Government Minister Phil Twyford will meet with the son of a dairy owner who was fatally stabbed in his West Auckland shop eight years ago, just metres from Twyford’s electorate office.
And he says he will never forget the senseless loss of life or the imprint the killing left on the Henderson community.
“It was profoundly shocking that someone like Arun Kumar just going about his daily work would be subject to that kind of terror and violence,” Twyford told the Herald.
“Worse that it was at the hands of kids who were barely adolescents.”
Arun’s son Shivneel this week penned an open letter to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Justice Minister Kiri Allan calling for tougher consequences for repeat youth offenders who he says are waging war on our communities.
He is yet to receive a response.
His own father was killed at the Railside Dairy in June 2014 by a 13-year-old boy.
Shivneel said he was shocked to learn last week about the death of Janak Patel, who was stabbed to death during an alleged aggravated robbery at Sandringham’s Rose Cottage Superette.
The alleged killing had brought back horrifying memories for the family who were now reliving their own “nightmare”.
Shivneel believed urgent action was needed to address violent crime and prevent more needless deaths.
“I ask you, as a helpless son that has lost his father, to the lawmakers of this country, to please take a stand and make a change,” he wrote.
“Eight years ago I prayed no other family would have to suffer like we did, hoping my dad’s death would not be in vain, but the system that failed us then, has failed us yet again. Something has to change.”
Twyford, the MP for Te Atatu, visited the Kumar family at their home in the days after Arun’s death. He now planned to meet Shivneel as a representative of the Government this weekend to discuss his concerns and possible solutions.
“The killing of Arun Kumar is something I will never forget,” Twyford said.
“I walk past the place that used to be his shop nearly every day. It’s two seconds from my electorate office.”
Twyford said Shivneel was a thoughtful, good person and it was heartbreaking he was now dedicating himself to the memory of his dead father.
“I feel for him and as a country we’ve got to do something about it.”
While Shivneel had called for tougher consequences in the form of punishments for young offenders who commit serious violent crime, Twyford did not believe harsher sentences were the answer.
“I don’t think the evidence here or internationally for this type of crime is that increased sentences make a difference.
“The people who are committing these crimes are so alienated from mainstream society and ideas of right and wrong, they don’t stop to think, ‘Could I end up in prison for three, six or nine months for pulling a knife on this person in this dairy?’ ”
Tywford said it was critical that potential offenders knew they were likely to get caught if they committed a crime “and there will be consequences”.
“It’s important that police have the necessary resources and tools to do their job properly.”
The root cause of youth crime and violent offending was “bigger than just government”, encompassing poverty, equality, education and welfare issues, Twyford said.
In his own community, there were kids growing up in extreme neglect who were going on to commit youth offending.
“If you just chuck them in prison it’s basically a finishing school for gangs and you entrench that criminality.”
The solutions needed to be depoliticised, with targeted social interventions and focused police resources, Twyford said.
Shivneel said he looked forward to meeting Twyford.
Since speaking publicly today, he had been swamped with messages of support.
“There’s been a whole lot of messages and calls. It’s overwhelming.
“It’s largely been supportive. The majority is definitely supportive of accountability.
“It’s a conversation starter and enough to get us moving towards the next step.”
Allan is preparing a response to Shivneel’s letter and says the Government is taking “immediate action” on to reduce retail and youth crime, boosting security for retailers and investing in police.
Allan said the government was reforming firearms legislation and the offending rate for children had declined by 65 per cent between 2010/11 and 2020/21, a “positive long-term downward trend”.
“As a Government we cannot stop senseless violence like what happened to Mr Kumar’s shop in 2014, and recently at the Rose Cottage Superette, but we can do more to reduce this kind of offending overall and that is the challenge we are working and investing to address.”