Oranga Tamariki is concerned about youth gangs. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Oranga Tamariki is concerned about youth gangs. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Oranga Tamariki is concerned about youth gangs with more kids arriving at youth residences with patches and full-face tattoos.
The Justice Committee yesterday discussed the issue of youth crime after a rise in ram raids in the upper North Island which are often perpetrated by youths.
Oranga Tamariki's director of youth justice, Ben Hannifin, said there are youth gangs who have an affiliation with adult gangs.
"We're seeing a lot more kids in the residences now patched, fully-faced tattooed, there's definitely prospecting and we didn't see that a few years ago," he said.
Police intelligence also suggests there's a link between the increasing number of ram raids being committed by youth offenders and an increasing presence of youth gangs.
Looking at incidents from November 2020 to last October, the intelligence shows, in Waikato especially, offending is predominantly being committed by youth gangs.
Members often meet while in juvenile custody and there's a level of sophistication to their offending, authorities have noted.
The offending was also often posted online – and in Waikato, it has even been known to be live streamed for others to view on the internet.
Oranga Tamariki's director of youth justice Ben Hannifin. Photo / Supplied
National's police spokesperson Mark Mitchell argued there's an ongoing reluctance from the Government to admit adult gangs have an influence on youth offenders.
"And actually, that youth and juvenile offenders are forming into their own gangs themselves," he said.
"You can't fix a problem until you actually acknowledge that you've got one," he said.
But Police Minister Chris Hipkins disagreed.
"There's no evidence gangs are recruiting these young people, but the Police report shows they're linking up in custody, which is what Mark Mitchell wants more of," he said.
"We know there's a hard core of several dozen young people involved in the vast bulk of these robberies. As reports out this week have confirmed, the common theme is a broken home life."
"They are susceptible to being influenced by gangs and the challenge we face is to show them another way," Hipkins said. "We're ramping up the support and supervision they get."
Youth advocate and social worker Eugene Ryder said kids are simply growing up in environments that contribute to what they end up doing.
He asked, what is there for our young people and where can they go?
"It seems for a lot of our rangatahi – only the gangs have their arms open," he said.
"Not many of them, for example in south or west Auckland, are interested in boy scouts or girl guides, and if they were their doors would be closed before they got to them.
"I'm a firm believer in 'idle hands are the devil's playground'. A lot of these kids have nothing to do. No one's welcoming them into their sports clubs or anything."
Ryder said gang members are also parents and role models for their children.
"If you're brought up in a family where everyone's a doctor, chances are you're gonna become a doctor. If you're brought up in a family where everyone's struggling to get food, and they're stealing and doing crime together, chances are that's what you're gonna be doing as well."
