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Congratulations to the Police
WILLIE JACKSON
Counties-Manukau Police Commander Superintendent John Timms and his boss, Police Commissioner Mike Bush should be congratulated for trying to deal with a youth issue by viewing the problem from outside the square.
We can all sit back and bag the cops for using only one way – the law – to combat youth offending, but the directive given by Timms to his team to use their discretion when ticketing young non-licensed drivers makes sense to me.
Police have always had the ability to use their discretion when dealing with crime. But the spin on this message by some sections of the media was like World War 3 kicking off and as usual that got ‘the good old boys’ riled claiming the new directive was for young Maori only. Young European unlicensed drivers would be fined without a second thought and thereby discriminated against and this was racist.
We know from experience that for many young Maori and non-Maori, that a fine, followed by another and another starts our young people off with one hand tied behind their backs. Because they might not or haven’t got the money to pay that then escalates a minor issue to one where arrest warrants are issued followed unfortunately by a conviction.
That does nothing when they go for jobs or want to travel. But by making this investment at this age, could save them from a life of crime and ultimately thousands of tax payer’s dollars for jail.
Sounds extreme but true.
But what cops should do now is also follow that discretion pathway and refer that youth to an agency where it is their role to ensure the youth gets a licence. If the young person chooses to not abide by those rules, then by all means, fine them. That would be state money spent in a better way than just whacking them with what many perceive is just a revenue gathering mechanism.
I am not anti-law or anti-establishment because there must be rules, regulations and standards for all of us to abide by. But using a sledge hammer to crack a nut is not the way to deal with some issues these days. Sure the sledge hammer may have to be within arm’s reach when it is appropriate to use it but not all nuts need cracking.
This is an issue worthy of debate, as I said earlier the police should be commended for giving opportunities to young Maori who they have previously targeted. However clearly they made a mistake in how they have worded the policy. The policy and discretion must apply across all races and can’t be seen just to favour Maori otherwise the public backlash will prohibit them from initiating anything.
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