Not much new can be credibly proposed by a three-term government. National's military "boot camp" detention for young serious offenders is not even new. It is reminiscent of the party's showpiece policy on law and order when bidding for power in 2008. The policy did not come to fruition then
NZ Herald editorial: Boot camps and parent fines are 'red meat' for National
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It would be better if each time police discovered a child outside at night unsupervised they reported the fact to the Ministry of Vulnerable Children and if it occurs repeatedly in a short time, the police ought to bring a prosecution. It is better that a judge consider the parents' circumstances when corrective steps must be taken.
Both the children's curfew and the military detention for serious offenders aged 18 or over are in line with early intervention social programmes favoured by Bill English when he was finance minister. English says judges could send young offenders to the Defence Force's junior trading academy at Waiouru where they could get help to recover from addiction and improve their literacy and numeracy.
It sounds fine in theory, just as it did nine years ago. But it did not eventuate then and it is unlikely to excite voters now.