Venu Menon in Parliament
Wellington, April 5, 2023
Minister of Police Ginny Andersen acknowledged in Parliament on Tuesday that police were initially slow in rolling out the retail crime prevention fund.
The minister was responding to a question from Mark Mitchell of the National Party.
Andersen was quick to add that “now, as Minister of Police, in the time I have been in place, I am happy with the fact that 2,352 have been rolled out across New Zealand in addition to the fog cannon scheme, which has been rolling out incredibly well.”
The House heard that of the 481 youth or under 18s who have been proceeded against for burglary offences in retail outlets between February and October 2022, 234 have faced court action, 112 have had a family group conference, five have been referred to youth aid, 35 have had warnings, two have been referred to Te Pae Oranga, and 94 have not had further action taken against them.
The National member had sought to pin the minister to acknowledging that police were tardy in rolling out the retail crime prevention fund.
Mitchell quoted Prime Minister Chris Hipkins as saying to media that “police could have been faster [in] rolling that out.”
“Could police have been faster?” Mitchell asked Andersen.
The minister replied: “The Prime Minister has noted that the initial roll-out was slow, and I tend to agree with that.”
Andersen clarified that as of March 2023, “there’s been a whole range of interventions provided, and I am pleased with the speed of the roll-out.”
She said this highlighted that “our youth justice system aims to keep children and young people out of the formal criminal justice system. “Steering young people away from a life of crime and ensuring that they don’t get caught up in the justice system increases the chances they will reach their full potential.”
At its sitting on March 14, the House was informed that retail crime had risen by 39 per cent from 2021 to 2022 with over 100,000 incidents recorded during that period.
Venu Menon is an Indian Newslink reporter based in Wellington.
