Serving at the beck and call of MPs furthering their own agendas and personal credibility, is it any wonder that the NZ police have lost the plot?
Perfect for the job, a soft-spoken reasonable woman, Assistant Commissioner Sandra Venables fronted up to the AM show this week to remind us that we have the worst record of domestic violence in the developed world but that police are here to solve it! While I’m all for remedying domestic violence, NZ police acting as relationship counsellors is far and away the wrong answer.
“ […[police deal with more than 100,000 cases of family violence per year – which works out at a call every three minutes.
“What we are seeing is an increase in calls to service, which is exactly what we do want to see,” she told The AM Show.
“If there’s sufficient evidence for prosecution we absolutely should be and do prosecute. But like I said it’s complex.”
“We’re finding that both perpetrators and victims are calling us sooner – in some cases before an offense has even occurred.”
When asked if that meant if police are becoming more like counsellors than frontline officers, Venables said that’s a small price to pay.”
Newhub
This could be the most senseless way of employing trained police you could think off. Are police really the best people to be dealing with domestic violence aggravated by drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness? Wouldn’t we be better off beefing up social services personnel with training and expertise in these areas, supported by police when necessary? Apparently not.
While police are talking nicely to prospective domestic assailants, who is actually out there catching actual offenders and keeping the majority of law-abiding people safe?
“Every police officer across New Zealand wants to prevent harm and however we can do that, and if it means that we have to work differently, to provide that service and keep people safe, that’s what we’ll do.”
Assistant Commissioner Sandra Venables on the AM Show
Will police receive additional training for extra responsibilities? Training is a potential minefield given BFD writer ExPFC’s assessment of the current standard of basic police officer gun training.
“…there is virtually no post-college training at all, and the assessment is only ten rounds through the Glock from just ten metres out, closing up to only five metres for the last few shots.
The assessment for the M4 Bushmaster rifles is even easier with only ten rounds starting at thirty metres finishing up at just fifteen metres!
Various firing positions are used; standing, kneeling, etc but the majority of these shots are carefully aimed with few instant action and stoppage drills also assessed.
But, worse than this, the cops only have to be on target with eight out of the ten rounds!
So, if you can connect with 16 rounds at virtually point-blank range and can un-jam a blocked weapon, you’re good to go.
They should literally be able to get 16 out of 20 at those distances with their eyes closed!
But according to a recent statement from one of our esteemed ministers, our Police are “Highly trained”.
…Sorry Minister but that’s not highly trained, that’s BARELY trained. These guys and girls don’t even need to hold a firearms licence when using Police weapons in the course of the job. And yet they expect us to have faith in them?”
TheBFD
And just what were police at the Maori Iwi dispute at Ihumatao hoping to achieve when they joined in the light entertainment? Passing the time of day, perhaps? Little wonder police are confused – they lack clear direction from this government. Jacinda Ardern is now negotiating behind closed doors on the Ihumatao standoff despite having no mandate to interfere and this is putting at risk previous Waitangi settlements and doubtless extending and stirring up further grievances.
Even without relationship counselling or providing light entertainment to protesters, police are desperately short-staffed, and very grumpy about it too, after Ardern reneged on her promise of an additional 1800 police, performing a one-eighty in parliament.
“The Government has shifted the goalposts in its promise to deliver more frontline police after what seems like a slip of the tongue by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
It promised to “strive towards adding 1800 new police” over three years but in a game of semantics, it is now saying it will deliver 1800 new trained recruits by next month.
The move has drawn the ire of the Police Association who say it is not good enough and that the Government has broken its promise to police.”
Stuff
400-500 trained police leave the force each year meaning Ardern is offering an increase of only 1300-1400 police.
With elections in mind, Simon Bridges is making his mark on law and order by borrowing from New South Wales their task force, “Strike Force Raptor,” dedicated to a burgeoning gang problem. The name alone should appeal hugely to school children and the mentally retarded and proves the Nats are equally as inadequate as Labour at addressing criminal behaviour. Former NSW detective Mike Kennedy said that the New South Wales Strike Force Raptor had simply driven gangs underground and Bridges was “living a dream” if he believed it was “strikingly effective”.
Police handled holes in hastily drawn up gun law reform by using creative licence to “retrieve illegal guns”, but the recipients of their interest are not gangs or prospective terrorists, they are ordinary NZ residents being accosted in their own homes by police on a witch hunt – despite holding valid gun ownership licences.
‘Kiwi gun owners say they are being demonised, alienated and used as scapegoats as the Government rushes to change firearms laws.
Wairarapa Pistol and Rifle Club president Phil Dunlop said up until the Christchutch mosque shootings on March 15, club members had been seen to be doing a “very valid, respectable activity”.
“Now we all feel like criminals,” he said. There are policemen, ex-soldiers and a bailiff among our members – all sorts of very respectable people – and they’re just depressed. They feel alienated and demonised.”
Stuff
Successive governments have turned NZ police into the witless, badly trained and ineffective people we see today. Is it any wonder, regarding law and order, that we have lost faith in MPs on both sides of the House as well as in the police?