Simon Power: Govt looks to address the causes of crime

It was pleasing to be able to report recently that significant progress has been made in the first 18 months of the Government's Drivers of Crime strategy.
The Minister of Maori Affairs and I launched the strategy in December 2009 as a way of trying to stop crime before it happens by proactively addressing its underlying causes.
To achieve this, the Government has been firmly focused on four priority areas: providing better maternity and early parenting support; providing programmes to address behavioural problems in young children; reducing harm caused by alcohol; using alternative approaches to managing low-level offenders.
Examples of progress in the priority areas include:
Funding an extra 54,000 WellChild visits by health professionals to around 18,000 new mothers who need additional help.
Investing $60 million to support 15,000 parents in at-risk families to build more positive relationships with their children, giving staff from 400 schools training in how to promote positive behaviour and lift student engagement, and training more than 7000 teachers in effective classroom management.
Progressing the Alcohol Reform Bill to reduce the availability of alcohol, particularly to youth, give communities a greater say in licensing decision-making, and enhance industry and personal responsibility.
Expanding the use of restorative justice conferences for low-level offenders, with funding increasing by 50 per cent in the next three years. Implementing the Fresh Start Youth Justice reforms to hold young offenders to account while addressing underlying causes of offending. Doubling the number of places within prison drug treatment units.
The Drivers of Crime strategy is the first time I can remember where a Government has gone back to basics in this way and tried to address crime before it happens, rather than merely being an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff picking up the pieces after the damage has already been done to victims and communities.
This is a long-term initiative, but in its first 18 months it is showing encouraging signs of progress thanks to the buy-in from a range of agencies, including Justice, Social Development, Education, Health, Police, Corrections, Justice, and Te Puni Kokiri.