Who Likes the Cops?

[Da Bird]

It seems we're going to have another thousand to love/hate.
Any bets on where most of them will be posted?
Traffic?

Of the extra 1000 police to be recruited, 406 are to be recruited in the first year. Of these, 50 will be allocated to road policing (and probably 80% of those 50 to Auckland at a guess).

BC.

[Korea]

Now I have seen lots of young guys with "I know my rights..." unfortunately they dont often know their responsibilities.

Sorry I'm late.
Nicely put. Bling awarded...
Just because you have the right to be little prick doesn't mean you should be one - or that there is something desirable in being a prick.

[Korea]

It's the old problem that no one is interested in good news and it doesn't sell newspapers! You may get warm fuzzies when you read a story about good, kind people doing nice stuff for others, but the reality is, no one would buy a paper if it was full of good news.

Yeah, it's sad that it has come to this. Some people who actually make a difference should be held in higher regard - but nothing is sacred to the press.
And honestly, it gets a bit boring. The media's been stooping to those depths for a while and it's pretty pathetic . What did I see the other day on stuff.com? Something to the tune of "Man who did a non-PC something was AN EX-COP!!!"
Whatever...

[Lou Girardin]

Of the extra 1000 police to be recruited, 406 are to be recruited in the first year. Of these, 50 will be allocated to road policing (and probably 80% of those 50 to Auckland at a guess).

BC.

I heard that. It seems times have changed, not long ago the policy was for recruits to spend 2 years on GD before going to specialised roles. It seems that is easily changed where revenue is at stake, but changing entry fitness requirements is a bit 'too hard'.
Annette Kings comments last night also bode ill for road users. She waffled on about the importance of road policing in saving lives, shorthand for "we're not spending $500,000,000 on new cops without squeezing it back out of mug drivers".

[scumdog]

Attract recruits of good standard???

Lower the entry standard? - That way no!

Raise the salary? - That way yes!

[Lou Girardin]

Attract recruits of good standard???

Lower the entry standard? - That way no!

Raise the salary? - That way yes!

C'mon Scummy, what the hell does it matter if someone takes 30 secs longer to run 2.4 km?
Lower the fitness standard and raise the intelligence requirements. If you can out think 'em, you don't have to out run 'em.

[scumdog]

C'mon Scummy, what the hell does it matter if someone takes 30 secs longer to run 2.4 km?
Lower the fitness standard and raise the intelligence requirements. If you can out think 'em, you don't have to out run 'em.

I never specified what 'standard' but I was meaning ALL stanards but particularly the I.Q. etc more than total fitness (although that's important too).

Don't want the South American recruit standard - you know, the one that is "If you can fog a mirror, don't cough blood and can't fit a 6 inch hoop over your head then you're just what we need"

[Finn]

Good old labour strikes again. It's sugar coated so the peasants will think this is good thing - that crime will reduce. It won't, it will continue to rise as we throw more resourse at the bottom of the cliff. $500,000,000 for 1000 cops just proves gross incompetence. I'm glad I don't pay much tax at all. I refuse to contribute to a system that I do not derive any benefit from but feel sorry for all the hard workers that do. However, those who voted for bitch face deserve every missfortune they get.

Do you realise that by around lunch time today, you have been working all week for absolutely nothing? That's right, nothing. Look around you and see what you get for this money. You should be angry... very angry.

Next election, vote for NZ, freedom, choice, integrity & prosperity. Vote for Finn. More on this later.

[ManDownUnder]

Yup - I agree with scumdog.

Raise the standards of entry, and raise the pay even more. I have no problems in changing the destination of my money.

If I can spend less on keeping the criminals in prison, and more on Police keeping the streets safe by nabbing the little bastards while they're only taggers... that has GOT to be a good thing.

It's going to cost more in the short term... in the short term we need to raise the bar. Raise the level of training and equipment for the cops. Get them what they need to do the job.

More money for the courts so anyone that is caught for anything gets processed quicksmart

Same money needed for the prisons.

Short and medium term we'll get a higher juvenile crime rate (shock gasp) because the arrest rate for the little sods will go up.

Longer term we'll have less people in prison because they were caught at a more tender age, and the punishments were a little less PC... we'll have better equipped Police and there'll be cultural change towards, and within the Police because it's not us and them anymore.

It pisses me off how the cops get slated for doing a job that needs to be done, and I wouldn't want to do (yeah yeah - I'm a wuss... and none too fit either).

In stead of bitching and moaning about "how many lives they ruin by busting speedsters, lane splitters blah blah blah"... any chance of stopping to think how many lives they may have saved, or affected positively or...???

It's always interesting to see who's also bitching and moaning about "where's a cop when you need one" after they've been burgled or T-boned".

Rant over - I think I made my point and the steam is running out.
MDU

[ManDownUnder]

C'mon Scummy, what the hell does it matter if someone takes 30 secs longer to run 2.4 km?

Lower the fitness standard and raise the intelligence requirements. If you can out think 'em, you don't have to out run 'em.

If I can step in here... wouldn't the ideal situation be that you can out think them AND outrun them?

There's also the wee matter of not all crims actually being as dumb as people think. Some are pretty fucken clever.

[Lou Girardin]

If I can step in here... wouldn't the ideal situation be that you can out think them AND outrun them?

There's also the wee matter of not all crims actually being as dumb as people think. Some are pretty fucken clever.

So why do we need a fitness standard greater than the UK, US or Aust.
Do you think that otherwise fine would-be cops have been rejected because of this?

[u4ea]

scumdog i have a dillema........when i was coming bak to my local country town after looking for a new helmet,i got a speeding tiket in my car as i was wanting to get home to have my new bike dropped off,as you are a motorcyclist too then like i told the bobby go catch some rapists......................................i am a little gutted ,rekon cops would stak higher in my books if they had the old traffic cops and let police do the real stuff.then you wouldnt all be tarred with the same brush.............and yes i know i shoulnd have been speeding .......................................

[ManDownUnder]

So why do we need a fitness standard greater than the UK, US or Aust.

Possibly because the cops in those areas are better equipped? Don't know. Are you saying a lower level of fitness for recruits would be a good thing?

Do you think that otherwise fine would-be cops have been rejected because of this?

Yes,

But don't you think if cops were paid 50% more than they currently are there'd be more incentive to join the Police, it would attract people possessing the right attributes, and those people would also be more prepared for the entry test?

And yes - if the cops got a 50% pay rise, I'd be happy to fund that. Get more cops, equip them more, train them more, pay them more and make them more accountable.

[Lou Girardin]

Possibly because the cops in those areas are better equipped? Don't know. Are you saying a lower level of fitness for recruits would be a good thing?



Yes,

But don't you think if cops were paid 50% more than they currently are there'd be more incentive to join the Police, it would attract people possessing the right attributes, and those people would also be more prepared for the entry test?

And yes - if the cops got a 50% pay rise, I'd be happy to fund that. Get more cops, equip them more, train them more, pay them more and make them more accountable.

Are you saying our cops need to run fast because we can't afford ballistic vests?

How about paying the ones that last 3 - 5 years more? Then we'll know if they're worth it. Even offer a sweetheart super scheme so they can retire in comfort after 20 years or so?
What is needed is experienced cops, not green-arsed recruits filling the vacancies each year.
Although I suspect that a well indoctrinated recruit may write more tickets though.

[scumdog]

Are you saying our cops need to run fast because we can't afford ballistic vests?

How about paying the ones that last 3 - 5 years more? Then we'll know if they're worth it. Even offer a sweetheart super scheme so they can retire in comfort after 20 years or so?
What is needed is experienced cops, not green-arsed recruits filling the vacancies each year.
Although I suspect that a well indoctrinated recruit may write more tickets though.

My maths tells me that the first three to four intakes each year do nothing but balance those that have left during the last year., - and if they only do four intakes for a whole year as has happened in the past you are certaily not going to see many extra cops on the street.