the members of the Indian community,” Mr Kaushal said.
“We believe that by getting Indian diplomatic mission on board to take up the safety concerns of their diaspora with the host nation is their moral obligation.
“For us, it is another way of constructive approach in addressing the issue,” Mr Kaushal asserted.
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