Judge concerned at Maori youth crime

Male Maori youth are the single biggest challenge facing the youth justice system, Principal Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft says.

Mr Becroft told a policing conference in Nelson yesterday the number of male Maori being dealt with in the Youth Court was concerning.

He said: "The challenge is how to influence these people. How can we respond now? We know what works and what doesn't work. We know brat camps and scare tactics don't work."

He said the 7000 young people who came before the Youth Court each year faced a real risk of remaining in the court system.

Mr Becroft said 14- to 16-year-olds committed about 45,500 offences each year -- about 20 per cent of all offending. Half of those youth offenders were Maori males.

More than 150 police staff and Maori leaders from throughout New Zealand are attending the conference to discuss ways of reducing Maori offending and victimisation.

Deputy police commissioner Steve Long told the conference this week police hoped to increase the number of Maori recruits as one way of addressing the issue.

Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia said the call for more Maori police would not create the long-term changes that would reduce offending.

There was no such thing as "Maori offending", she said.

"Do we label crimes committed by other population groups as Pakeha offending, female offending, elderly offending, middle-class offending?

"Perhaps a more appropriate goal is to consider reducing offending committed by Maori, rather than presuming there are certain types of offences which are categorised as 'Maori' or 'Pacific' crimes.

"These are long-term issues that are not going to be solved over night."

- nzpa