NZ Police public image

[spudchucka]

How much range time/ testing/whateveritiscalled do you guys have to pass before you are allowed to use a firearm?

A weeks training at the police college, then annual re-certification by way of a qualification shoot. Also get a lot of training days that cover shoot - don't shoot scenarios.

[mikey]

when you shoot some (don Brash voice ""not the MMMAAAAAARRRRRIIIIISSSSS"") mari guy in waitara who is causing trouble instead of waiting for a dog squad that is on the way.... can i tell the newsd it was constable spud? an that can be your code name cause u will have name supppression until some cool cunt leaks it on air... even though its not supressed in america?

[spudchucka]

when you shoot some (don Brash voice ""not the MMMAAAAAARRRRRIIIIISSSSS"") mari guy in waitara who is causing trouble instead of waiting for a dog squad that is on the way.... can i tell the newsd it was constable spud? an that can be your code name cause u will have name supppression until some cool cunt leaks it on air... even though its not supressed in america?

Tell them whatever you want Obi Wan.

[justsomeguy]

A weeks training at the police college, then annual re-certification by way of a qualification shoot. Also get a lot of training days that cover shoot - don't shoot scenarios.

A weeks training? No wonder you guys don't get to carry guns (which is a good thing).......

I'm guessing the fellas in the armed offenders squad get a bit more than a week to figure out which end points where......

[Clockwork]

Thats a definiate possibility but people love to moan about something and if the branches were separated they would probably just moan equally about MOT and police.

Nah...... most of us would never have any contact with the Police and it would be a lot harder to bitch about your priorites. (MOT never were too popular though.)

Preventing fatal and serious injury crashes saves the country billions, money that can be spent on other health services, education, better roading etc etc. There are always more sides to a story than the one you might think is the most obvious.

Here I go again but......
I have real difficulty with the bean-counters figures reguarding the "costs" of road accidents. Are they assuming that if all accidents stopped tomorrow that we could then make large numbers of emrgency service staff & facilites redundant?. Or do we just lose all those support workers and road repairers and ACC employees.... but then these peoples redundancy would become a drain on the economy!

Society needs jobs. Maybe society needs accidents..... just not too many.

In anycase I can't accept that the actual costs come anywhere close to the figures that get published. (I sometimes wonder if the people who come up with these figures couldn't be beter employed also)

[DrDee]

Preventing fatal and serious injury crashes saves the country billions, money that can be spent on other health services, education, better roading etc etc. There are always more sides to a story than the one you might think is the most obvious.

Yet with all the new money-making.... ahhh..... road-safe policies like ticket quotas and speed cameras, I have noticed that drastic shift downwards in serious accidents and death.... NOT!!

[Mongoose]

Yet with all the new money-making.... ahhh..... road-safe policies like ticket quotas and speed cameras, I have noticed that drastic shift downwards in serious accidents and death.... NOT!!

And if road safety measures were not taken, what would those tallies be? For every safe driver/rider there is more dickheads who do not want to recognise their lack of ability and who would sooner volunteer extra taxes to the Gov.

[DrDee]

A weeks training at the police college, then annual re-certification by way of a qualification shoot. Also get a lot of training days that cover shoot - don't shoot scenarios.

So you are saying the average New Zealand farmer and even I have had more firearms experience than most police....SCARY!

[Mongoose]

So you are saying the average New Zealand farmer and even I have had more firearms experience than most police....SCARY!

Who takes you for the "shoot/dont shoot" training and where do you do this?

[DrDee]

And if road safety measures were not taken, what would those tallies be? For every safe driver/rider there is more dickheads who do not want to recognise their lack of ability and who would sooner volunteer extra taxes to the Gov.

My point is the road tolls have not changed since before these policies were implemented, in fact last year we had the highest death toll since the early/mid eighties where it peaked, if I recall correctly. Will adding more cameras help? Revenue maybe. Will more quotas help? I think not, it will just mean there are less resources to stop actual criminals. Although the cash injections will make the books look good, I would still rather see violent crime and theft given a much higher priority (what are we at 7 murders allready this year? There is just no 'fear' factor to stop criminals).

[Mongoose]

My point is the road tolls have not changed since before these policies were implemented, in fact last year we had the highest death toll since the early/mid eighties where it peaked, if I recall correctly. Will adding more cameras help? Revenue maybe. Will more quotas help? I think not, it will just mean there are less resources to stop actual criminals. Although the cash injections will make the books look good, I would still rather see violent crime and theft given a much higher priority (what are we at 7 murders allready this year? There is just no 'fear' factor to stop criminals).

Compare apples with apples though, what was the NZ population in the 80's, what is it now? What is the distance covered by vehicle now compared to then? Would the roads be any or more safe with out these "revenue gathering" tools?

[spudchucka]

A weeks training? No wonder you guys don't get to carry guns (which is a good thing).......

I'm guessing the fellas in the armed offenders squad get a bit more than a week to figure out which end points where......

A week doesn't sound like much but I've not come across anyone that I would consider to be incompetent with a firearm yet.

The AOS guys get heaps more training.

[spudchucka]

My point is the road tolls have not changed since before these policies were implemented, in fact last year we had the highest death toll since the early/mid eighties where it peaked, if I recall correctly.

You don't recall correctly at all, you should check your facts before spouting off.

Last year the toll was 435, down from 461 in 2003 but sadly up from the all time low in 2002 of 404. In 1990 the road toll was over 700 and it has been declining steadily up until the sharp increase in 2003, thankfully the downwards trend is again evident.

See the attachments below and educate yourself.

[spudchucka]

Who takes you for the "shoot/dont shoot" training and where do you do this?

There are specialist defensive tactics and arms trainers that facilitate the training. It is usually done on the firing range, scenarios are set up in old buildings, public place environments etc.

[Sniper]

The AOS guys get heaps more training.

Thats because its part of their job and life. JSG, I would just check your facts before allegations. Within a weeks training alot of cops can shoot bloody well, I have been there, seen it and done it, and Ive done training with training AOS.

Hectic