Comic in question

Press, 10 March 1988, Page 6

Comic in question

GLENIS CARROLL

A new law comic launched in Christchurch yesterday could make it more difficult for the police to charge young offenders, according to the police assistant community relations officer, Senior Constable Kevin Boyce. The comic, which aims to reach young people with information about their legal rights, portrayed the police in a bad light, Senior Constable Boyce said. “It makes us look like the heavies, and while I personally am not offended by that, other officers may be,” he said. Many cases that led to successful prosecutions relied on admis-

sions from offenders and it concerned him that information in the comic might prevent necessary evidence from being obtained, he said. The victims and society would suffer. Mr Bob Hillier, of the Christchurch Community Law Centre, which produced the ; comic, said he made no apology for the way in which the police were depicted or for the description of what young people could expect to face if they went with a police officer to a police station. ; “We wanted to make sure that the image was realistic. It is our experience that young people taken in [to help with inquiries are often put

under great pressure to make a statement,” he said. The majority of young people were not aware that they had the right to remain silent or could refuse to accompany a police officer unless they had been arrested, he said. The first issue of “Streetwize,” which was launched by the Associate Minister of Justice, Mr Woollaston, looked at situations involving young people in confrontations with the police, including car conversion, theft and glue-sniffing. The idea was not to condone violence or crime or to judge the actions of a young person but to make sure they had access to and

knowledge of their legal rights, Mr Hillier said. Planning for the comic, produced under licence from Redfern Legal Publishing Centre in Sydney, began about two years ago. Story lines from the Australian equivalent were circulated among youth groups to ensure they were relevant to New Zealand youth. Grants were sought to finance the project. Five thousand copies of the first issue have been printed and two further issues are planned later this year. Mr Hillier said that later issues would deal with legal rights relating to sexual abuse, domestic violence, and discrimination.