Caution on crime statistics

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33276, 13 July 1973, Page 2

Caution on crime statistics

f.V.Z. Press Association) HAMILTON, July 12. Juvenile crime statistics released this week should not he cause for unnecessary alarm, according to a police youth aid section officer. Inspector P. L. Cresswell, who is in Hamilton studying s youth aid work in the area. ; said that statistics, published by the Department of Social Welfare, could be misleading. It was essential to judge each case on its merits, and

to consider the individual child who came to the notice of the police. Individuals were lost in a mass of statistics. Mr Cresswell said he had not studied the report, but statistics in it, and in the Police Department report for last year, indicated that improvements on several fronts , were necessary. I Too often the police and ■ other agencies were dealing ' with the “end product” of ' social problems, when a juvenile came to the attention of : qualified people only after I getting in trouble.

ill For this reason, the youth e;aid section, with its three simain functions —education, -rehabilitation and prevention —had a great deal to offer. d The section had been inti creased steadily in recent el years, and was now being der centralised. Part-time youth aid offices si were being established in rural areas. Mr Cresswell di said. Police sergeants in small towns were devoting a lot of f'their time to youth aid. - “This can be very effective, f Unlike policemen in cities, rlthe country policeman can deal with his community on ‘[a personal basis.” Mr Cresswell said parttime youth aid offices would |be established in Cambridge land Ngaruawahia. Several other Waikato towns already had such offices, where matters affecting juveniles were j referred to the station serigeant. PARENTS BLAMED Parents should take more i blame for the rising juvenile crime rate.. according to the Hamilton senior magistrate, Mr T. B. Mooney. To prevent and deal with youthful crime, he wants: — Power for the courts to sentence children to weekend community work—with their parents looking on: Full-time guidance counsellors in all schools: and Greater emphasis on broken ■ homes and unhappy marriages as a cause of juver: nile crime. - “What we need is power r to order a child, in appropri--late cases, to perform com-1 -; munity work under supervision and in the presence of • his father on Saturday after- - noons,” he said. “This would 1 • cure a lot of the wilful dam- ? ape that goes on, and ent sure that dad has his free- ? dom fettered also—if any s Government has the courage - to authorise this. “A frequent method of r dealing with a case is to adjourn it for three to six months under Child Welfare supervision, accompanied by ’ a lecture to the parents.’’ he , said. “One of the most gratify- ’ ing aspects of the Children’s c Court is when a subsequent report shows that the pare ent has taken more interest - in the child, and that the 'f child’s performance in the i- community and in school y work has shown a marked i improvement.”

i But, Mr Mooney said, the i frequency of re-offending' ,! caused him no surprise. i “The same pattern occurs at Borstal. There will always - be a hard core of parents, as. t well as children, who refuse.’ -’or will not listen, to advice.”’ The attitudes of parents’ 5! could be blamed for the fact 1 that more than half of Maori’ l : boys could be expected toi ] appear in court before they’ f’were 10. “If dad is down at the pub iand mum playing housie day ' and night while the kids are ; | running around loose, then , they are going to get into trouble.” said Mr Mooney. “No city marae is going to [ remedy this. 1 “Much concern has been : expressed lately about Maori [ offending as compared toj pakeha. “It is not so frequently ‘ mentioned that the process' reverses after the age of 26. | The majority of confirmed criminals of 30 years and’ 1 more are pakehas,” he said. . i- — —■ ——