NZ Police public image

**scumdog** · 21st January 2005, 16:03

Originally Posted by spudchucka

Issues with this story;

1: Speed cameras are usually operated by non-sworn, semi retired members of police. If it was a speed camera the guy saw down the road the jocker operating it would not have been able to do anything other than be another rubber necker.

2: If the cop down the road was operating a radar or a laser and was a sworn member that was not engaged in any other urgent duty then that is apalling.

3: The fact that the news article reports the cop seen as being operating a "speed gun" and then in the next sentence says it was a "officer on speed camera duty" suggests that the reporter has not done their homework very well.

4: "The Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter also responded - taking the body away when they learned police were not coming". I find this a little hard to believe that the chopper would remove the body prior to police attendance. Goes very much against all sudden death protocols.

5: "How can it be that the death of a person is downgraded to such a point of insignificance that it does not warrant any response from the police because they are too busy trying to hand out fines up the road?" I couldn't agree more and if this was actually the case then people need their butts kicked.

6: If the cop seen was in fact attending to a traffic crash and there were issues regarding safety then he was right to stay to attend to that. Its not going to make any difference to the dead guy on the beach.

7: "Mr Clifford did not supply details of the crash. A Hastings firestation spokesperson told Hawke's Bay Today that the fire service did not attend any crash in Ocean Beach Road that afternoon". It is easy enough to find out if he's lying about the crash. If he lied he's in deep poo.

.

I was going to post much the same points as Sc has made above but just couldn't be fagged, those in the know don't need telling and those not in the know won't believe anything other than usual negative sensational rhetoric that's bandied around at times like this.

**scumdog** · 21st January 2005, 16:05

Originally Posted by Lou Girardin

It seems clear from the report that the cop was operating laser.
.

How do we KNOW that he was???

**scumdog** · 21st January 2005, 16:08

Originally Posted by Honda

Mr SpudI'mgonnathrowaChuckeratyou and co. I'm not recieving some pretty good rep points where as its pretty clear that the few neg ones are coming from your way. I think that its a clear indication that others might actually agree with at least some of what I say?

A little less of the "and co." stuff, be specific with who you direct your comments at dude eh? After all I don't direct comments at WINJA Honda and co.

**Blakamin** · 21st January 2005, 16:23

Originally Posted by Honda

Mr SpudI'mgonnathrowaChuckeratyou and co. I'm not recieving some pretty good rep points where as its pretty clear that the few neg ones are coming from your way. I think that its a clear indication that others might actually agree with at least some of what I say?

I think you will get a bit of a surprise when you become a senior member and see who gave you neg rep, Honda.

**spudchucka** · 21st January 2005, 16:57

Originally Posted by Lou Girardin

It seems clear from the report that the cop was operating laser.
Attending a non-existant accident, that's a new one. If you're going to lie, try and make sure you're not easily caught out.

Lou, if the Inspector has lied in such a public way he'll be toast. I've worked under the Supt in charge of the area and know he wouldn't tollerate that sort of carry on.

**Skunk** · 21st January 2005, 17:03

Originally Posted by Blakamin

I think you will get a bit of a surprise when you become a senior member and see who gave you neg rep, Honda.

1 month to go...

**inlinefour** · 21st January 2005, 18:02

Originally Posted by spudchucka

You're making less sense as this drags on!

I've had enough of the mud slinging game, it gets pretty blardy boring and I would not be aware of the issue coming up before as I'm new to the site. Look if I have offended you as much as I think I have then I apologise. Point taken on the rep points. I guess if I aint got something nice to say==>>>

**inlinefour** · 21st January 2005, 18:04

Originally Posted by Blakamin

I think you will get a bit of a surprise when you become a senior member and see who gave you neg rep, Honda.

At the end of the day I probably deserved it...

**madboy** · 21st January 2005, 19:37

If you don't mind me butting into this slanging match...

The police, and in particular the poor bastards on the front line, are on a hiding to nothing with public opinion. Firstly, people only remember the negatives. Who the hell remembers the last time someone said thank you, but you all remember the last time someone said f*** you. Human nature. Odds on when someone wants the police, it's usually for something fairly sedate like a house burglary or car nicked or so... which to that particular person is hugely important, but to the front-line cops is way down the list - particularly cos they're under-resourced and tackling whatever more immediate job they've got on their hands. Crime has changed over time, and cos most people haven't spent a lot of time dealing with either crime nor cops, they don't really have an understanding of just what it's like.

SO when the govt in its infinite wisdom (see - you can use govt and wisdom in the same sentence!!) decided that they should invest our dollars into traffic policing (which provides a very healthy financial return - these guys shoulda joined an investment bank!!) - guess where most people now see the police?

For the aforementioned minor offending, there is no resourcing. So average joe is mightily pissed when someone turns up to look at the space where his flatscreeen and dvd used to be, 24 hours later... particularly when a workmate had the day before taken his money for 116km/h on a three-lane empty stretch of mway, and he either a) didn't realise how fast he was going, or b) didn't think that particular speed in those conditions was dangerous, or c) didn't appreciate the lecture on road safety, or d) all of the above.

BUT does the poor bastard average 5-0 on general duties have any say in this? No. He's a good loyal staff member who does what his/her boss tells em to... just like most of us do, whether we think our boss is a complete jackass or not...

Don't get me wrong, I've struck some cops that I really wouldn't piss on if they were on fire... but i've struck some that were really nice about the whole deal as well.

Unfortunately, as i said above, it's the negatives that you remember, and that's where my reluctance to stop for a chat with them comes from.

**Jantar** · 21st January 2005, 22:34

Originally Posted by madboy

....Don't get me wrong, I've struck some cops that I really wouldn't piss on if they were on fire... but i've struck some that were really nice about the whole deal as well....

Right on with this comment. There are some decent cops out there, and there are also some arseholes. Unfortunately we often tend to remember the bad ones and not the good.

In the area that I live there is one cop who I know and respect, a few who I don't know and therefore will give them respect, and a few who I hold in complete contempt. The ones I don't respect are those who have a reputation of issuing to tickets to motorists when no offence has occured, trapping motorists into committing offences, or trolling carparks looking for unlicenced vehicles. This on the instruction of their recently retired Senior Sergent. (Scumdog will know who I'm referring to here.)

Just down the road in South Otago and Mosgiel Area I haven't yet met a cop who didn't deserve respect. Even the one who pulled my wife over for EBA (she deserved it) was bloody good about it. He saw that she got home safely, ensured our vehicle was safely parked and locked, then drove me the 45 km to pick it up.

Head over to the east to Palmerston, and I have only ever met cops who can be considered Bastards. Faricating offences etc.

In many parts of NZ cops get a good or bad name because of their actions, yet often their actions are dictated to them by more senior staff. So rather than put down the police in general, perhaps it would be fairer to identify the areas where police are helpful, and where they are public enemy No 1.

**Velox** · 22nd January 2005, 00:54

Well I'm having a few issues with Police PR at the mo. (no offence to any cops on the site, I blame it on the system and some individual officers):
Firstly, my mum got a ticket for going 61 on Burma Rd the other day which is absolutely ridiculous. For those of you that don't know it's a long, straight, really wide road in Wgtn that should be a 70 or 80 km zone at least. Nothing on one side of it and just an old folks home on the other. There's absolutely no safety issue with speeding there - you've really got to wonder eh?
Secondly, I was sitting near a roundabout a couple of nights ago and a boyracer came up to it and stopped to giveway to a cop car that was already on it. The cop stopped right in the middle of the intersection and waited for the other guy to go! The guy waited a while but the cop wasn't going to move so he just went and the cop hooned after him with his lights on! Mate - I was so pissed off. The cop came back down the road not too long after so I'm thinking there could possibly be a chance that he was just checking the guy's licence etc... But man - that's pretty rough if he wasn't!
Thirdly, last week I was taking my friend's bike for a little ride at the Thurs night thing at the Hutt carpark (boy racer gathering

) and the cops had blocked the exit and were checking everyone's licences. The guy asked me what I was up to and, thinking he was just making conversation while he checked my licence, I said "Oh, I'm just hanging out with mates" and he said "Actually you're just annoying people" and told me I couldn't go back in to get my mates and "goodbye" and he walked off. Nice PR buddy!
Fourthly, I had a dream that I was driving a car (!) and couldn't stop in time (because the light glared on the windscreen) and ended up driving onto the back of a cop truck which was parked in the middle of the road for exactly that purpose. When I jumped off the truck and looked back at my car it was gone and had been crushed into a small cube with heaps of other cars. I was so angry to think that, as if the huge fines for speeding weren't bad enough, just because I couldn't stop in time they could crush my car!!! That one really got me worked up, but perhaps it isn't so justified as the other three reasons.

**inlinefour** · 22nd January 2005, 06:04

Originally Posted by Velox

Well I'm having a few issues with Police PR at the mo. (no offence to any cops on the site, I blame it on the system and some individual officers):
Firstly, my mum got a ticket for going 61 on Burma Rd the other day which is absolutely ridiculous. For those of you that don't know it's a long, straight, really wide road in Wgtn that should be a 70 or 80 km zone at least. Nothing on one side of it and just an old folks home on the other. There's absolutely no safety issue with speeding there - you've really got to wonder eh?
Secondly, I was sitting near a roundabout a couple of nights ago and a boyracer came up to it and stopped to giveway to a cop car that was already on it. The cop stopped right in the middle of the intersection and waited for the other guy to go! The guy waited a while but the cop wasn't going to move so he just went and the cop hooned after him with his lights on! Mate - I was so pissed off. The cop came back down the road not too long after so I'm thinking there could possibly be a chance that he was just checking the guy's licence etc... But man - that's pretty rough if he wasn't!
Thirdly, last week I was taking my friend's bike for a little ride at the Thurs night thing at the Hutt carpark (boy racer gathering

) and the cops had blocked the exit and were checking everyone's licences. The guy asked me what I was up to and, thinking he was just making conversation while he checked my licence, I said "Oh, I'm just hanging out with mates" and he said "Actually you're just annoying people" and told me I couldn't go back in to get my mates and "goodbye" and he walked off. Nice PR buddy!
Fourthly, I had a dream that I was driving a car (!) and couldn't stop in time (because the light glared on the windscreen) and ended up driving onto the back of a cop truck which was parked in the middle of the road for exactly that purpose. When I jumped off the truck and looked back at my car it was gone and had been crushed into a small cube with heaps of other cars. I was so angry to think that, as if the huge fines for speeding weren't bad enough, just because I couldn't stop in time they could crush my car!!! That one really got me worked up, but perhaps it isn't so justified as the other three reasons.

If she has done the crime, which by your own confession she has. Then pay up.
Err sorry officer but that person left their car window open and that laptop and cellphone should not been in the car either. Along with that, when I looked through their CD collection in the glove box, I found the keys to the ignition!
So it not my fault bbbbwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!! :confused2

**denill** · 22nd January 2005, 07:39

I am not a police knocker but have like many others, good reason to question and criticise their priorities. This article appeared in the local newspaper last night.

BillW

Source - HB Today

TOP STORY: Body stayed on beach while cop manned speed camera
21.01.2005

Chris Gardner

Rescue services left waiting with a drowned man were told police could not attend the Ocean Beach scene - but the man who pulled the body from the waves passed an officer with a speedgun up the road soon after.

Roger Parr, who pulled the body of 79-year-old Havelock North man Jeremiah Henley from the surf at Ranaika with a friend on Saturday, spotted an officer on speed camera duty just minutes from Ocean Beach after being told police were not available after a 40-minute wait.

Ocean Beach Kiwi Surf Patrol was on the scene before Mr Parr, of Napier, and his friend had pulled Mr Henley out.

The Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter also responded - taking the body away when they learned police were not coming.

"We waited 40 minutes for the police to come and do their part. Nobody was available to come to the scene of an unexplained death, or to get an account of what had taken place," Mr Parr said.

He thought police must have been busy dealing with essential matters elsewhere, but then saw a police officer with a speedgun about 3km from the scene of the drowning - at the Ocean Beach Road intersection with Waimarama Road.

"I was distressed to see this policeman sitting there in his car and pointing his little speedgun down the road," Mr Parr, patient care co-ordinator at Cranford Hospice, said.

"How can it be that the death of a person is downgraded to such a point of insignificance that it does not warrant any response from the police because they are too busy trying to hand out fines up the road?"

He did not hear from police until Monday, when an officer asked him to go to the Hastings police station and give his statement.

"It would seem that, increasingly, the only way to access any service from the police is to drive at 111km per hour on the open road."

Hastings area commander Inspector Dean Clifford said given the circumstances and staff available he was "happy with how the police staff dealt with this very unfortunate event".

The officer Mr Parr saw was a Road Policing Group member dealing with a crash on Ocean Beach Road, which was experiencing heavy traffic.

"Deployment of resources are made based on the information at hand and, unfortunately, at times those decisions may not meet the expectations of the people involved."

Mr Clifford did not supply details of the crash. A Hastings firestation spokesperson told Hawke's Bay Today that the fire service did not attend any crash in Ocean Beach Road that afternoon.

Mr Henley, a widower, was to be farewelled today at St Luke's Anglican Church in Havelock North.

**merv** · 22nd January 2005, 07:53

Its time the politicians woke up to this stupidity. Driving down the Porirua motorway a couple of days ago I see an HP with his laser gun and then just down the road were two more HP parked off on the grass parked farmer style RH door to RH door just having a yarn out their windows. All this on a quiet weekday on the road. We don't need this overkill.

When HP didn't exist and the Police concentrated on real work with a bit of HP thrown in they certainly had more of my respect. Not these days.

**Will** · 22nd January 2005, 07:57

Very unfortunate but it looks like the Officer wasn't trained for other police work.
And that's the way it goes.
You know that the speed camera vans are manned with contract staff, not police.
Do you know that ACC have paid the government for the STOP buses that do the drink driving tests and that they have also paid for so many man hours of police time on those buses. So if a buglary happens near a STOP bus, the staff (theoretically) wont do anything else but the bus.
And that's the way it goes.