Govt set to reveal youth crime plan

WELLINGTON: The Government is set to unveil a package of measures aimed at blunting a youth crime spike, particularly in Auckland.

The move comes as ramraids have increased more than 500% nationally this year.

The new package follows the Government’s changes announced yesterday to the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act to make it easier for police to seize criminals’ illicit assets being hidden by associates.

The package, called Better Pathways, will be detailed by Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni and Police Minister Chris Hipkins in Auckland today.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern referenced Better Pathways yesterday, saying Auckland’s youth crime spike was ‘‘unquestionably’’ a problem that needed addressing, even though youth crime nationally had decreased over the last decade.

Documents recently obtained by the National Party under the Official Information Act showed ramraids had jumped by about 520% in the first six months of 2022 compared with the corresponding period in 2018.

Ms Ardern said there had been 357 ramraids so far in 2022, and some businesses had been targeted several times.

She said there had been 225 prosecutions and 94 youth referrals with respect to those ramraids.

According to the Ministry of Justice’s youth justice indicators summary report from December, overall offending — meaning those proceeded against by police for an alleged offence — had reduced by 65% for children (aged 1013) between 201011 and 202021.

For those aged 14 to 16 years old, offending had decreased by 63% over the same period.

In both age groups, Maori offending rates were higher than that of Pasifika and Pakeha children and young people.

Ms Ardern said the new package would empower successful community programmes to divert young people away from criminal activity.

She cited a crossagency effort in South Auckland that put all children under 14 apprehended for serious offences — like fleeing police or ram raiding — into a programme, which had led to just 25% reoffending.

‘‘This is the type of initiative we’ll be looking to invest more in,’’ Ms Ardern said. —