PRIME MINISTERIAL SAFER COMMUNITIES COUNCIL MEETING

PREMIER HOUSE

Ministerial colleagues, Mayors, Chairpersons of Safer Community Councils, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

I extend a warm welcome to you all, and especially to those of you who are attending a meeting of this Council for the first time.

This large gathering reflects both the spectacular growth of the safer community programme and the support by local leaders of the work of Safer Community Councils.

There are now 57 Councils, giving a very significant representation of the views and aspirations of New Zealanders who are committed to crime prevention work.

The Safer Community Councils programme is both a large scale undertaking and a unique partnership between the Government and the community.

The Government spends $5.5 million directly on the Crime Prevention Strategy and Safer Community Councils. The positive results of this work are now starting to come through.

This morning, however, I want to speak about the future direction I see for the Crime Prevention Strategy and Safer Community Councils, and in the course of our meeting today I will be seeking your views and comments on the next steps.

Firstly I want to state to you that the Coalition Government fully supports the national Crime Prevention Strategy, the Crime Prevention Unit and the Safer Community Councils programme which operates within it.

Whilst the Coalition Agreement does not refer to crime prevention explicitly, initiatives in the Agreement complement the Crime Prevention Strategy.

In addition to areas which are already strategic priorities for the Crime Prevention Unit - such as addressing family violence and youth at risk - the needs of victims of crime are specifically addressed.

Violence prevention and education programmes within schools and the community are supported; and a more co-ordinated approach to family services is proposed.

Other supportive proposals relate to additional police resources; consideration of alternatives to prison; and a focus on youth offending.

As you will be aware, the Crime Prevention Unit led work to prepare the 1996 Budget Crime Prevention Package which specifically addressed the prevention of family violence.

I am heartened to note the latest Police statistics which show the second consecutive decrease in the male assaults female offence category - down a further 5.6 per cent in 1996.

This reflects the concerted effort of all parties involved with family violence initiatives, from the departmental and community crime prevention programmes through to enforcement of the new legislation.

The various new Government initiatives which were approved in last years Budget have now been implemented.

One of direct relevance to Safer Community Councils is a family violence resource kit. This has been a collaborative effort between the Crime Prevention Unit and the Department of Social Welfare.

The funding has come from the Crime Prevention Unit, and the material has been prepared by the Family Violence Unit of the Department of Social Welfare.

The kit To Prevent Family Violence will be of value to Safer Community Councils and their staff. It is intended that the material be used selectively to meet the information needs of different audiences and groups wanting to take practical action to prevent family violence.

Unfortunately, only too often linked to family violence are the young victims who go on to lead unsatisfactory lives themselves.

I believe that the future of New Zealand is in its young people. Their attitudes and behaviours when young will largely determine the shape of their adult life, and the strength of our communities.

Assistance which prevents young people from becoming involved in crime and damaging lifestyles can have great benefits later on in life - benefits both for the individual and for society.

This year, the priority of the Crime Prevention Unit has been to develop initiatives to address Goal 3 of the Crime Prevention Strategy - that is, to target programmes for youth at risk of offending.

Accordingly the Unit has been working on two major fronts to meet this priority.

The first has been the development of Demonstration Project proposals. These grew from consultations with Safer Community Councils.

The Councils indicated a desire to test some crime prevention ideas, and projects were subsequently developed, of which you will hear more later this morning.

The second front has been the work of the Unit, in collaboration with officials of other government agencies, to develop proposals containing new Government initiatives to deal with youth at risk of offending.

While there is little more I can say in advance of the Budget, I know it has been developed with many of the concerns of Safer Community Councils kept firmly in mind.

For future years I see a need to continue to develop crime prevention programmes that target our families, our children and our young people. Some of the proposals in the Coalition Agreement support this thrust.

There is one matter on which I am aware there has been a lot of uncertainty, in recent months. This is the location of the Crime Prevention Unit.

I can announce that responsibility for the Crime Prevention Unit will remain with the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet until the year 2000, after that its location will be further considered.

It is clear both from reports on the Safer Community Council programme, and also from the views of those involved with individual Councils, that it would be premature to move responsibility for the Crime Prevention Unit from my Department.

Having been involved with Safer Community Councils over the last six-and-a-half years I am committed to the programme and look forward to its further development.

Finally, I thank all Safer Community Council representatives present for your continuing support.

You are the key link people between the community and the Government. Your effort and commitment is crucial to making the programme work.

I am well satisfied that the commitment is there and so are the results, into the longer term.

As a result of the Crime Prevention Strategy and in particular the work of Safer Community Councils there is now a changed perception of crime prevention.

It is now seen as an issue which both Government and the community can jointly own and address.

As with any partnership there are many matters which need to be discussed between the parties to strengthen the relationship.

Accordingly, I look forward to a useful exchange of views this morning as we identify strategic issues on which Safer Community Councils must be supported.

Thank you.

Ends