The Asian Anti-Crime Group does little to inspire confidence when its training methods include snatching handbags from unsuspecting restaurant-goers before advising them how to protect themselves.
Nor does Peter Low, its founder, engender much empathy when he describes this country's police and laws as "a joke". Thatis not to say, however, that there is not a place for his organisation.
Shorn of some of its more radical notions, the Asian Anti-Crime Group could play a useful role in teaching members of Auckland's Asian community how to combat crime.
It should operate as a step up from Neighbourhood Watch and other support mechanisms that have been part of the community landscape for many years.
As such, it should not be advocating a sort of vigilante action where violence is met with violence.
Unfortunately, Mr Low seems to believe people should use force when confronted by criminals. That approach might suit a 20-year-old male, but it always invites greater injury to those being assaulted. This is hardly irrelevant, given that elderly Asians appear to be targeted by some criminals.
Training in passive resistance, which would aim to obstruct, rather than overpower, assailants would be a more fruitful avenue. This would increase the prospect of apprehension, while also easing police misgivings about the Asian Anti-Crime Group.
Mr Low has struck a chord with many in Auckland's Asian community. His group's members clearly perceive themselves as powerless, a trait associated historically with the rise of vigilantism.
They yearn to do something about it. They can and should, but not by taking the law into their own hands.
