22 October 2001

Labour's credit card promise to crack down on youth crime has been exposed as empty rhetoric with latest Police figures showing a rise in youth offending under the Labour Government, National's Police spokesman Tony Ryall said today.

"Before the election, George Hawkins said 'the 'massive growth' in youth offending across the country could not simply be blamed on parents. Government policies had to take some of the blame'. * Well Mr Hawkins, it's time you took some of the blame," Mr Ryall said.

Figures obtained by Mr Ryall through written questions to Mr Hawkins show 3,763 more crimes were committed by youths under 17 years of age in the 2000-2001 year than during 1998-1999. The number of crimes committed by youths has jumped from 42,495 to 46,258 in just two years.

"Labour's 'Youth Offending Policy' said 'youth offending policy should have the primary aim of preventing crime'. Mr Hawkins and his colleagues must now front up and tell New Zealanders why crime has increased, rather than been prevented, under their Government.

"Under Labour, violent crime has gone through the roof and more young people are committing crimes. This isn't what New Zealanders thought they were voting for," Mr Ryall said.

Ends

* Christchurch Press 1 July 1999

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>