Editorial - Tuesday June 16, 2013

This is whose town?

FOR sheer effrontery it would be difficult to surpass the drunken boy who, according to witnesses, stood in Kaitaia's main street a couple of Friday nights ago and declared, 'This is my town'. Unfortunately he was right.

Kaitaia is his town, if he lives there. And judging by events over recent months, intoxicated youths like him do have some claim to ruling its streets. The July 5 attack on teenage girls might change that, however, and not before time.

To be fair, situations such as what police described as involving 20 drunken "kids" who "emerged" out of Jaycee Park at around 7 o'clock that evening to abuse and assault the girls, also allegedly assaulting an adult who tried to intervene, are tough for the local police. There isn't the manpower in a small Far North town to effectively deal with disorder on this scale, although the officer in charge has claimed that his staff did exactly the right thing, and did it well. Their first priority was to "de-escalate" the situation, ensuring that no further harm was done to people or property once they were on the scene. Senior Sergeant Geoff Ryan says they achieved that, while an officer who remained on the beat for some hours after the incident made two further arrests, for a total of six.

That was not the end of the matter however; Senior Sergeant Ryan said he would be happy to pursue complaints from the victims. Hopefully those complaints will be forthcoming. The fact, however, is that this incident did not come as a bolt out of the blue. The numbers involved might have been a little out of the ordinary and the fact that these 'kids' were intoxicated at 7pm might have been outside the familiar pattern, as was the fact that they attacked innocent people as opposed to others of their ilk, but drunken violence, and worse, in Kaitaia's streets has become common.

In recent months the town has seen aggravated robberies in public places, generally in broad daylight. Earlier this year a group of adults were confronted by a bunch of young thugs, at least one of the victims, a school teacher who knew the juveniles, being assaulted. Brawls involving groups of people, invariably drunk, have become almost routine for the police late shift; in most cases those involved have dispersed by the time the police arrive, or are dispersed by them.

Drunks trying to batter other drunks is one thing; not a good look, but at the end of the day they are all as bad as each other. Street violence takes on a very different hue when the victims are totally innocent, and particularly when they are young and effectively defenceless.

This incident raises the bar considerably. Kaitaia now knows, if it didn't already, that its streets are no longer safe, and that is a sad indictment on a number of levels.

Fundamentally the job of ensuring that the streets are safe is one for the police. They cannot be said to be in control of a town where this sort of violence occurs, and that has to change. The police will say there are no resourcing issues, and even if there were it is unlikely that more resources will be provided, so it is a matter of policing differently. Responding to an incident of this nature, however professionally, isn't good enough.

The police must restore order in the streets, to the point where those who are going about their lawful business need fear no harm.

This didn't happen at 3 o'clock in the morning, remember. It was 7pm, the teenage victims walking from the picture theatre to a main street gymnasium, some 500 metres away. Presumably their assailants had been drinking for some time prior to that, unmolested by the law.

Given that they 'emerged' from Jaycee Park, it is likely that they were imbibing in the vicinity of the skateboard bowl, some 200 metres, and clearly visible, from the police station.

While the initial role for the police is to prevent such disgraceful behaviour, they also have a fair point when they say that long-term the problem is one for the community to address. That process begins with the parents of the offenders, who should be feeling the heat from their neighbours as well as the law. When it comes to forcing parents to provide care and protection for their children, whether those children be offenders or victims, the law doesn't seem to have many answers.

It's been a very long time since the writer saw a parent charged with failing to care and protect, and there probably isn't much point doing so now. The police and courts might make a greater contribution by enforcing the laws prohibiting the supply of alcohol to minors with more enthusiasm than they currently exhibit, but the community might be more effective there too. Just how this might be achieved is not immediately apparent, but the parents and guardians of juveniles who are running amok in Kaitaia must be made aware that they are expected to try harder.

Meanwhile the school and families of the girls who were attacked on July 5 have responded very positively. A patrol group comprising fathers of Te Rangi Aniwaniwa students has been formed to ensure the safety of all young people in Kaitaia's streets on Friday nights; children will be delivered to and picked up from events, movies and the like; and they will not be permitted to walk to McDonald's after sports.

The kura is also attempting to identify those who attacked the girls so whanau members can have a chat with their parents, while leaving the enforcement of the law to the police. Facebook will be monitored to avoid any provocation that could lead to retaliation.

This is all very sensible and positive, but it is shameful that parents need to take such measures to protect their children. Te Rangi Aniwaniwa has gone so far as to advise students to stay out of Kaitaia during the school holidays that began yesterday. If that doesn't make Kaitaia think nothing will.

Just how seriously the town takes this situation will be revealed on Friday, when a 'Reclaim the town' march takes place. If it gets the support it warrants, maybe the worm will begin to turn.

It might be too much to hope that the kids who think they own the town will pull their heads in, but their parents might look at themselves. That's probably a little optimistic, but if the message doesn't get through it won't be for lack of trying on Te Rangi Aniwaniwa's part.

One question from last week's kura/whanau hui was whether the community should wait for a fatality before an end is put to out-of-control behaviour. It would have been more accurate to refer to 'another' fatality. A life has already been lost in Kaitaia's main street as a result of drunken thuggery, and nothing seems to have been learned. The time to put an end to this once and for all has well and truly arrived, and the steps being taken by Te Rangi Aniwaniwa deserve the active support of every person who sees Kaitaia as their town for the right reasons.

The alternatives are to continue turning a blind eye, and waiting for another life to be lost, or to meet violence with violence. That will inevitably happen if the good people of Kaitaia don't stand up now. They might not get another chance.