PRESS STATEMENT
THE FAMILY PARTY
www.thefamilyparty.org.nz
29 Jan 2008
Youth Crime: Government is the problem – family is the solution
Richard Lewis, a former South Auckland police sergeant and leader of The Family Party, says eight years of social
engineering under Labour has significantly shifted societal values and created a false sense of reality for young
people. He says an increasing number of New Zealand children have no sense of responsibility or accountability and
society is now paying the price.
“Random acts of mindless violence are inevitable outcomes amongst a generation that has never experienced meaningful
consequence for bad behaviour. Today’s kids control parents in the home and teachers in the classroom. They control
police on the streets and to a certain extent, judges in our courtrooms. They have all the rights and no responsibility.
They certainly aren’t accountable. What’s more the media indulges them on a diet of violence and anti-social behaviour.
Government created this environment but we’re all having to live with the consequences,” says Mr Lewis.
He says the solution ultimately rests with the family.
“I think we all accept that a child’s character is firstly shaped in the home. If kids can’t be held to account in the
home amongst people they care about they certainly wont be accountable to a community of strangers. With that in mind,
Government needs to change its attitudes towards families – not treating parents as mere economic units to pay for more
Government bureaucracy, but recognising that parents are the primary shapers, providers and guiders of the next
generation. Parents should be afforded that respect and supported accordingly,” he added.
Richard Lewis will stand for The Family Party in Manukau in the 2008 Election.
ENDS