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. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
No, now, listen, let's talk about what's going on here, okay,

(00:02):
with the citizens arrest. If you listen to parenting experts,
you can hear the same thing time and time and
time again about raising kids properly. Kids need love, but
just as important, and someone actually say more important, they
need boundaries. They need to be told no, They need
to be disciplined. They need to learn what they can
and cannot do, and if you don't do that properly
as their parent, you basically ruin their chances at success

(00:22):
later in life. Now, bear that in mind when you
hear people like the Children's Commissioner arguing that kids should
be off limits on citizens arrests, because, of course, at
the moment what is happening, the government is proposing a
law change to allow retailers or security guards or even
you and I if we want to to hold a
shoplifter in a citizen's arrest until the cops can get
their intakeover. Now, the Children's Commissioner is well meaning because

(00:44):
she doesn't want kids hurt, because these things can go badly,
especially if you've got the worst case scenario playing out
like we have seen, which is where you've got weapons involved.
You've got the kids turning up armed with hammers and
knives and so on to raid a store. Now, while
the Children's commissioner means well, though, she is wrong because
a loophole like that that says adults can be held

(01:04):
down but kids can't, will be exploited, and it will
be exploited by adults. Gangs already use kids to commit
their ram raids, They already use them to commit their
thefts because they know that kids get off more likely
than they would. If you make a rule that kids
are allowed to escape but adult adults get held down,
you only make it more likely that they do. Send
the kids in, thereby making it more likely that the
kids up. Kids end up ruining their life's chances, which

(01:26):
brings us back to the very start of what I
was saying. Kids need boundaries, and it's not just from
their parents, it's also from the state. So if we
do citizens arrests for the adult crims, we also have
to do citizens arrest for the kiddie crims. For more
from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to news talks
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(01:47):
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