Larry Williams: Stats show child abuse on rise

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Opinion

Listen to Larry Williams now on Larry Williams Drive, Newstalk ZB, 4pm to 7pm. Today, the show looks at child abuse statistics released by Family First and considers burglary rates in Auckland.

Family First have released an analysis of the 2007 anti-smacking law. It proves beyond doubt that the law has been ineffective in reducing child abuse. To the contrary, abuse has skyrocketed.

Police stats show there has been a 136 per cent increase in physical abuse, 43 per cent increase in sexual abuse, 45 per cent increase in neglect or ill-treatment of children, and 71 child abuse deaths since the law was passed. CYF have had more than one million notifications of abuse and there has been a 42 per cent increase in physical abuse found since 2007.

Sadly, these shocking child abuse statistics don't surprise me at all. Criminalising good parents for lightly smacking their kid was never going to address the underbelly of New Zealand society - feral parents.

Why the politicians thought an anti-smacking law would lead rotten parents to suddenly stop beating their kids always escaped me. There is a difference between discipline and violence. The politicians going into bat for an anti-smacking law didn't understand this.

The cancer of child abuse will only grow while the scourge of dysfunctional families prevails. It's a national crisis.

Politicians, left and right, need to wake up to reality. Particularly the apologists for these mongrels.

Burglary statistics

Criminals are coming from these dysfunctional families. Statistics released by police show that the crooks are winning.

Labour's Phil Goff is concerned. Goff says the burglary resolution rates in Auckland police areas have dropped below 10 per cent.

"That means if you're a crook, you've got a 90 per cent chance of getting away with it," Goff is reported to have said.

Its probably much worse. I suspect a lot of homeowners don't bother reporting a burglary because it's a waste of time. The Commissioner Mike Bush on cue defends the cops resources, but the Police Associations own survey shows 74 per cent of police are dissatisfied with the number of frontline staff. 86 per cent believe frontline staff are under-resourced.

There is no question the cops are under pressure and the government needs to urgently deal with it. You don't need stats to know see that "cops on the beat" is a rarity. The commitment to preventive policing is lax, as exhibited by the closure of the downtown Auckland station on Fort St.

I'll be looking for Goff to rectify that if he becomes Auckland mayor.

Newstalk ZB radio host Larry Williams. Photo / Michael Craig

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