NZ Police

Our police have been taking a hammering lately, and no wonder!

Today we have this hitting our news

Parliament’s under urgent debate over the 111 debacle, and it is no surprise that Police Minister George Hawkins is in the firing line.

A review has revealed major problems within police communication call centres.

and recent issues have focussed on

• Poor handling of the 111 service (that’s our emergency number)
• Failure to follow up on seemingly easy-to-solve cases
• Emphasis on speed ticketing of “compliant citizens” to generate revenue

This week, while having rough and tumbe with her kids, a friend accidently clicked the remote to open her garage door. Taken as an invitation to help themselves two individuals rifled through her car and found the keys to her husband’s car. They raced out to find them casually driving away. The next afternoon they drove down a neighbouring street and emptied out all of the husband’s work papers on to the grass verge. An irate resident watched and then rang my friend to complain about her husband!

The police were rung right after the theft, and on reporting of the papers but they haven’t attended to check out her car and check for prints or to take any kind of statement. There is no interest.

Quite why anyone still wants to be a cop is beyond me but I’m ever grateful that they do. I’m sure the average cop is totally frustrated by the story above and all the other stories that differ only in the minor detail that are being played out across the country right now.

A resolution must be found if we want to retain our tenuous hold on first world status and perhaps we should start by diverting their efforts off the roads and onto the more serious crimes. We should employ more and set the pay rates at a level which will mean we can pick and choose the recruits.

When your friends start talking guns you know you have problems. They won’t arm themselves this time but slowly our culture will change until it doesn’t seem so unreasonable and that would be a huge shame.