OPINION: A new approach to youth crime needed

Manawatu Guardian chief reporter Alecia Rousseau.

There are too many youth these days who think they are entitled to act and behave however they want.

This was highlighted in a recent video that went viral through social media, of a group which allegedly robbed a superette in Papakura.

This was the second incident in just a few days.

I was absolutely appalled at the behaviour these teens exhibited. They had no regard for the safety of the shop workers, let alone themselves. And the fact one of these teenage girls was carrying a baby made me incredibly angry.

I know it is all too easy to blame the parents in these situations, but without laying this on their feet, I must ask did they know where their children were or what they get up too? The police have apprehended four females involved. Two have been referred to youth court and I have reservations about what little good this will do.

What real consequences will these youths face? I am in no doubt their punishment will be insufficient to their crime.

Too many youth face little to no consequences for their actions, yet people wonder why their behaviour is increasingly abhorrent.

We are seeing an increase in violence in teens and even pre-teens. The school yard is no longer safe and through the use of technology, no longer is home.

We need better interventions at a younger age if we are going to address this problem. These need to be tailored to the offender. We can't just put them all in one basket because a one-size-fits-all approach is not going to work.

Families also need to play their part. They can have a significant impact on whether or not a youth will offend.

These teens need boundaries and structure, they need education and they need someone who really cares about how their life will turn out.

More than 80 per cent of youth crime doesn't even make it to the court system. Instead it is up to the community and police to deal with these offenders.

This allows for more targeted interventions, but I do not think this is being done to its full potential. We need to foster community involvement, school participation, family stability and consistent consequences.

We have plenty of social organisations such as Triple P which is on-hand for anyone needing advice.

The help and tools are there - why aren't we using them?