Notes On Part 2

Comment

Perhaps there needs to be a debate about whether there needs to be centralised policing from Wellington rather than regional or district level policing with the local police head reporting to the district mayor who would also fund policing activity in that locality. That way policing is in the hands of the local people and not the crown. The mayor is elected and thus can appoint the police head (or perhaps the police head should also be elected by the people)for the district on behalf of the people. That would be true democratic policing.

Comment

It would also be a recipe for confusion, inconsistency, corruption and crime -- as can be seen in many jurisdictions where 'local' police forces exist. The problem is not that the police force is controlled by the Crown (simply a legal fiction), but that it is controlled by the police! The challenge is to get greater civilian control of the police force and its operations, without risking political interference in police decisions and actions. Perhaps the Commissioner (and a supporting group of top managers) should be appointed from outside the force?

Comment

Unless the crown wish to pay for the police it should be serving the tax payer or the people.

Comment

A government governs all of the nation regardless of the percentages in an election. That is what a democracy is all about. As for confusion and corruption, this is our chance to enshrine clear policy for a way forward in policing for future generations that is in the hands of the people (taxpayers) and at a level people in localities think they need. This is about enforcement of national law and it could well be that a mix of private security companies and police (which happens now) could be the most beneficial and cost effective way of law enforcement. This is our chance to change the way business is done in law enforcement in NZ.

Comment

Anyone who is susceptible to cod-Orwellian slogans like "true democratic policing" should not ideally be in a position to directly influence the management of a police force. What does it mean?

Comment

I do not think this is a good idea, for these reasons:

Incidentally, the poster above confuses "democracy" and "mob-rule".

Comment

To my mind there are 4 big issues facing policing in NZ.

The first is police safety. The second is public trust in the police including police integrity. The third is weakness of the law and the so called legal technicalities of the law. The fourth is police are so busy that the smaller issues are not dealt with resulting with the petty criminals encouraged to become greater criminals.

1 - Police safety is paramount as is the public safety. The police for their own protection need tazers but until the police can be trusted to use them they must not be issued with them. It is the same principal as when police dog handlers set their dogs onto a captured prisoner just to give the dog some practice or when police prisoners that are handcuffed. The police must be above reproach before being given weapons.

2 - The police must open their inside investigations to a public body, even if it is in conjunction with the Police Complaints Authority. No entity can be trusted to investigate themselves. Why not let the criminals investigate themselves! The police will never be trusted while they investigate themselves.

3 - I simply have no answers to the problems of the law being weak.

4 - This issue is tied up with the previous one. Simply put, the paper work needs to be able to be reduced. When I was in the fire brigade we were involved mainly with vehicle accidents. We tried to have the traffic flowing quickly after arriving on the scene but after emergency items were dealt with. Now there is no consideration for traffic. No traffic moves until every conceivable measurement, photo and item is attended to. It seems that the police are so frightened to miss something and thereby get caned by an opposing solicitor that everyone else has to be inconvenienced by it. I don't blame the police for this but the way the law is. What I am saying is that the law needs to be improved and have a practical side to it so that the police can be practical.