Darroch Ball MP

Spokesperson for Youth Affairs
22 MARCH 2017

Criminal Youth Running Riot in Our Communities

National can’t keep ignoring the fact the youth justice system is failing, when their own figures prove it, says New Zealand First.

“Latest figures show in the last year, there’s been almost 2000 court appearances involving youth”, says New Zealand First Youth Affairs Spokesperson Darroch Ball.

“What’s worse is that 80 per cent of all youth offenders don’t even end up in court.

“Instead they are dealt with by police youth aid, and their offences don’t count as part of the official crime rate.

“The reality is the numbers of youth committing crime is much higher than what the National wants to admit.

“Arrests aren’t recorded, offences aren’t recorded. It’s only when they reach court after multiple offences do the numbers get recorded.

“The Minister for Social Development, Anne Tolley is now in the process of extending the youth court jurisdiction by including 17 year olds in the face of evidence it will only fail them too.

“Our youth justice system is not ‘world-class’ as National claims and is in fact continuing to fail our country, communities and most of all our youth.

“The only thing its ‘world class’ in is failing.

“Our youth justice system needs to be overhauled and needs to properly hold those criminal youth to account. Right now they are running rough-shod over our communities and flipping the bird to Police and the Courts.

“Our communities deserve to feel safe. Youth offenders who continue to offend need to be held to account and the Police need the resources and tools to do so,” says Mr Ball.

ENDS

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