A small minority of troubled youth are contributing significantly to the surging crime in New Zealand, but some officials say more attention needs to go to the offenders’ families to prevent and help children stay away from a life of crime.
The most common method of stealing being used by New Zealand youths is ram-raiding, where a vehicle is rammed into a store and then looted.
Phil Goff, the mayor of Auckland, told The Epoch Times that greater attention needs to be given to the children’s problematic home environment, which is often the root of the issue.
“Ram raids are associated with young offenders of an average age of 14,” Goff said. “There is an element of copycat in the offending and a small number are involved in multiple incidents.”…