Cop's creative crime solutions applauded

Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro is applauding a country policeman's creative approach to youthful crime.

Police in the South Canterbury town of Waimate have introduced a policy where young people committing a crime instantly do the time.

Punishments have included picking up rubbish and scrubbing footpaths, weeding gardens and even catching eels.

This week four 11-year-olds caught cycle racing around the block on a footpath without wearing safety helmets were given the job of weeding gardens outside Waimate police station.

Sergeant Mike Van der Heyden said it would have been easy to write out $75 tickets for riding on the footpath and not wearing helmets "but their parents would pay".

Instead they were taken to the police station, their parents contacted and their punishment decided in consultation.

The fresh approach to youth policing began about a couple of months ago when a constable apprehended a group of children throwing fireworks. Waimate A and P Show organisers needed eels for a Fear Factor competition, so the youngsters were sent out to catch them.

"It's about making the kids accountable for what they do, not the parents," Mr Van der Heyden said.

Most of the problems involved petty offending by a small minority, he said.

Dr Kiro said yesterday that she agreed with the police actions.

"Creative solutions are to be encouraged. It's good to get the kids outside eeling and fishing and sweeping the footpath they were running all over."

Her only reservations were that the punishment should fit the "crime". The punishment should be agreed with the parents and commensurate with the age of the child.

"Catching eels and weeding gardens is entirely creative and appropriate. It's good that we're looking for creative solutions to hold children and young people accountable for what they do."

She saw no problems "as long as it's not humiliation or back-breaking work that's completely unrealistic for a child".

Dr Kiro said the police already had "an incredibly good" diversion scheme in place, with 85 per cent of all young offenders directed through the police youth aid scheme which, offered creative solutions.