ACT: NZ is a "dying nation"

[Lilith7]

Oh dear! Ignorance AND exaggeration from David Seymour, who seems to belong to the bash-bash-bash school of 'thought' when it comes to young offenders. 

Yeah - mention taxes & claim that a few kids being given KFC as part of negotiations is 'using their money to reward these kids' - that'll get people outraged & angry, that'll get votes from those who couldn't care less about actual people, as long as no one gets between them & their money.

Good grief; the man hasn't the least idea. 


https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/...ility.html

ACT is claiming New Zealand is a "dying nation" after it was revealed five youth offenders were given KFC to end a 24-hour rooftop stand-off. 

The stand-off began on Saturday when five youth offenders at the Te Puna Wai o Tuhinapo youth justice facility near Christchurch escaped onto the roof. One came down on Saturday evening. 

Oranga Tamariki Deputy Chief Executive Mike Bush told Newshub a staff member was injured and suffered a fractured wrist.

The five teenagers allegedly took a set of keys from a guard in a unit at the facility, escaped to the roof and refused to come down, according to Stuff. 

The standoff ended after around 24 hours when the remaining four members, who remained on the roof overnight, came down and were taken into police custody. 

It's now been confirmed to Newshub fast food was given to the four offenders to help negotiate an end to the stand-off. Stuff reports KFC was given to the teenagers after they surrendered. 

"These are vulnerable young people, and our first approach will always be to use the least harmful ways to convince them to come down safely on their own terms," Bush told Newshub.

"Fast food was part of the negotiations and additional items were also used to attempt to bring the young people down throughout the day and overnight, such as clothing and hot drinks."

This hasn't gone down well with ACT Party leader David Seymour who says the reward for the five youths for attempting to escape a facility, damage taxpayer property and injuring a staff member is KFC. 

"These are Labour's values in action and they will doom a nation. It also shows why youth imprisonment should be done by Corrections instead of Oranga Tamariki," Seymour said. 

Seymour said everyday Kiwis who pay their taxes and follow the rules are terrorised by criminals in their workplaces, have their cars broken into and feel unsafe when they're out walking. 

"But their money is used to reward people who don't follow the rules. At the heart of New Zealand's crime problem is that failure of values," Seymour said. 

Bush told Newshub senior site staff members were involved in de escalating the situation while police and Fire and Emergency NZ assisted them.

"This was a serious and dangerous incident and the safety of the young people on the roof was always our priority," Bush said. 

"We were very concerned about them slipping and falling and we had to take that into consideration when working to get them down."