A former cop turned Auckland city councillor wants to see a return of community youth workers as a way to stem gang activity and an upsurge in youth crime.
Alf Filipaina says it’s a strategy that work in his days on the beat, but it requires investment.
“It’s the youth workers who were out in southside, Mangere, Otara, Manurewa, that were people born and brought up in the area and they made the difference but it looks like our government is not listening,” he says.
Mr Filipaina says in the past community workers were able to put a stop to recruitment activities like taking truants to Rainbow’s End.
