KEY POINTS:
New police guidelines for handling complaints about smacking children are unnecessarily restrictive and remove officers' discretion, the Police Association says.
Here is the latest selection of Your Views:
Julie Griffiths
This anti-smacking law is an ass all up. Police don't have any leeway due to in many cases, one person's word against another. Unless there is clear evidence of assault or other serious abuse, police have nothing to go on. Anti-smacking will not lower child abuse either.
Nzausse
The socialists have struck again. They know best. Of course the majority of us are aware it won't make one ounce of difference to the real perpetrator's of child abuse. But that doesn't matter. This bill gives the do gooders a nice warm cuddly feeling. Never mind that it takes the rights away from sensible sane parenting. What an erroneous task this has added to our over stretched Police. Not to mention time wasted and cost. Common sense and the root course of any problem will never be tackled head on by champagne socialist. You get what your taxes pay for.
Paul
1. "Last night Sue Bradford, the MP who proposed the anti-smacking bill, said she was "really impressed" with the police guidelines." 2. "I think they've done a really good job of interpreting the bill."If this is the case then Bradford should put her money where her mouth is and take up Simon Barnett's challenge (issued during TV interview) to resign if there is one case of wrongful conviction/prosecution of a parent due to this ridiculous law change.I believe all that will happen is that parents who care enough to provide discipline or correction in the form of a smack (and no I'm not meaning using a 4 x 2 piece of wood to beat a child) will end up being treated like criminals. At the end of the day, IMHO child abuse will not be stemmed from this.
Alistair (Wellington)
The new police guidelines show a national tragedy about to happen. All the results of that smacking bill opponents warned about are about to come true. Police say parents giving a smack will be treated as family violence cases: with "zero tolerance" and most likely arrested. Every reported case must be acted on and most cases will be passed on to CYF. Loving families will be victimised while real abusers get lost in the torrent of paperwork.
Bronwyn Myers
Its a total joke. There are far worse crimes happening out there that the police can't keep up with now let alone trying to deal with this. Come on Bradford get real. Some kids need a darn good smack on the rear end from time to time, now you say its criminal - dont you dare let anyone catch you smacking now ay!!
Disgruntled
The anti-smacking law in the first place is completely absurd. The main aim of this law is to protect children from abuse. Yet, the one thing that people have not considered is that smacking and abuse are two separate issues. Creating a law that stops parents from smacking their children is not going to stop the parents who physically abuse their children. A smack is a form of discipline, so effectively; the only thing this law has achieved is stopping parents from disciplining their children. Studies in the USA, UK and Australia have all confirmed that smacking has no psychological effect on children and does not impend on their social reactions in any way shape or form.So essentially, the smacking bill has again wasted the time of this country and Government as this will not stop those who are intent on abusing their children. A smack is not a form of abuse. It is a generally accepted form of discipline.
Morris Cutforth
Pathetic, Pathetic, Pathetic! The anti-smacking Bill is striking fear into the hearts of bewildered Kiwi parents. From now on because of this Bill there will be no violence against children and all parents will treat their children with gentleness and kindness. In fact, children will no longer be willful and naughty. Sue Bradford and Queen Helen take a bow. You have just found the solution to violence against all children. The United Nations will rise up and call you blessed! And pigs will fly over the Beehive!
Bruce
I think the 78 per cent of New Zealanders who say this is bad legislation have been proven right.
We can collectively and rightfully say "told you so". Police are compelled to record all complaints even those phoned in by a 7-year old who just got a smack. I'm pleased my kids are too old to smack! Smacking and child abuse are too completely different things. We have laws to deal with abusers. The real question I want an assurance on is whether a National Party government will do the right thing and strike this law from the books in 2008? Repelling excessive legislation rammed in by Labour will almost guarantee you'll rule alone!
Irate Gran
If Sue Bradford and the Labour party think they will stop child abuse then they are plain stupid. It will simply not work, and I feel more children will be
abused behind closed doors. One has only to look at our younger population to see little ones throwing temper tantrums because they can't have their own way, others insulting their elders, boy racers who think they don't have to obey the laws of the land,it goes on & on. Is Sue Bradford worried about this-apparently not. What about false complaints to the police, what rightswill the parents have in that case. Did Sue Bradford think of this aspect. Dont tell me it wont happen, of course it will.I agree wholeheartedly with others, those naughty children should leave the family for a short penance for their bad behaviour, and promptly dispatched to Sue Bradford and her cohorts.
Michael
Why am I not surprised that legislation has been passed without consulting the front line of people it affects the most. Way to screw things up government.
Greeneyesnz (Auckland)
As if the Police don't have enough to do without blue lighting to an address because of a "smacking" reporting. For goodness sakes, shouldn't our Police be concentrating on getting the "real" criminals off our streets. Don't get me wrong, I have zero tolerance for child abuse and beatings but there is a difference between a smack on the hand and a beating. I think it's an absolute waste of Police time and resources and they should have a lot more discretion if this idiocy is being forced on them.
Brenda Kumar
Hi, my name is Brenda and I am so against the law changes/ First of all, now parents will suddenly become criminals and children will get to roll the show.As for me, I will continue to discipline my kids. Who will anyone blame if any of my kids disobey the law. who else but the parents? I just don't understand 1 thing, why would anyone blame parents all the time for their kids bad behaviour instead of thinking, hang on: the law says "do not smack our children." Just because there are other parents out there who smacks their children until they had enough of smacking doesn't mean all parents are the same. There's more serious issues out there that it needs attention.I honestly think that it's stupid to turn parents into criminals because not all parents are the same.
Scott Lelievre
The smacking guidelines for the police show that the police will vigorously investigate any complaint of a parent smacking their children. So parents can expect they will be investigated for doing something that parents have been doing for centuries -- namely correcting their children. This is wrong, it will not prevent child abuse, it will criminalise ordinary parents and it will diminish the authority of parents. This has happened in schools since the abolition of corporal punishment -- as many as 30,000 children stood down, expelled, suspended last year alone from schools. Our schools have become more violent, not less violent, since corporal punishment was banned. I hope the next government restores section 59 -- so that parents can once again properly discipline their children.
CJ
The entire law is in opposition to the fast majority's opinion and an affront to personal liberties. "1984" here we come.
Lisa (Auckland)
Where are the police to implement this? We simply don't have the police resources to be able to enforce such a policy. Police are stretched enough as it is to the point where they can't even respond to crimes such as burglaries, reports of drunk drivers etc. I rang 555 to report a drunk driver who was all over the road and crossing the centre line and was told to ring back when he crashed as there were no police available. This was in a 100km zone so any crash would have had fatal consequences. If we don't have the police numbers to be able to respond to this sort of stuff then how are they going to enforce the anti-smacking bill? What, are they going to magically appear when a child throws a tantrum and someone smacks them? I think not.
Baggy (Northland)
We will now see, how far Sue Bradford's law will go. If I smack my great grandchildren in public for a trivial thing, I would like the police to arrest me and then they can baby sit them (all paid by our tax) and then they can find someone to look after them. (all paid by our tax) Maybe we can send them to Sue's home, Helen Clark's or to Cullens.
Kiri
If we can only use a smack if a child is about to do something - will this not confuse them? They haven't actually done anything wrong - but they were going to? How are we as responsible parents meant to manage this? If a child is running across the road despite attempts to stop it, are you then not able to give that child some corrective action? Would it not be more safe to get the child off the road first before doing anything? These rules are over the top and do not allow the discretion that the NZ public thought we would get. These rules will not stop family violence - in fact it may increase them because you will now be able to say - but they were going to do it so I had to smack them.
Bring Back The Wooden Spoon!
Ridiculous. Waste of time.The smacking policy is not going to stop those families who abuse their children, this even gives them the chance to rush home, shut the doors, and slam their children against the wall. Now this behaviour requires police attention. But smacking a child on the bottom after dashing out across a main road is a necessary action. We learn from the mistake at a young age if we are smacked A: it is unexpected, B: It leaves a little mark C: it stings for a bit D: we remind ourselves if we repeat our behaviour we might get another smack, so I might be good now.I babysit alot, and in my opinion the children are screaming out for discipline. They are foul mouthed, extremely rude, and have choice of what they want to eat, where they want to eat it and basically rule the house. I hope this stupid politically correct cycle hits the dust and we do a big U turn and bring back our morals to society.Love your children, discipline them, teach them respect and New Zealanders will be great people.
Daniel Ionita
I dearly wish to be the first with a criminal record as a result of the anti-smacking law (I have come first at very few things...). I deserve it and come out in this way publicly to confess to the police. The major issue is that I have no longer have an ungrateful little brat to beat the mickey out of...Our three children are successful well adjusted and productive members of society. Well two of them are, the third is at university. I obviously ruined them.Can I go to jail? I hope the law is retrospective.
John (Wellington)
Undoubtedly the police will put "all" smacking cases before the courts, to let our judges decide because they've got nothing better to do with their time. If Sue Bradford says they've done a 'really good' job at interpreting her bill, then not only have they got one up on her, but one wonders if they might have been better qualified to have constructed the Bill in the first place - minus the ambiguities that will keep our courts clogged for years to come.Good one Sue, I hope your really happy with the headache you've created. Couldn't you have picked something simpler to be remembered for in politics? Like, legalizing marijuana? It's what the average New Zealander "thought" the 'Green' party was all about.
Wayne
This is utterly ridiculous.Someone should have smacked the naughty girl Sue Bradford and she might have grown up with a little sense.This bill will in no way help the abused children of New Zealand and when and if the parents of these kids get properly caught our wonderful government departments will be doing everything to try and help and assist these pour unassisted non deserving parents. Meanwhile the very caring parents of this country that want the best for their children run the risk of false claims by their kids or others and being reprimanded by the police for trying to guide their kids with a tool for discipline that might be the best tool at the time of the incident. What a joke!
A victim of abuse
Observe how the other creatures of the earth chastise their young.This law makes criminals of humans exercising natural instinctive behaviour (which sexual and physical abuse is not!) and to top this all we are allocating much needed policing time to this ? Every parent will agree there is a huge difference between a smack, a hit or abuse. Worse abuse of a child is not being strong with the child when young and the child growing up with little or no self discipline. Are the makers of this law going to bear responsibility for what comes from this? Why do they think they are wiser than the elders from millennia before us? Has anyone met a 2 or 3 year old who understands time out? This at the very time the child adopts future behavioural patterns.Will the proposers of this law bear responsibility if this law has no effect on the real abuse of children - 'sexual and physical abuse'This law smacks of do gooding, voted in, high earning politicians justifying their existence. "a victim of physical and sexual abuse and deprived of a childhood."
Relic (Whangarei)
All Hail the mighty Helen! Well done... It is so wonderful that our Police have to have guidelines set on commonsense actions. Has our not so wonderful leader nestled in on stupidity in a broader way that was thought possible. Go the red party, go the greens and any other nambie pambie parties that have dictatorial beliefs. Look, to be real about any of this political dribble is beyond belief. Helen, for your own personal information the people of New Zealand do have a brain. Not everything needs to be legislated. Grow up or get out of politics.
Belinda (North Shore)
I think the smacking rules are justified and long overdue. This bill that has been passed and brought into effect will protect children from abuse. There are better methods of discipline than smacking like praise for good behaviour and an expression of disappointment for bad behavior. Children quickly opt for the praise, it's what they thrive on.
