Young Offenders Taken On Skiing Jaunt Says Mark

New Zealand First law and order spokesman Ron Mark wants the Ministers of Social Welfare and Justice to explain why youth offenders, who stole over 400 cars in Canterbury, have been taken on a skiing trip by CYF in an “attempt to rebuild their confidence”.

“This is ridiculous,” said Mr Mark. “These young hoods were part of an organised ring responsible for stealing and trashing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of vehicles.”

“They were so confident in their joyriding that they used to deliberately taunt police into chasing them, and then would monitor the police on scanners.”

“When the pursuits were called off they would drive around to find another police car in order to goad the police officers into resuming the pursuit.”

“The last thing these kids lack is confidence. They are cocky, self assured, arrogant - and right now they will be laughing at the stupidity of the system that rewards them for offending.”

“That the authorities would allow such cocky hoons back out on to the streets, against the pleas of the police, is absolutely unbelievable. That the Minister responsible for CYF would then have these young gangsters taken on a skiing holiday is simply ridiculous.”

“What will the ministers responsible tell the 400 people who had their cars stolen?” asked Mr Mark.

© Scoop Media

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>>