Child protection week highlights problem

 Police have put their support behind Child Protection Week which begins today.

Acting assistant police commissioner Win Van Der Velde said there was no excuse for beating, abusing or neglecting children.

"No child's life should begin this way. When it does - the harm is substantial and long-lasting", he said.

Child abuse was any action, behaviour or inaction that harmed or endangered a child's physical, psychological or emotional health, he said.

Police managed between 5000-6000 cases of child abuse every year.

"We are committed to holding offenders to account for crimes against children and to working with other agencies to protect children."

Protecting children was the key purpose of the updated Child Protection Protocol signed earlier this year by police and Child, Youth and Family, he said.

The protocol clearly defined the roles of each organisation and set out the process for working together when responding to serious child abuse.

Last year police attended 91,000 family violence related incidents and offences. Children are present at about half of all family violence incidents.

Mr Van Der Velde urged people to contact police or Child Youth and Family if they suspected a child was being abused or mistreated.

The campaign is supported by the Australian New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency.

- NZPA