TOO MUCH CRIME

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26822, 13 July 1948, Page 4

TOO MUCH CRIME

The comments of the Commissioner of Police that there is still too much crime in this country and that a noticeable feature is the amount of crime committed by younger people make disturbing reading. During the war years crime decreased to a marked extent, but in the years since then misdemeanours have risen sharply in numbers. This is a familiar phenomenon, but it cannot be regarded as a passing phase. Once an individual has broken the law there is an increased probability that he will again be an offender. This means that a particularly serious situation is created when there is a growth of crime among the younger sections of the community—and this is the case in New Zealand to-day. A similar position has developed in England also, and the Lord Chief Justice recently declared that he was appalled at the amount of serious crime in the country. The number of boys in England under 14 who were found guilty of indictable offences in 1938 was 15,000; in 1945 it was 23.000. For boys between the ages of 14 and 17 the figures were 12,000 and 17,000, and for youths from 19 to 21, 10,000 to 15,000. Juveniles, indeed, formed the largest class of offenders. The crimes which were responsible for most of this increase were those connected with thieving, but crimes of violence became twice as frequent as they were formerly. Although life in New Zealand during the war was not subject to the upheavals which were common in England, there appears to have been a similar, though less extensive, rise in the incidence of crime among young people. The dangerous ages in recent years have been those from 21 to 25. It is significant that in 1945, of the 1973 bffenders in this group, 46 had one previous conviction, 45 had from four to six previous convictions, and 89 had over six. This is a startling indication of how criminal habits become fixed among young people. Reasons for the growing criminality are the relaxation of discipline, perhaps be‘cause of the absence of one parent on active service, but there appears also to have been a general lowering of standards. An easy toleration of minor infringements of the law breeds toleration of more serious offences. The Commissioner of Police also suggests that young people are earning “too much money too easily.” There may be other factors, but it can be seen how these three working together could produce an increase in crime. How to deal with the problem is a matter for concern. The Commissioner urges the deterrent effect of heavier punishments, and such measures are perhaps necessary, for when public opinion is lax the effect of probation is lessened. This, however, is the negative approach. There requires to be a greater activity among youth workers, and new methods of approach to interest young people have to be devised. Even more fundamental is the need for a toning up of the moral sense of the community—-and here every individual has a responsibility.