December 13, 2012
Police to work with iwi on crime prevention
Police have unveiled their plan for involving iwi in attempts to bring down both crime and the number of Māori involved in serious road crashes.
Huri Dennis, the police Māori strategic adviser, says the Turning of the Tide, Whānau Ora, Crime and the Crash Prevention Strategy was developed in consultation with the police commissioner’s Māori Focus Forum.
He says it picks up on strategies recommended by iwi and trialled in Auckland and Wellington police districts, such as pre-charge warnings and more use of discretion.
"It’s going to mean all the liaison officers up and down the country are going to be flat out, but it is also going to mean iwi leaders and their whānau, marae, iwi, hapū are going to be intrinsically connected with the issues facing Māori, particularly in their rohe," Inspector Denis says.
Māori now comprise more than 40 per cent of all police apprehensions, more than 50 per cent of the prison population and more than 20 per cent of crash fatalities.
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