Retailers asked not to serve truants

Police could not tackle the problem alone and much work needed to be done with whanau and families. Photo / NZME.

Police are asking local retailers not to serve school-age children if they come into their shops during school hours.

Hawke's Bay Police Youth Services Sergeant Carl Southwick said truancy was an ongoing problem in the region and agencies were trying to help families and whanau to get their children to school.

"If we can remove some of the temptations the children face then we may be able to make it more attractive for them to attend school. This is a community issue and everyone has a part to play in keeping our kids safe and at school where they should be," Mr Southwick said.

Shops were a major drawcard for truants and police were hopeful retailers would see the logic in not serving them.

"If we can take away some of the attraction of skipping school then we will be halfway there. If they know they won't be able to spend up at the dairy or any other shop, then it may just be the right deterrent for them," Mr Southwick said.

It is a joint initiative involving police and Te Taiwhenua O Heretaunga. It indicated a community-wide concern about truancy, Mr Southwick said.

Police could not tackle the problem alone and much work needed to be done with whanau and families.

"Children are legally required to attend school between the ages of six and 16. Parents need to take some responsibility to ensure their kids get there and stay there. But if a family is struggling or having problems with their children, there are various agencies which can offer help and support. We want to work closely with those families and help them as much as we can."

Aside from children not receiving the education they needed, there was a huge social cost associated with truancy, particularly with crime. Parents needed to know where their children were, who they were associating with and what they were doing.