ACT: Ankle bracelets for ramraiding kids
The ACT Party wants to put ankle bracelets on ‘‘hardened’’ youth offenders who do ramraids so they can be electronically monitored.
The Government on Tuesday announced more ‘‘wraparound support’’ would be provided for children caught committing crimes, as ramraids on shops continue to make headlines.
ACT Party leader David Seymour said the Government’s plan simply extended existing programmes, and lacked a single consequence for youth offenders committing the crime.
‘‘Some people will say 11 to 14 is too young to wear an ankle bracelet. Do those same people say it’s too young to carry out a ramraid,’’ he said in a statement.
‘‘Ankle bracelets are nonintrusive and allow the police to know where they are at all times.’’
Seymour said using such bracelets would make it easy to ensure young offenders attend school.
‘‘If they have a tracking bracelet, their mates will not want them around and penalties such as staying at home in the weekend and home after 5pm could be enforced.
‘‘This is a simple and effective way to make kids think twice before offending and to break the habit. It sends the message our community does not accept this behaviour. It is not glamorous, it brings shame.’’
Education and Police Minister Chris Hipkins said on Tuesday the Government was ‘‘investing heavily’’, $23 million a year, to extend services that would place more young people in education, training or work.
More than 200 families with children would benefit from the scaling up of family functional therapy, intensive mentoring and community-led youth inclusion programmes.
‘‘This package will help address complex and longer-term youth engagement issues that have been made more challenging by Covid-19,’’ Hipkins said.
‘‘Frequent disruption has prevented some children and young people from accessing an education, while others are still struggling with the impacts of the pandemic on them and their families.’’
National Party justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith said the Government’s plan was ‘‘more window-dressing’’.
‘‘The announcement says nothing about imposing meaningful consequences on serious recidivist youth offenders who the Government have been told are not being effectively dealt with.’’ global deaths
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