Government gives ear to Crime Prevention Group’s concerns on rising crime
The Crime Prevention Group met with a group of Ministers in parliament on Thursday, December 14, to present a memorandum on the state of rising crime in New Zealand.
The fact that the members of Crime Prevention Group have to travel all the way to Wellington to present a memorandum to the government in the parliament on their demands of addressing rising crime deserves some attention.
So is the fact that the new government had given the highest priority to the concerns raised by the Group by ensuring a resounding presence of a group of senior Ministers along with few MPs in the same room also deserves equal attention.
Indeed, this was a win-win outcome for everyone as Government gave ears to the members of Crime Prevention Group with utmost priority.
The 15-member executive committee of the Crime Prevention Group led by President Sunny Kaushal met with Minister for Justice Andrew Little, Minister for Police and Small Businesses Stuart Nash, Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny Salesa, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Michael Wood.
“It was a great opportunity to meet the group of Ministers who acknowledged that rising crime was a matter of concern,” Sunny Kaushal, President of Crime Prevention Group told The Indian Weekender.
“It was also pleasing to note that government acknowledged our concerns and our position as key stakeholders in addressing the increase in crime on communities,” Mr Kaushal added.
The Crime Prevention Group was formed early this year after the (in)famous aggravated assault on the owner couple of Crown Superette in Mt Roskill, to rally public support against the rise in a number of aggravated robbery, assault and incidences of crime, especially on the members of ethnic communities.
The eight-point memorandum is seeking for a comprehensive action from the government to ensure the well being of shopkeepers and small business owners, who are at the forefront of aggravated robberies and assaults.
The demands include among other things, an increase in the police numbers, reviewing and toughening existing laws against assaults and aggravated robberies, reviewing age of youth offenders, putting some accountability on parents of those involved in offending and shopkeepers right to self-defence.
Key demands:
1- The law
Review and toughen the existing laws against assaults and aggravated robberies, thus creating a strong deterrent factor which should include harsher penalties.
2- The Police
a) Increase the number of police officers from 20 to at least 60 in Auckland in the Special Police Task Force currently dealing with rising crime on businesses.
b) Set up similar Police task forces in other regions in NZ where required.
c) Set up a “flying squad" of elite police officers, as promised by Rt Hon Winston Peters specifically to deal with this grave situation.
d) Re-open the closed Police stations in suburbs, and open new ones wherever required in proportion to the change and increase in the demographic profile of the communities. Increase the visibility of Police on patrols and beat at sensitive areas in the suburbs.
e) More powers to Police and Judges to deal with such situations.
3- The youth offenders
a) Review of the youth age to make them and their parents more accountable for their serious crimes.
b) Hold negligent parents accountable to get the message of their responsibility across.
4- The shop owners
a) Shop owners’ right to defend themselves when attacked, and define the 'manner and mode of such self-defence' particularly in situations that are quite familiar now.
b) To shame and identify, and introduce heavy penalties on those who are procuring and reselling stolen goods.
5- The cigarette tax
Put a hold on further tax increases on cigarettes, which seems to be one of the primary targets of such incidents.
6- The victims
Announce a package and care for the rehabilitation of the victims of such crime.
7- The work for the dole
a) Following up on the government’s recent proposals regarding work for dole policy, there is room for reining-in young people who are otherwise on unemployment benefit, to be trained as security personnel, to patrol and assist in security for some of the shopping blocks that are identified as prone to such crimes.
b) They could act as a liaison between the shopkeepers and the Police.
b) The shopkeepers may also be persuaded to contribute towards a pool to create this vital resource.
8- The working group:
Set up a working group comprising the concerned ministers, Police commanders and Crime Prevention Group to work on the solutions and recommendations including the distribution mode of $1.8m subsidy already announced to the eligible and affected applicants.
The Crime Prevention Group met with a group of Ministers in parliament on Thursday, December 14, to present a memorandum on the state of rising crime in New Zealand.
The fact that the members of Crime Prevention Group have to travel all the way to Wellington to present a memorandum to the...
The Crime Prevention Group met with a group of Ministers in parliament on Thursday, December 14, to present a memorandum on the state of rising crime in New Zealand.
The fact that the members of Crime Prevention Group have to travel all the way to Wellington to present a memorandum to the government in the parliament on their demands of addressing rising crime deserves some attention.
So is the fact that the new government had given the highest priority to the concerns raised by the Group by ensuring a resounding presence of a group of senior Ministers along with few MPs in the same room also deserves equal attention.
Indeed, this was a win-win outcome for everyone as Government gave ears to the members of Crime Prevention Group with utmost priority.
The 15-member executive committee of the Crime Prevention Group led by President Sunny Kaushal met with Minister for Justice Andrew Little, Minister for Police and Small Businesses Stuart Nash, Minister for Ethnic Communities Jenny Salesa, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Michael Wood.
“It was a great opportunity to meet the group of Ministers who acknowledged that rising crime was a matter of concern,” Sunny Kaushal, President of Crime Prevention Group told The Indian Weekender.
“It was also pleasing to note that government acknowledged our concerns and our position as key stakeholders in addressing the increase in crime on communities,” Mr Kaushal added.
The Crime Prevention Group was formed early this year after the (in)famous aggravated assault on the owner couple of Crown Superette in Mt Roskill, to rally public support against the rise in a number of aggravated robbery, assault and incidences of crime, especially on the members of ethnic communities.
The eight-point memorandum is seeking for a comprehensive action from the government to ensure the well being of shopkeepers and small business owners, who are at the forefront of aggravated robberies and assaults.
The demands include among other things, an increase in the police numbers, reviewing and toughening existing laws against assaults and aggravated robberies, reviewing age of youth offenders, putting some accountability on parents of those involved in offending and shopkeepers right to self-defence.
Key demands:
1- The law
Review and toughen the existing laws against assaults and aggravated robberies, thus creating a strong deterrent factor which should include harsher penalties.
2- The Police
a) Increase the number of police officers from 20 to at least 60 in Auckland in the Special Police Task Force currently dealing with rising crime on businesses.
b) Set up similar Police task forces in other regions in NZ where required.
c) Set up a “flying squad" of elite police officers, as promised by Rt Hon Winston Peters specifically to deal with this grave situation.
d) Re-open the closed Police stations in suburbs, and open new ones wherever required in proportion to the change and increase in the demographic profile of the communities. Increase the visibility of Police on patrols and beat at sensitive areas in the suburbs.
e) More powers to Police and Judges to deal with such situations.
3- The youth offenders
a) Review of the youth age to make them and their parents more accountable for their serious crimes.
b) Hold negligent parents accountable to get the message of their responsibility across.
4- The shop owners
a) Shop owners’ right to defend themselves when attacked, and define the 'manner and mode of such self-defence' particularly in situations that are quite familiar now.
b) To shame and identify, and introduce heavy penalties on those who are procuring and reselling stolen goods.
5- The cigarette tax
Put a hold on further tax increases on cigarettes, which seems to be one of the primary targets of such incidents.
6- The victims
Announce a package and care for the rehabilitation of the victims of such crime.
7- The work for the dole
a) Following up on the government’s recent proposals regarding work for dole policy, there is room for reining-in young people who are otherwise on unemployment benefit, to be trained as security personnel, to patrol and assist in security for some of the shopping blocks that are identified as prone to such crimes.
b) They could act as a liaison between the shopkeepers and the Police.
b) The shopkeepers may also be persuaded to contribute towards a pool to create this vital resource.
8- The working group:
Set up a working group comprising the concerned ministers, Police commanders and Crime Prevention Group to work on the solutions and recommendations including the distribution mode of $1.8m subsidy already announced to the eligible and affected applicants.
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