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Decades of family abuse have contributed to the surge in crime rates in New Zealand, and some politicians compare lawlessness to South Africa.
“We have experienced the most crimes, especially the most gun crimes I have ever remembered,” former MP Matt King told The Epoch Times.
King said helping children in families suffering from intergenerational abuse is important for reducing crime.
“For decades, my parents are the same, my parents are the same,” he said. “Especially in areas like Northland where I am from, the number of families who are basically abusing and abusing children is very high as a percentage of the population.”
“I was a policeman for 14 years, so I was always watching it.”
New police minister Chris Hipkins expressed the same sentiment, saying that some criminal acts were committed “in decades.”
“When I talk to prisoners I’ve been to for a long time as members of parliament, I often find people who were victims before they became criminals, so an offensive cycle takes a long time to create. It’s possible, “he said. Said New Zealand Q + A program in June.
Hypkins did not guarantee that the increased injuries, sexual assaults and murders would be reversed under his supervision, but said it was “what we should aim for.”
But while trying to solve intergenerational problems can be “very labor-intensive and very capital-intensive,” King said it’s worth it in the long run.
In one example, New Zealand taxpayers were estimated to pay $ 120,000 (US $ 75,000) annually to care for prisoners. But King said officials said, “We spent $ 20,000 on him when he was 8, 9, or 10 to keep him out of control of his abusive and alcoholic father. It was just. “
But he admitted that the government was not motivated to tackle this issue because of the country’s three-year election cycle.
“Because it’s a long-term profit. Payments, profits will be felt 10 years from now, and probably by then there will be a change of power,” he said.
Police “stuck” when dealing with crime
On the other hand, there are also obvious short-term problems, such as the police’s restrictive policies and the heightened crisis of school refusal.
King said police were “confused” about dealing with young criminals because of the strict rules on dealing with children.
“Anyone under the age of arrest-it’s all youth assistance, youth justice-so it’s very difficult for police to actually deal with these criminals,” he said.
Police are also limited by a follow-up policy changed in 2020 after 63 deaths in the last decade. Police are only allowed to track a fleeing vehicle if the suspect’s threat “exceeds the risk of harm caused by the chase.”
No deaths have been reported by police pursuit since the change was made. However, the opposition emphasized that it boldly bolded young criminals who often fled law enforcement agencies.
“Young criminals have found that they can steal cars and escape from crime scenes without the risk of being chased or stopped by police,” National police spokesman Mark Mitchell said in May. ..
In response, Hypkins said the policy is currently under consideration.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean chasing every car, but it can mean watching it until it stops, and then catching up with the people inside it,” the minister said. I did. “So there are all sorts of options available to the police.”
Insufficient resources
Another direct reason children are drawn to crime is withdrawal from school.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff previously told The Epoch Times that the recent wave of youth raids on Lamb was associated with absenteeism due to the COVID-19 blockade, when many students simply decided not to return to class. Said that.
According to King, New Zealand is currently the “most school refusal” to date, but there was a lack of funding to support school refusal police officers.
“There is no follow-up needed to get people to confirm that their children are in school,” he said. “By talking to people around here, I know that I really don’t have enough money to go to school.”
“I think we need to focus on getting these kids back to school. [so there aren’t] 12-year-olds running around trying to pack into a car. “
The government aims to address this issue through national school attendance goals.
School attendance has declined across the board since 2015, a trend accelerated during COVID-19.
“”[It] Currently, we are sitting in about 60% of the students who appear with a 90% chance, “Jan Tinetti, Deputy Minister of Education, said in a statement in June.
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Rebecca Zhu is based in Sydney. She focuses on Australian and New Zealand national affairs. Do you have a hint? Contact her at [email protected].
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