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Download AudioThe Police Minister says funding programmes to keep young people from joining gangs is one of the highlights of a $94 million gang crime package in next week’s Budget.
Poto Williams says it responds to community concerns about harm from guns and harm from gangs.
One response is the resiliency against organised crime initiative.
“It started as a bit of a project in the Bay of Plenty by one of our senior police who got the community on board and talked about what it was we could put in place, in partnership with communities, to help our young people stay out of gangs – keeping them in school, getting them in jobs and getting them engaged in things which provide them with other opportunities outside what could drive them into gangs,” Minister Williams says.
The gang and organised crime funding is part of a $562 million package over four years that also includes targeting gun crime with the establishment of new firearms unit within the Police, extra funding to ensure there is at least one police officer for every 480 people, and funding to support businesses to protect themselves from ram raiders.
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