Pages

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Heather du Plessis-Allan: Kids shouldn't be exempt from citizen's arrests

If you listen to parenting experts, you'll hear the same thing time and time again about raising kids properly. 

They need love, but just as importantly, they need boundaries. 

They need to be told no, they need to be disciplined, and they need to learn what they can and can't do. 

And if you don't do that, you basically ruin their chances at success. 

Now, bear that in mind when you hear people like the Children's Commissioner arguing that kids should be off limit on citizen's arrests. 

At the moment the Government is proposing a law change to allow retailers, or security guards, or you and I, to hold a shoplifter until the cops can get there and take over. 

The Children's Commissioner is well-meaning because she just doesn't want kids hurt. 

These things can go badly, especially if you've got the worst case playing out like we've seen, which when you've got weapons involved with kids turning up with hammers and knives and so on to raid a store. 

But while she means well, she is wrong. 

Because a loophole like that will be exploited by adults. 

Gangs already use kids to commit their ram raids and their thefts because they know that kids get off more lightly than they would. 

If you make a rule that kids are allowed to escape but adults get held down, you only make it more likely that they send the kids in, thereby making it more likely that kids end up ruining their life. 

Which brings us back to the very start - kids need boundaries. 

Not just from parents. But also from the state. 

Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and commentator who hosts Newstalk ZB's Drive show HERE - where this article was sourced.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Citizen's arrest is a terrible idea and prone to even more abuse unless you are ok with kidnapping and likely physical assault.
I know the cops are completely useless, but I have even less faith in Kiwis when acting in a mob rule situation.

Anonymous said...

So quaint to use the word “kids” when you’re talking about giant six-foot fifteen year olds with no socialisation and poor impulse control. May as well roll out cattle prods and tasers to Chubb for all the good a security guard will do against one of these behemoths armed with a hunting knife.

CXH said...

If you can't even smack your kid without breaking the law, what chance do you think you would have of restraining someone else's kid.

glan011 said...

High time the Anti-Smacking law was repealed. Only there due to wrongheadedness of lefties. We have a generation or two of overly entitled young folk now well overdue for little smacked botties. There is a world of difference between a disciplining smack and full assault.

Anonymous said...

Heather, you have hit the nail on the head!

Anonymous said...

"....I have even less faith in Kiwis when acting in a mob rule situation.'
I take it you are referring to the wannabe gangsters currently running amok in our society!

Anonymous said...

There will be a few citizen-arrestors getting a clip from the arrest-ee I would imagine. Never mind they all will be covered by ACC, and I'm sure the large multi national supermarkets will keep their jobs for them while they recover.
Well for a few weeks anyway...
Why would you risk your health and safety for a large business?

Gaynor said...

I agree with you Heather about disciplining of children ,Not only is gentle parenting preaching no disciplining of children to parents but our current Progrssivism in education has the foolish belief that children are to be given little direct instruction or correction by a teacher . According to the theory Correction/discipline is oppressive and damaging to the delicate self esteem of the child who is naturally good in all their thoughts and actions and should be given ample freedom to learn as they wish.
The whole of progressive ideology is destructive to our children in every aspect. You can't learn well in an undisciplined environment so that is creating illiterates and in numerates as well as monsters who are allowed to do and learn what and any time they want.
How much longer do we have to put up with this insanity? Banning smacking is just the tip of the corrupt iceberg of non-punishment in our society.