Police ‘used spies at Exit meetings’
The founder of Exit International believes police are using the elderly to pose as new members and infiltrate euthanasia meetings across the country.
‘‘There were a number of new persons who were at the (Lower Hutt) meeting who didn’t socialise, who made people a little concerned,’’ Exit International founder and director Philip Nitschke said.
‘‘We think it’s happening in other chapters across New Zealand.’’
The claims follow confirmation from Wellington police that they set up a checkpoint near the meeting in an effort to obtain names and addresses of Exit International members – confessions made only after members approached media with concerns that they were under surveillance.
But after Karori woman Wilhelmina Irving, 76, had a visit from police after leaving early and not passing through the checkpoint, organisers believe their must have been spies at the meeting.
‘‘There were obviously more sources of information than the questions at the roadblock,’’ Nitschke said.
Both Irving and Nitschke believed police were recording number plates of cars parked outside the meeting and looking up the registered owners’ addresses.
Irving had taken a friend to the meeting, yet the friend never received a visit from police.
‘‘The person who visited knew exactly what was said in the meeting,’’ Irving said.
Lawyers have labelled the checkpoint unlawful, while another has said it was probably a breach of police powers.
Nitshcke is considering legal action against police over what he’s labelled ‘‘bizarre’’ behaviour.
Exit International has branches in the Netherlands, UK, USA, Australia, and New Zealand.
‘‘We haven’t had this behaviour anywhere else in the world,’’ he said.
‘‘Perhaps police could make a case if you were infiltrating some sort of criminal organisation, but this is not a criminal organisation.
‘‘It really is quite bizarre, this idea that police should be running around keeping people safe from suicide. We keep telling people – suicide is not a crime.
‘‘All of these issues lead me to think police have a skewed view of what the law says.’’
Police were asked to confirm whether they had an informant or officer in the meeting on November 2, whether they recorded number plates of cars parked outside the meeting and whether they used the number plates to obtain addresses of people and visit them.
‘‘While we understand there are questions about the investigation, we are unable to respond while that investigation is ongoing,’’ Wellington City Area Commander Chris Bensemann said.
He said any visits made by police were ‘‘for welfare reasons and to provide advice and points of contact to the individuals for other agencies should they choose to do so’’.
Bensemann also reiterated that the investigation is ‘‘regarding individuals allegedly involved in the serious criminal offence of aiding and abetting suicide’’.