Crime Reduction Strategy 2/5

CRIME REDUCTION STRATEGY

A new Crime Reduction Strategy has been established which sets out the
government's priorities for preventing and reducing crime, and provides a
framework and focus for the crime prevention and reduction policies and
activities of the government and community.

The Strategy has seven priority areas or goals for reducing categories of
crime. Under each of these goals there will also be interventions directed at
particular groups: namely victims, Maori, Pacific Peoples, families at risk, and
persons exhibiting dependent behaviours. Particular consideration will be given
to the needs of victims to prevent repeat victimisation.

The Ministry of Justice, in consultation with other agencies, will be
reporting back later this year to confirm the goals and to provide advice on a
staged implementation plan for the Crime Reduction Strategy, including a
programme of evaluation.

The Ministry of Justice and the Crime Prevention Unit are currently holding a
series of eleven workshops around New Zealand. They will be working with the 66
Safer Community Councils, their local community sponsor organisations and local
representatives of the Police and other Government agencies delivering services
to help to prevent or reduce crime.

BACKGROUND

The existing New Zealand Crime Prevention Strategy was published in October
1994. It set out seven key goals and a five-year plan of action for government
co-ordination and community partnership. The seven key goals reflected concerns
about particular crime problems and particular groups involved in or affected by
crime. The goals were:

• To improve the effectiveness and support for at risk families;
• To reduce the incidence of family violence;
• To target preventive programmes for "youth at risk" of offending;
• To minimise the formal involvement of casual offenders within the criminal
  justice system;
• To develop a co-ordinated national strategic approach for the management of
  programmes that address the misuse and abuse of both alcohol and drugs;
• To develop a strategy to address the incidence of white-collar crime; and
• To address the concerns of victims and potential victims

A wide range of work has been undertaken by communities and agencies to
achieve these goals; for example, local initiatives supported by Safer Community
Councils (SCC's) and demonstration projects funded by the Crime Prevention Unit
of the Ministry of Justice (CPU). There have been special Budget packages for
family violence and youth at risk. New policy initiatives have also been given
effect; for example, the National Drug Policy and Family Violence Statement. The
Strengthening Families local case co-ordination initiative has been put in place
with the potential for better co-ordination of early interventions for children,
young people and their families.

A new strategy is needed for several reasons. Firstly, a strategy is needed
to establish priorities for both preventing and responding to crime across the
crime prevention and justice sectors as a whole. The 1994 strategy was focussed
primarily on preventing crime. A wider strategy which aims at also reducing
crime would help ensure inter-agency co-ordination and coherence of
interventions along the continuum of preventing offending and re-offending. In
particular, it would assist the activities of the youth justice and criminal
justice sectors to be seen as part of an integrated whole. It would also help
guide decisions about investment both to prevent crime from happening in the
first place and to respond to it once it has occurred.

Secondly, a new strategy is needed to reflect changing priorities for
reducing crime; for example, the increased public and political concern about
burglary. It also provides the opportunity to learn from the experience of
implementing the goals in the 1994 strategy. A new strategy can also take into
account recent legislative and institutional changes; such as the impact of the
Domestic Violence Act 1995, and the location of the Crime Prevention Unit in the
Ministry of Justice.

Finally, the Crime Prevention Unit requires a new mandate to inform its work
with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and SCCs because the existing
strategy is two years past its five-year revision date. In particular, updated
goals are needed to guide the activities of SCCs. The SCCs and CPU could
function more effectively, both individually and collectively, by focusing on
agreed priority areas.

Accordingly on 11 October 2000 the Chair of the Cabinet Policy Committee
directed the Ministry of Justice, in consultation with other departments, to
lead the development of a Crime Reduction Strategy to replace the 1994 New
Zealand Crime Prevention Strategy, and to establish priorities for preventing
offending and for responding to offending. This direction was given in the
context of the transfer of the CPU to the Ministry of Justice.