Youth gangs: Expand, review - what's new?
Simon Power
National Party Law & Order Spokesman
19 September 2006
Youth gangs: Expand, review - what's new?
The Government's much-heralded moves to tackle youth gang issues in South Auckland are positive but most do not offer anything new, says National's Law & Order spokesman, Simon Power.
"Perhaps the reason for the lack of real action is the fact that when the Minister of Justice asked for a briefing about youth gang activity last year, he was told that the Counties Manukau Youth Offending Team had 'not reported youth gangs as a youth offending issue of concern to them since the Team's inception in 2002'.
"The Plan of Action for youth in Counties Manukau is classic Labour Government style over substance, and I wonder if anything will change for kids in this area tomorrow as a result of the Minister's announcement today.
"A large proportion of the 26 action points are either extending existing programmes or reviewing their effectiveness."
The plan
expands:
* Youth Offending Teams.
* Capability of CYF
youth justice services.
* Police links with Maori
wardens.
* Police Alcohol Action Plan.
* Family
Start.
* Youth Transitions Services.
* The number of
community based youth workers.
* Provision of parenting
programmes.
The plan reviews:
* Turn Your Life Around
programme.
* Genesis intervention programme.
* Male
Youth New Directions programme.
* Drug and alcohol
services for young people.
* Provision of family support
services.
* Budgeting services.
* Youth support
service gaps.
"About the only new thing they are doing is establishing focus groups with young people - which is Labour's first response to most issues," says Mr Power.
ENDS