THE FAMILY PARTY
www.thefamilyparty.org.nz

PRESS STATEMENT FOR RELEASE

School police necessary but not the answer

17 Feb 2008. Family Party leader Richard Lewis says an initiative to station police officers permanently at South Auckland schools marks a sad day for education and is a sign that the government is loosing the battle on crime in the area.

Mr Lewis, a former South Auckland police sergeant, says drug and alcohol related crimes and crimes of violence involving young people have been major concerns in South Auckland communities for years. He says the latest initiative is a necessary reactionary measure but fails to address the root issues of youth crime in South Auckland.

“The presence of permanent uniformed officers in South Auckland schools marks a very sad day for our communities. Clearly it is necessary because many schoolkids are now as dangerous, unpredictable and callous as adult criminals. This is not normal, nor should we accept it as normal. But as long as the government continues to devalue family, foster dependency and undermine parental authority, youth crime and violence will continue to trend upwards, creating more demands on police, school and government - diverting attention away from education in schools to self preservation,” said Mr Lewis.

He said in Manukau recently the Family Party had collected nearly 1300 signatures towards the anti-smacking petition in one day.

“The overwhelming response I’ve been getting from parents in South Auckland is that the Labour-led government has gone too far with their social agenda. Parents want to ‘reset the compass’ and re-establish traditional values in the home and community. This is what really needs to happen to get to the root of these issues,” he added.

Richard Lewis is standing for The Family Party in Manukau in the 2008 Election.

ENDS

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