Research shows Kiwis know crime is caused by poverty – why doesn’t the Government?
The research is very clear, Kiwis know crime is caused by poverty…
Poverty And Unemployment Seen As Root Cause Of Crime By The Majority Of New Zealanders – Ipsos
Ipsos, one of the world’s leading market research companies, releases the 2024 Crime & Law Enforcement Monitor, a 31-country survey which tracks peoples’ perception of crime in their country and local area.
Tāmaki Makaurau & Pōneke, 8 July 2024 – Ipsos, one of the world’s leading market research companies, releases the 2024 Crime & Law Enforcement Monitor, a 31-country survey which tracks peoples’ perception of crime in their country and local area. Key findings include:
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- 62% of New Zealanders believe that poverty and unemployment are the most significant causes of crime and violence. This is significantly higher than the global average (53%) and places New Zealand in the top-5 surveyed countries which holds this perception.
- Drug and alcohol abuse was identified as the second most significant causes of crime and violence (58%), followed by breakdown of traditional values (36%). Notably, fewer than 1 in 3 New Zealanders (30%) believe that ineffective law enforcement is a key driver of crime and violence.
- Nearly half of New Zealanders (46%) say that the Government should prioritise creating jobs and boosting the economy. In contrast, less than a quarter (23%) say that stopping or reducing crime should be a priority.
- Around 1 in 3 New Zealanders (31%) believe that the amount of crime or violence in their neighbourhood has increased in the last 12 months. Just under half (48%) say that it has stayed about the same.
- New Zealanders are significantly more likely to trust law enforcement to treat all citizens with the same level of respect compared to others around the world (68%, compared to 57% global average).
- However, we are less confident in law enforcement’s ability to stop crimes from happening. 47% of New Zealanders are not confident that law enforcement can stop violent crimes (42% global average), while 53% are not confident that law enforcement can stop non-violent crimes (44% global average).
Carin Hercock, Managing Director, Ipsos New Zealand, said: “The majority of New Zealanders, and higher than the global average, believe that poverty, unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse are the top causes of crime in their neighbourhood and are significantly less likely to see ineffective policing as a cause of crime. Interestingly it is the ‘Baby Boomer’ and ‘Gen X’ generations who are more likely to see the breakdown of social values as a major cause.”
Amanda Dudding, Research Director, Public Affairs, Ipsos New Zealand,added: “In May, when we asked 1,000 New Zealanders what they think are the biggest issues facing our country, after the cost of living, the second most mentioned was crime. However, what this study shows us is that the global picture is similar, New Zealand is not alone in its concern. Just under a third of New Zealanders think that crime has increased over the past year, the same as the average of the 31 countries included in this survey.”
About the Ipsos Crime and Law Enforcement Monitor
Ipsos has conducted this study as part of its Crime Monitor to understand people’s attitudes and perceptions on crime. More than 23,000 people across 31 countries were surveyed, including 1,000 people aged 18+ in New Zealand.
…you know Boot Camps don’t work and even the NZ military running boot camps know they won’t work…
NZDF documents reveal serious concerns about youth offender boot camps
New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) documents warned the Government in January that military-style training does not work for complex participants and has previously resulted in serious mental and physical harm of defence personnel, 1News can reveal.
It also revealed correspondence with Defence Minister Judith Collins saying comparing the six-week NZDF Limited Service Volunteer (LSV) programme to its proposed 12-month youth offender military academies was “not accurate” and could create “public misunderstanding” about NZDF’s role in the programme.
In documents released to 1News under the Official Information Act, the NZDF said in a briefing to Collins that the LSV scheme has experienced a “range of complex challenges”.
The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) found it “difficult” to generate the right number of trainees to match investment and so provided more trainees who would not have previously been considered appropriate for the scheme prior to 2018.
This caused a “significant” increase in the “complexity”, or mental readiness to commit to military training, of LSV trainees, the briefing said.
Prior to 2018, the NZDF deployed capability for a ratio of up to 30% trainee complexity on any course.
“Where the complexity ratio of trainees on a course is above 30%, the course graduation rate falls sharply.
“More seriously, the risk to other trainees and NZDF staff spiked to the point where in 2022/23, with the complexity ratio of trainees rising to 50 and 60% in some cases, 10 NZDF staff suffered serious mental harm including several cases of suicidal ideation.”
The number of physical assaults on staff also increased, causing decreased morale, wellbeing, and retention among personnel, the briefing read.
The proposed youth offender military academies would have a 100% complexity rate.
…Wow.
This whole charade is just a bullshit exercise in throwing raw meat to the Right’s reactionary angry voter base rather than any attempt to solve the problem!
As the Political Right stirs up and harvests the anger generated by our if it bleeds it leads crime porn News, allow this singular fact about NZ crime to blow your mind.
While this Government proposes draconian gang patch rules that breach civil rights, allow this singular fact about NZ crime to blow your mind.
As this Government build a mega prison, allow this singular fact about NZ crime to blow your mind.
Findings of the Royal Commission on Abuse in state care suggest that 80-90 percent of gang members were victims of abuse.
Don’t tell me get tough on crime is the solution, how about we get tough on abuse in state care first and then get tough on crime afterwards you easily manipulated sleepy hobbits!
And what’s the Government’s response?
Tweets to Criminals?
FFS.
Luxon was ill-advised posing like a drunken small town yokel when he’s meant to be this country’s leader. God knows what Key and English see in him, but even Biden does it better. On yer bike, Chris.
Get tough on poverty not crime.
It should be easy in this land of plenty with a small population, but after 40 years of a neo liberal state-thanks Roger’n’Ruth-it may take until the last boomer funeral till things are significantly turned around! ()
Is Shane Jones seeking assurance that tweet doesn’t impact him?
So just more hugs for criminals then? What’s your answer other than tax tax tax and give to criminals?
There are people that have no problem with being in jail.
Largely because as much as it sucks being in there, life is worse for them on the outside.
Making life better for those on the outside is the most cost effective solution.
Going harder on them on the inside will not only cost us more, it will result in more harden crims coming out. As was shown with boot-camps.
What people in the street believe and the facts are often streets apart.
I’ve lived in some terribly poor countries during my working life as an engineer. Yet despite abject poverty there was little crime. This was because these societies had a strong traditional culture which included marriage, family & tribe. I’m sure bad things happened but there just wasn’t the random violence like we get here today. Youth knew to stay in line from a very early age and as a result generally became happy, well-adjusted young men.
Wow, seems like we need the absolute opposite of individualist libertarian policies then
Studies show there are only 2 sexes.
Don’t worry. One day you’ll work out which one you are.
Failed boot camps ,fast road speed = more deaths but we dont care is the government moto
The New Zealand public are not wrong. They recognise that poverty, unemployment, alcohol and drugs are all factors in criminal offending.
Of course it goes further than that. The neo-liberal ideology has undermined morals in all classes of New Zealand society and “white collar crime” is as much a problem as teen age ram raids. Prisons or boot camps are not a solution. They are just a way of adapting to a permanently crime-ridden society while continuing to ignore the fundamental causes of crime. Just as with climate change, New Zealand has decided to try to adapt to an unwelcome reality rather than confront the causes.
We need a revolution against colonialism and neo-liberal capitalism if we are to have an impact on crime. Part and parcel of that revolution is refusal of all addictive drugs – alcohol, tobacco, vapes and others – which either keep people in a state of subjection to colonialist capitalism or cause them to react with self-defeating criminal behaviour.
Yes, its easy for the public to associate poverty, unemployment, alcohol and drugs with certain types of criminal offending. But as you allude to, making the association with white collar crime (including on-line scamming) is not so straightforward. Greed, entitlement, sociopathic contempt and the absence of empathy, and down-right dishonesty might play a part.
What are the new laws relating to con artists ie National, Act and NZFirst?
Wood pile, stake, fire lighters
New three person commission has been set up to advise the government on how stop retail crime at a cost of 300k per person for two years What a fucken joke what is the return on investment ? The leader of the three man gang should be investigating the exploitation of his fellow country men by their fellow country men which is a massive crime in its own right .While he is at it he should investigate what his fellow dairy owners do with all the cigaretts they buy on the black market which were stollen from fellow dairy owners