Excellent analogy from Bob McCoskrie in the NZ Herald this morning;
"With drinking we're saying it's not the drinking it's the way we're drinking ... it's the same with smacking - it's not actually smacking that's the problem, it's just some people go way over the top.
"This is a waste of time because it's not dealing with the real causes of child abuse."
Thinking about the business of police guidelines, discretion etc., police will be acting on reports of smacking, much of which will be in the home and involve one person's word against another if it is disputed.
Many parents will be familiar with the scenario of one sibling complaining of being hit or pinched or shoved or tripped up by another (unless your children are angels). It doesn't happen very often in my house, thankfully, but occasionally.
What to do? Fortunately I know my children; I know which is more likely to be telling the truth and which is more likely to be exaggerating; I know how badly they were hurt because I know who is likely to overreact and who is rather more staunch. I know them well enough to accept where there is smoke there is fire. But was the offence inconsequential? Should it be punished? To be brutally honest, it is my mood which is likely to most influence the outcome.
If I am calm and objective I'll attempt to negotiate a truce, explaining why neither parties behaviour is getting them anywhere. If I'm tired and fed up with their bickering I'll order them to separate rooms, giving a right old tongue lashing to the perpetrator, regardless of however mercilessly they may have been provoked. You should know better - you don't hit! Control yourself! (Whilst hypocritically barely controlling myself)
The point of all this being? The police are human too. And they have far less knowledge of the participants in any reported event. What happens when a cop is called in to a reported smacking incident is going to very much depend on his interpretation of the situation, the guidelines and what kind of day he is having.
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4 comments:
Yep., and the guidelines appear to be very vague. The police are supposed to consider things like "health", "ability to reason" & "sex" in determining whether a smack should or should not be prosecuted.
Does this mean that its OK to smack a 2-yr-old boy, but not a 2-yr-old girl? That someone obese can't be smacked, but someone skinny can?
No, I think that it will be interpreted as "men can't smack in any circumstances".
Never mind, John Key said that if ordinary parents are criminalised then he would repeal the law. The police have just said that they will note the person's name and they will be registered on a database. If that isn't criminalising parents I don;t know what is.
Brian Smaller
The police acting on every complaint about smacking will prevent people from stopping their children from using smacking as a way of correcting their childs behaviour or punishing them.
The deal that Key worked out with Labour let the bill be passed without as much opposition as it otherwise would have had. Pity.
Gloria
ummm....that should have been ---
The police acting on every complaint about smacking will prevent people using smacking as a way of correcting their childs behaviour.
The deal that Key worked out with Labour let the bill be passed without as much opposition as it otherwise would have had. Pity.
Gloria
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