Ireana Asher

**Lou Girardin** · 15th October 2004, 17:22

Just when I think (in one of my kinder moments) that perhaps I'm too hard on the Pleece, comes the revelation that she made a 111 call the night she disappeared, The cops didn't send a car, they called a bloody taxi. One that no-one has found yet. It's sickening to think that she was left to fend for herself from the call at 9.00PM until they finally sent a car at 1.55AM.
This is simply abominable behaviour. I wonder how many tickets were written in West auckland while she was needing help?
They put our safety well down their list of priorities and revenue well up, yet the Commissioner gets a $70,000 raise and this at a time of record complaints against the Police and record settlements against them.
They should be ashamed to wear the uniform.

**spudchucka** · 15th October 2004, 17:37

Your trolling is getting more pathetic by the day. I'm sure you are in possession of ALL the facts and have made a sound judgement based on those facts. It wouldn't be at all like you to see a piece on the six o'clock news and race straight to the PC to post more anti police trash on a web site. But hey, I guess you only have the best interests of the girl at heart.

**riffer** · 15th October 2004, 18:04

Morale of the story: Never believe that what you hear on the news is the complete, non-biased, fully accurate version of what really happened.

NC · 15th October 2004, 18:14

Originally Posted by spudchucka

Your trolling is getting more pathetic by the day. I'm sure you are in possession of ALL the facts and have made a sound judgement based on those facts. It wouldn't be at all like you to see a piece on the six o'clock news and race straight to the PC to post more anti police trash on a web site. But hey, I guess you only have the best interests of the girl at heart.

Rip him a new one

**Kickaha** · 15th October 2004, 18:21

Originally Posted by celticno6

Morale of the story: Never believe that what you hear on the news is the complete, non-biased, fully accurate version of what really happened.

Yeah,ask Lou instead cause he'll always have the real version

**merv** · 15th October 2004, 18:28

Whatever, this is a strange story. The girl not being helped by the cops, wanders down the street and is taken in by benevolent people, but then disappears again leaving the dressing gown they gave her in the street. So why did she leave the house of those that helped her?

If the cops had picked her up and taken her home or whatever, would she still have gone missing again?

The cops don't seem to have given this priority at the time but for all we know that may not have made a difference.

**spudchucka** · 15th October 2004, 19:29

Originally Posted by merv

The cops don't seem to have given this priority at the time but for all we know that may not have made a difference.

Who knows what the phone call consisted of? Maybe she just said that she had been to a party, got hammered, had no way of getting home and wanted the police to come and pick her up. The police aren't a taxi service for every person that gets shitfaced and can't get themselves home. I'm not saying thats what happened because I don't know and that is my point because neither does Lou or anyone else that reads this forum for that matter.

What is really sad is that Lou is so desperate to discredit the police that he can't wait to launch into them over something like this.

Quite frankly I'm really starting to believe the guy has some serious issues that he should get some help with.

**Paul in NZ** · 16th October 2004, 09:59

At various times of my life I have been involved in providing the circuits for the 111 system (in my opinion it needs a huge revamp) as I have worked for telecom and NEC who provided/built must of their POTS network.

I've also had a lot of exposure to bi polar disorders.

As a part of my job I have had to monitor thousands of 111 calls.

Every sad drop kick in the country uses the system to call the police about everything and anything you can think of. I've heard genuine calls that are heartbreaking and people that are pissed demanding the Police pick them up from the pub and take them home 'cos they drank all their money and it's not fair. One lady reported a UFO in her back yard.

EVERY call I ever heard (in the old days we would have to physically trace the connection for evidence) has been handled decently and with humanity I could not muster. Because there are so many bogus calls or calls for help that are outside the Police ability to give and their resources are stretched so thinly, judgement must be used to prioritise a response. Ultimately, this will mean at some stage or other stuff ups will happen and bad things will occur to nice people.

Rather than blame the Police in this case ask where her family, who knew of her condition and suspected problems were that night? Does the fact that she was a model have anything to do with it? Would we be so upset if an ugly 55 year old businessman was missing after a drinking binge in a brothel?

Yes, she called 111, but we don't know what she said. She was taken in to safety and still wandered off... Self preservation was not top of her mind.

Look, I don't like getting tickets and I don't agree with the attitude of some officers on traffic matters but in general I count myself bloody lucky to live in a country where I can call 111 and get a service. In extreme situations I can not think of a better body of people to come to my aid even though, like all of us, they are not perfect.

What's important is to remember the Police are not here to sweep up our own mess ups. They do that because they can and are generally decent people. It's YOU that has the best chance of keeping you and yours safe and well because you have the knowledge and often advanced warning. 111 is only a back up.... It's a bloody good one too considering the lack of investment in it.

I did a study a while back and a couple of dollars on every phone bill would pay for a top notch system (I'd get the Police to run it).

Dunno about you, but I'd pay.

**Storm** · 16th October 2004, 10:14

Very well said that man.

Have to agree with Pauls comments on officers, and also the fact that the news is made to sound all juicy and make folks start pointing the finger and jumping to conclusions. Who cares if its more one sided than a painting on a wall, as long as the ratings are looking good.

**Slim** · 20th October 2004, 12:48

And my initial reaction was pretty much what Lou said. Mind you, we'd just arrived back in the country & it was ungodly-o-clock in the morning, but it was The Man who pointed out to me that we don't know what she said on the call.

Further information that a young teenager was manning the discount taxi phone was a bit of a shocker though & that he wrote the address down so badly that they went to an innercity suberb instead!

Why would the Cops use a Discount Taxi service and why wouldn't they fax the details through, are probably the two questions I'd ask.

**jrandom** · 20th October 2004, 13:13

Originally Posted by Slim

Why would the Cops use a Discount Taxi service and why wouldn't they fax the details through, are probably the two questions I'd ask.

Sigh. She *asked* for that particular taxi company, says the Media. And the 'thirteen-year-old' was only there because his or her parent was working the dispatch shift. Taxi dispatching is not a mission-critical life-support type job, people; if an employee lets their teenage kid take a couple of calls, it's not the end of the world, although if I was supervising such an operation I'd probably discourage it.

A confluence of events has caused an unfortunate occurrence. According to the girl's family, she was bipolar. Nuts. Bonkers. Bananas. Fruity in t'head. If she had indeed gone off her medication, can the rest of society be blamed for her self-destructive behaviour?

The media coverage of this event is starting to annoy me unduly. It has, in fact, made me *less* likely to give the Police a hard time. Their measured and unruffled ex post facto response has been a credit to them.

**Motu** · 20th October 2004, 13:25

Good lookin chick - worthy of media coverage.If it was me in the same situation would it be so much in the news? CERTAINLY!! short tubby ugly biker without hair or teeth (also internet hero) goes missing after dialing for a taxi on 111 after drinking an excess of 3 cans of beer,we'd never hear the end of it.If it was jrandom it would be a public holiday.

**jrandom** · 20th October 2004, 13:35

Originally Posted by Motu

Good lookin chick - worthy of media coverage.

Bit skinny and strange-looking for my taste, but hey, if she worked as a model, she must be hot. Right?

Originally Posted by Motu

short tubby ugly biker without hair or teeth (also internet hero) goes missing after dialing for a taxi on 111 after drinking an excess of 3 cans of beer,we'd never hear the end of it.If it was jrandom it would be a public holiday.

... I had a momentary disconnect in comprehension at the end there, as I thought you were referring to me in the first instance.