Crime Prevention Strategies: The New Zealand Model

Rose O’Neill

Crime, and its direct and indirect costs to New Zealanders, has continued to increase while the criminal justice system remains limited in its ability to prevent its occurrence. In April 1992 the New Zealand Government established the Crime Prevention Action Group (CPAG) to develop a national crime prevention strategy.

This paper explains the process used by CPAG to develop the strategy, outlines the strategy, and explores implementation issues. Bearing in mind the complexity of the antecedents to criminal offending, CPAG has recommended taking a broad approach, which targets (1) specific types of crime (eg, family violence, traffic offending), (2) factors that contribute to cycles of disadvantage, abuse and offending (eg, drugs), and (3) those people most at risk of offending (disadvantaged families and youth).

The strategy is the first attempt to apply a managed, co-ordinated and strategic approach to activities that may contribute to the incidence of offending. It attempts to balance traditional responses (eg, enforcement, sentencing) with considerations of the structure of society and the interconnections of a range of social circumstances. The comprehensive approach taken provides an optimal opportunity to have a positive effect on the incidence of crime in New Zealand.