By CATHY ARONSON
Hamilton is the latest district to adopt the controversial under-25 car-sticker scheme even though the Human Rights Commission has yet to decide if the initiative discriminates against young people.
Police plan to introduce the stickers on September 30 in a bid to combat a car theft rate in the city of nearly 100 a month on average.
The scheme involves a windscreen sticker indicating that the car should not be driven by anyone under 25.
The Christchurch pilot has seen a 30 per cent fall in car thefts since 1998, but the concept has resulted in complaints to the commission from opponents including YouthLaw and a coalition of young people called the Yellow Triangle Prevention Project.
Police Minister George Hawkins pre-empted the commission's investigation by obtaining a Crown Law Office opinion in May that the scheme is legal.
Since then the initiative has been adopted by five more police districts: Tokoroa, Dunedin, Timaru, Taupo and central Otago. Rotorua and Auckland are also considering it.
But the commission could yet find that the scheme discriminated, said spokeswoman Miriam Bell.
The legal opinion was not a ruling, and the commission had only recently accepted the complaints for investigation.
Inspector Malcolm Burgess, of Hamilton, said the scheme would go ahead despite the pending investigation but he would reconsider if it was found to discriminate.
Mr Burgess would not comment on whether he thought it did, but said he would listen to any significant concerns.
The commission received two new complaints from the Christchurch-based Yellow Triangle group last week, about private sponsorship of the scheme in Timaru and Dunedin.
Group coordinator Yani Johanson said the legal opinion applied only to the Government, which still had until 2002 before it must fully comply with the Human Rights Act.
Private companies and individuals had no such exemption.
Mr Johanson said the Ombudsman was investigating Mr Hawkins' decision not to release the opinion under an Official Information Act request.
The scheme discriminated because it redirected car-theft suspicion towards those under 25, he said. There was no equivalent sticker to protect young drivers.
"People are scared at how the scheme has stirred up unhealthy attitudes in society about young people.
"It is no less discriminatory than having stickers stipulating a race or gender that is also over-represented in car-theft statistics."
Mr Johanson said a petition against the scheme had gathered 1000 signatures in its first month.
Sticker scheme spreads north
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