The cops just can't win.

[Lou Girardin]

The day after the annual crime stats show that reported crime is down and clearance rates are up, (debatable, but I won't go there yet), a letter in the Herald describes how a guy travelling to Mangawhai an hour before the cop was assaulted there, saw 5 cops on the motorway at Orewa checking cars with a laser gun. This follows the Police saying that they only had one cop up there as back-up. Then he goes on about priorities etc.
Now I know there are a multitude of reasons why those cops couldn't be at Mangawhai, but public perception is everything.
He's one more pissed off citizen.
Lou

[MikeL]

public perception is everything.


I applaud your motives and admire your persistence, Lou. But how do you think this little problem of public perception will be dealt with in the longer term? Some possibilities:

(a) it will be acknowledged publicly and the root causes will be tackled, with subsequent change of policies
(b) it will be ignored as irrelevant
(c) it will be handed over to a PR firm along with a big cheque and we will see a media ad campaign to correct our erroneous impressions of the police

[Big Dog]

Or they could just do something about it and spend the pr/focus group money on exta officers who will actually attend if someone pulls a knife on joe public.

[Wenier]

You no that if they arent gonna get money from it they wont bother they would rather get ppl speeding.

The best idea would b ring the cops and say "Im being held at knife point and theres $100 in it for ya if u come help"

Jus my thoughts but i dont think much of most cops so eh :)

[White trash]

You no that if they arent gonna get money from it they wont bother they would rather get ppl speeding.

The best idea would b ring the cops and say "Im being held at knife point and theres $100 in it for ya if u come help"

Jus my thoughts but i dont think much of most cops so eh :)

Obviously! I've seen the way you ride, young fella!

[Wenier]

wut u on about, if i had a 600cc it would make my skills far more interesting, hows it goin whitetrash?

[White trash]

It's goin' good brother!

Be catching up tomorrow night I trust?

Love the new signature by the way :2thumbsup

[Wenier]

yea should be at riverbank from bout 8.30 weather better b good. yea good ol' signature got to find another pic thou or make one :)

[spudchucka]

The day after the annual crime stats show that reported crime is down and clearance rates are up, (debatable, but I won't go there yet), a letter in the Herald describes how a guy travelling to Mangawhai an hour before the cop was assaulted there, saw 5 cops on the motorway at Orewa checking cars with a laser gun. This follows the Police saying that they only had one cop up there as back-up. Then he goes on about priorities etc.
Now I know there are a multitude of reasons why those cops couldn't be at Mangawhai, but public perception is everything.
He's one more pissed off citizen.
Lou

People like that might be happier if the cops just payed lip service to everything the currently do, fudge all the crime stats so they look like they are doing something, sack half the force and employ a bunch of media / PR experts to fool the public into thinking they give a shit. That might improve the public perception.

How far is Orewa from Mangawhai, I can't remember cos I haven't been there for years. Anyway those cops with the laser could be miles away from where the incident took place in the space of an hour and not be in a position to respond. Sure public perception is important but there will always be people who find fault regardless of the outcome of events.

The public should really be pissed off that that poor cop is expected to go into dangerous situations on his own and without the tools required to protect himself.

[mangell6]

This I believe is the real problem with some individuals in the NZ Police force at present.


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3553841

Officer banned from stadium

10.03.2004



A Christchurch police officer has been banned from Jade Stadium and is being investigated by his superiors after two larrikin acts at Christchurch cricket internationals.

Hornby-based highway patrolman Constable Mike Smith and three other men were ejected from the ground during a one-day international between Pakistan and New Zealand on January 10.

The four men clambered into a corporate box from general seating at the end of the day's play and allegedly helped themselves to alcohol and food in front of guests.

Security staff removed the men from the corporate box and the stadium.

Then, during the New Zealand-South Africa one-day game on February 17, Mr Smith was alleged to have run on to the cricket ground.

He was later banned from Jade Stadium for two years.

It was believed the three other men with him on January 10 were also banned from the ground.

Mr Smith now faces an internal police investigation.

Canterbury police district head Superintendent Sandra Manderson said on face value, Mr Smith's behaviour was "inappropriate".

She said she was aware of the investigation into Mr Smith, but other staff were carrying it out and she would review it when completed.

Mr Smith had not been stood down while being investigated as there was no conflict between his duties and the inquiry.

It was expected the final interviews with witnesses would be completed next week.

Jade Stadium chief executive Dean McKenzie was unavailable for comment on the matter yesterday.

It is not the first time Mr Smith's police career has been in jeopardy.

In 1995 he was suspended from duties while he was investigated for allegedly assaulting his former partner.

A court found Mr Smith not guilty of assaulting his partner after he said he acted in self-defence when she punched him after she caught him in bed with another woman.

Mr Smith could not be reached for comment.

- NZPA

[spudchucka]

There are about 7000 serving sworn police members, if for example 5% of them are idiots then you have a significant number of rouges giving the rest of the honest hard working boys & girls a bad name. Its up to the bosses to weed them out. Having said that it baffles me how they make through the recruit process and training college in the first place.

[Two Smoker]

There are about 7000 serving sworn police members, if for example 5% of them are idiots then you have a significant number of rouges giving the rest of the honest hard working boys & girls a bad name. Its up to the bosses to weed them out. Having said that it baffles me how they make through the recruit process and training college in the first place.
Probably because the Police have such a high turn over that they need everyone they can get, even the 5% of tossers, and 18 yr old cadets which is stupid..

[Holy Roller]

Probably because the Police have such a high turn over that they need everyone they can get, even the 5% of tossers, and 18 yr old cadets which is stupid..

Any one who wants to be a copper these days needs their head read. But someone needs to do the job. What kind of people would we be after recieving the amount of c@#p the average copper gets each day just for doing their job. Our local coppers are great guys and do a tough job. Even if they had to give me 35 demerit points with an apology also. I was in the wrong I knew it so I was nice to the copper and honestly wished him a good day. I have to admit that my oldest son wishes to be a copper, the job will proberly suit him but I am encouraging him to join the Air Force instead.

[Two Smoker]

Any one who wants to be a copper these days needs their head read. But someone needs to do the job. What kind of people would we be after recieving the amount of c@#p the average copper gets each day just for doing their job. Our local coppers are great guys and do a tough job. Even if they had to give me 35 demerit points with an apology also. I was in the wrong I knew it so I was nice to the copper and honestly wished him a good day. I have to admit that my oldest son wishes to be a copper, the job will proberly suit him but I am encouraging him to join the Air Force instead.
Shit yes they must have a job in Kawarau... with the Mongrel Mob there...
Depends what he wants to do in the airforce, otherwise go Army.

[Holy Roller]

Shit yes they must have a job in Kawarau... with the Mongrel Mob there...
Depends what he wants to do in the airforce, otherwise go Army.
Most of the trouble makers are away on holiday so that side of town is quiet at the mo.
Forget the army I'd rather he joined the Navy instead and follow in his dads footsteps, but the Airforce is the better second :cool:

[Coldkiwi]

Hey spud, i'm with you on feeling sorry for the poor cop who has to go into a dangerous situation without backup. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Of course, that makes seeing all the highway patrol gibbons with their lasers out the windows and doughnuts in hand all the more irritating, because I'm sure they could be doing much more productive things!! i think most peoples beef is that as dangerous as speeding is in the wrong conditions, the majority of enforcement meated out upon joe schmoe is not in such conditions and they feel dangerous domestic situations etc elsewhere are being left unattended. I've seen LTSA 'stats' on social costs etc on speeding but i wonder if there's any data on the total cost of domestic violence on families and the following generations??

man, just think about what might happen if all our speeding ads on TV where about how badly the cops are going to bust your nuts if you hit your wife? what a great impact that could have on our country!

[MD]

Wenier suggested above offering the Police $100 tip to come to a real crime call out. Here's another idea that might get a response. When you report a violent crime or burglary in progress always end with "and the villian is driving off in excess of the posted speed limit Officer" Or "I don't think his WOF is current" Then watch 3 HP cars sweep within minutes to issue the villian a ticket ! And maybe arrest him for the real crime only so long as another speedster doesn't pass within their quoto radar.
But on the serious side the Officer attacked put himself at danger on our behalf, just doing his job and I sure respect and thank him for that. Now that man deserves a DB.

[spudchucka]

Hey spud, i'm with you on feeling sorry for the poor cop who has to go into a dangerous situation without backup. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Of course, that makes seeing all the highway patrol gibbons with their lasers out the windows and doughnuts in hand all the more irritating, because I'm sure they could be doing much more productive things!! i think most peoples beef is that as dangerous as speeding is in the wrong conditions, the majority of enforcement meated out upon joe schmoe is not in such conditions and they feel dangerous domestic situations etc elsewhere are being left unattended. I've seen LTSA 'stats' on social costs etc on speeding but i wonder if there's any data on the total cost of domestic violence on families and the following generations??

man, just think about what might happen if all our speeding ads on TV where about how badly the cops are going to bust your nuts if you hit your wife? what a great impact that could have on our country!

Because all cops today wear the same uniform the public expect them to all do / be capable of doing the same job if called upon. Thats not always the case. I know a guy that graduated the RNZPC and was posted to Auckland where he was rostered onto the Traffic Alcohol Group. After six months he needed to move south because of family reasons and the only way he could get the transfer was to go to Highway Patrol. He then spent the next three years on HP. Three years and all he had done was traffic work. He'd never taken a theft complaint or attended a burglary. The poor guy was going mad and he begged for years to be transferred to general duties. Eventually he was and he had the stigma of being the senior man in his group and not knowing the first thing about ordinary policing.

He's worked out to be a great cop and he loves the job but before he got his experience working on the street if he was flagged down by someone whos house had just been burgled, he wouldn't have known where to start.

Thats why I reckon it should be 2 years maximum on HP regardless of how well or how poorly they have performed for the bosses.

As for domestic violence, that is a huge problem in this country, 80% of murders are domestic related. The stats are there, not sure exactly where but you will find them if you look hard enough.

[Coldkiwi]

I can understand vastly different training is required to go from HP to GD but I just wish they'd sort the bloody priorities out! domestic murders and the upheaval to childrens lives have got to be more pressing than drivers going 5 or 10 k over the supposed 'safe' limit.

[marty]

I can understand vastly different training is required to go from HP to GD but I just wish they'd sort the bloody priorities out! domestic murders and the upheaval to childrens lives have got to be more pressing than drivers going 5 or 10 k over the supposed 'safe' limit.

this is one major reason kids are getting murdered by their caregivers. (not diminishing the responsibility of the parent in the first place though).

i'm not sure how the connection to speeding motorists is made...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2841164a11,00.html

[Macktheknife]

Most of the trouble makers are away on holiday so that side of town is quiet at the mo.
Forget the army I'd rather he joined the Navy instead and follow in his dads footsteps, but the Airforce is the better second :cool:



Who are you kidding????? The Airfarce???
Good god man send the boy where he will have a chance to become something, the Navy is ok but then the Army, if not that the next best is Australia!
Airfarce is correct, all they are now is glorified parking wardens and high tech S+R.
just my opinion... :niceone:

[texmo]

At mangwhai there are tonnes of cops I go there all the time, there is one perment copper there and there are a few in kawika which is like 10mins away and we alwase get highway partol crusing around, but you gotta rember the population isnt even 5000, its a small village...

[justsomeguy]

I can understand vastly different training is required to go from HP to GD but I just wish they'd sort the bloody priorities out! domestic murders and the upheaval to childrens lives have got to be more pressing than drivers going 5 or 10 k over the supposed 'safe' limit.

No it's not - :crybaby:

Think like an accountant not a human being.......

[justsomeguy]

Who are you kidding????? The Airfarce???
Good god man send the boy where he will have a chance to become something, the Navy is ok but then the Army, if not that the next best is Australia!
Airfarce is correct, all they are now is glorified parking wardens and high tech S+R.
just my opinion... :niceone:

Hmm......

The Army is pretty tough:not: ...... the Airforce or Navy ......hmm I think it takes different qualities to get into them. Was offered a chance as a Navy or Airforce officer when I was told I'm too little of a team player to join the Army.....

Besides all the army fellows like to say the Navy is full of homos and the airforce is full of mechanics.....

Haven't mixed with any from the airforce or navy so don't know what they call the other forces.

[scumdog]

Or they could just do something about it and spend the pr/focus group money on exta officers who will actually attend if someone pulls a knife on joe public.

"spend the pr/focus group money' - THAT'S the problem!

I too would like to see somebody try and prise any more money from the Gov't tight-arsed money holders and spend it wisely - but I guess it ain't goin' to happen.