Mayor had 'a gutsful' of crime

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 474, 23 February 1993, Page 1

Mayor had 'a gutsful' of crime

Ruapehu's mayor Garrick Workman has had 'a gutsful' of petty crime from juveniles walking the

streets at night. So he has started a campaign to pressure the government to change the law to allow

police more powers to do something about the problem. At last Friday's council

meeting he asked fellow councillors for their support for the campaign, which he is starting with a

call to all mayors in the courttry for support. "I refer to acts of mindless vandalism, graffiti on

public and private buildings and the breaking of shop windows," he says in his letter to fellow mayors. "This community and my self have certainly taken 1 as much as we are prepared to stand on this issue." He said following the passing of the Bill of Rights and the Children and Young Persons' Act it has become "virtually im-

possible for the police to remove youngsters off the streets" at the times offences are being committed. "While we ... do not want to create a police state in New Zealand, we do in my view need to tighten up a bit and give law abiding citizens more protection for their property," he said.