Fatal flaws

THE FIRST principle of policing is crime prevention. Public relations are vital. Community co-operation was demonstrated by some Kawhia passers-by, but an estimated crowd of 80 watched. Why? Was this a racial incident? The lone rural constable was let down by his bosses whose back up was the Kawhia Volunteer Fire Brigade. Why was this police officer allowed to proceed without accompanying support? Intelligence should have indicated that the youth to be arrested would have been a problem. This incident profile – alcohol, drugs and known to police – arose in late December in Dargaville and Huntly. Lessons should have been heeded. Not addressing these warnings will result in police fatalities. IN REGARD to the incident where a lone officer was dispossessed of his pistol and Taser and beaten, Police Association murmurings to be armed are ill conceived. More than five decades ago I graduated from a British Army small arms school as a weapons instructor at aged 20, then an NCO on frontline anti-terrorist duties operating in highly trained, armed, foot patrols into hostile urban and rural territory on search and arrest operations, with immediate back up on call. No arrests should be undertaken by a lone police officer, armed or not, especially in rural areas where large amounts of guns are owned legally and illegally. That irresponsible policy is what the Police Association should be focusing on for its members’ safety. THE ATTACK on Constable Perry Griffin at Kawhia, and others like it raise obvious question: why can’t we have a force of part-time, but fully trained police to supplement sole charge rural police and other understaffed communities? The commissioner points out that ‘‘twinning’’ sole charge stations with a second officer, is not a full solution because the ‘‘twin’’ may be on leave or elsewhere. It was good enough for our police to promote this model in the Solomons, when law and order had broken down in isolated villages. There they were removing, not escalating, the use of guns. It is also an ‘‘amateur’’ part-time but trained and uniformed group who tipped the scales in Kawhia. Let’s have real world solutions rather than misuse of these events to push an Americanised gun culture. Numbers at the critical moment clearly count. The bullies know that. Police officers on the ground do too. New Zealanders they are ripping off. Any moron who thinks this lady is a ‘‘hero’’ really needs to wake up to reality. I READ this article and I take huge exception with the fraudster saying she ripped off the Government. She did not rip off the Government, she ripped off the hard-working taxpayers. There are many people serving jail time for ripping off the system for far less than what she got away with, and how do they feel knowing that they are locked up while she is on home detention. I am also surprised that the prosecutors did not appeal this lenient sentence. She deserves to do jail time, despite her age.