The Voice of Police
VOLUME 42 • NUMBER 7 • AUGUST 2009
Shooting from the
hip – is it time for
an arming debate?
■ A DAY IN THE LIFE OF COMMS
■ COURT PROCESS LEGISLATION EXPECTED NEXT YEAR
■ THE GREAT ARMING DEBATE – WHERE DO YOU STAND?
PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
The Voice of Police
VOLUME 42 • NUMBER 7 • AUGUST 2009
NZ Police Association Police News is the magazine of
the New Zealand Police Association and incorporates the
New Zealand Police Journal first published in 1937.
August 2009, Vol. 42, No.7
ISSN 1175-9445
Deadline for next issue Friday, August 14, 2009.
169
COMMS OVERCOMING BARRIERS
Published by the New Zealand Police Association
P.O. Box 12344, Willbank House, 57 Willis Street, Wellington.
Phone: (04) 496 6800, Facsmile: (04) 471 1309
Email: editor@policeassn.org.nz
Website: www.policeassn.org.nz
Printed by City Print Communications, Wellington.
Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the
Association.
COPYRIGHT: NZPA Police News must not be reproduced in
part or as a whole without the formal consent of the copyright
holder - the New Zealand Police Association.
Contents
From the President
167
Nominations for Vice-President of the NZ Police Association
167
New criminal procedure legislation expected by late 2010
168
A day in the life of The Police Communications Centres
175
POLITICAL BARRIERS STYMIE ARMING DEBATE
Copper’s crossword
170
Police staff receive honours
171
Is your Revocable Nomination Form up to date?
172
Obituary: Alfred Edwardson (Life Member)
173
Realising the value of Mum
174
Memorial Wall
174
Arming: A debate whose time has come?
183
AGE NO BARRIER
• Front page: To be (armed) or not to be (armed) – that is
the question? (With relevant apologies to Shakespeare).
It’s a serious issue for policing and even more so in light
of the fact that six police officers have been shot in the
last year - two fatally. Police Association President Greg
O’Connor is calling for the politics to be removed from the
issue and for some debate to take place on whether police
should be routinely armed. See page 175.
- Photo courtesy of The Dominion Post.
166
July 2009
169/70
175/78
View from the bottom/Holiday home availability chart
179
Free Roadside Assist with your car insurance
180
CPNZ wins award/New retailers for Member Discounts Programme
180
Home buying hints from The National Bank
181
Keen on Wine/Useful information and contacts
182
Sports News
183/5
Letters to the Editor
186/7
Bob shows the youngsters
how it’s done…page 184
New Zealand Police Association
The arming issue
This month’s Police News features a
series of articles around the subject of
Police access to firearms.
In a year when six of our colleagues
have been shot, two fatally, it is not
a topic which can be swept aside in
a media sound bite or other general
communication, especially when half
of us now believe police should be
generally armed.
The Police Association endeavours to be
well informed on all aspects of policing
to ensure any statements we make come
from a well informed position; one we
are confident represents the views of
the relevant group of our members.
Due to the specialised nature of many
parts of our large organisation, it is
important that the views of the people
most affected by any proposed change
be isolated and weighted accordingly.
That’s what makes the views of frontline
police, those most vulnerable and in
contact with the public, of significance
in any decision-making.
As this month’s survey results show, a
majority of our frontliners now want
to be armed, or have better access to
firearms.
We fully accept there are many factors,
which need to be taken into account, as
they were in the Northern Territory of
Australia, the last Australian Force to
generally arm, and in the Norwegian
Police, the only force on mainland
Europe, which remains unarmed. I
recently visited Norway to ensure we can
put their situation into the right context.
We can. In fact the four Scandinavian
countries, as national forces policing
“The Norwegians reached their compromise of having
every patrol car equipped with firearms in safes
beside the driver after considerable debate. This was
after just one officer was killed when police were
outgunned during a robbery.”
countries with small populations but
large land areas, whose main criminal
groups are Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs,
are much more like our own than a lot
of other countries we tend to emulate.
The Norwegians reached their compromise
of having every patrol car equipped with
firearms in safes beside the driver after
considerable debate. This was after just
one officer was killed when police were
outgunned during a robbery.
We need that debate here, not silly
responses like “if we arm the crims
will arm” or “most cops are shot with
their own weapon” both easily refutable
statements.
Of course, very significant is the fact
that the majority of the public is now
happy to see their police armed.
I don’t necessarily agree with one
member’s statement that police
funerals are preferable politically to
police shootings but I understand the
sentiment and frustration expressed.
in many districts but luckily not in
Hawke’s Bay.
It just showed the call to arms can
come at any time in policing and now
is no time to be squeamish or overly
cautious in fully assessing the response
capability of police; a police, which is
being assaulted and shot at more than
ever before. It is certainly no time to be
reducing the number of officers who will
be trained, as is the current proposal.
Let’s at least have the discussion and see
if there may even be a Norwegian-style
compromise, which matches the needs
of frontline policing with the status
quo being advocated by some decision
makers.
Otherwise we are left asking the
obvious question; how many of us will
it take to be shot and shot at before
we are prepared to review our arming
policies?
Many of the first police on the scene
of Len Snee’s shooting in Napier were
‘day workers’, exempted from training
Election notice:
Nominations for Vice-President
of the NZ Police Association
Nominations close at 5 p.m. on Tuesday 22 September 2009,
and should be sent to:
Rule 89 of the Association Rules allows any member of the Association
to nominate any other member for election to the position of President or
one of two Vice-President positions.
Mr Chris Pentecost
National Secretary
NZ Police Association
P.O. Box 12344, Wellington.
Another member must second all nominations.
Nomination forms are available from:
The term of each of these positions is for three years, with one election
held every year.
This year, one of the two Vice-President positions is open for election.
The term of office for this role will be from October 2009 until October
2012.
Ms Karen Gibson
Senior Executive Assistant
NZ Police Association
PO Box 12344, Wellington.
Conference delegates will elect the Vice-President at the Association’s
Annual Conference on Wednesday October 14, 2009.
August 2009
167
PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
Legislation to speed up court processes
expected by the end of next year
The Government’s proposed reforms of the
criminal justice sector are taking shape.
The Criminal Procedure (Simplification)
Project includes a range of initiatives
to improve timeliness and efficiency in
criminal court cases.
The median waiting time for District Court
trials is one year while in the High Court it
is just over 16 months.
Mr Power said that a complete overhaul of
criminal procedure is long overdue.
Reform of legislation
“The time has come to reform legislation
in a way that ensures all parties in the
criminal justice system are better served by
improving efficiency, reducing delay and
costs, and better using technology where
appropriate. We need to reconsider some
of the traditional practices of the court
system,” he said.
The Criminal Procedure (Simplification)
Project is being undertaken to address a
number of long-standing inefficiencies and
issues with pre-trial criminal procedure,
including:
• Repeated adjournments;
• Unnecessary appearances to deal with
matters that should have been addressed
out of court;
• Late guilty pleas that result in inefficient
use of court time;
• Trials that fail to proceed on their
scheduled date;
• Inadequate incentives and sanctions to
ensure that prosecution and defence
progress the case as they should;
• Long delays before the final disposal of
cases;
• A trial system in which relatively minor
cases may be tried by jury;
• Barriers to the use of modern
technologies and an excessively paperbased process; and
• An excessively complex and outdated
legislative framework.
Mr Power said that such issues create
inefficiency and cause inconvenience and
fail to deliver justice to victims, witnesses,
and others in the community.
Proposals
The proposals include:
• Requiring parties to discuss cases in an
attempt to resolve them, so unnecessary
court appearances can be avoided and
trial time can be shortened;
• Changing the process to determine
whether jury trials are held in the High
Court or the District Court;
• Requiring the defence to identify issues
in dispute so the court can focus on
those issues at trial;
• Removing the prosecution’s ability
to choose a jury trial for something
that could go to summary trial, and
potentially raising the jury trial threshold
from more than three months to more
than three years (or more);
• Making clearer rules for proceeding in
the absence of the defendant; and
• Introducing legislation to enable
the different participants in criminal
proceedings to appear by audio-visual
link.
Hoped for results
It is hoped that the changes will result in less
delay, fewer adjournments, shorter trials, a
more satisfactory process for victims and
witnesses, and increased efficiencies within
the Justice system.
Consultation papers have been released to
stakeholders, and a draft Bill will be released
for consultation at the end of this year, before
a final draft is developed for introduction. It
is hoped legislation will be enacted by the
end of 2010.
Consultation papers on a number of critical
issues being considered under the project are
available on the Ministry of Justice website
www.justice.govt.nz/Simplification-Project/
Criminal-procedure.html
Burial ‘plot’ sees women charged with fraud
A resident of Hawthorne, California bought
life insurance policies on people who did
not exist, held fake funerals and cashed in
the plans when they “died,” according to a
report in The Daily Breeze.
Faye Shilling, 60, and her alleged
accomplice, Jean Crump, 67, of Los Angeles,
are suspected of defrauding insurance and
assignment firms of about $1 million during
a three-year con, authorities said. They had
allegedly run the scheme for three years.
A notary and a cemetery owner have already
offered guilty pleas as being accessories in
the alleged plot.
$10,000 bail
FBI agents arrested Shilling and Crump
recently. The women made their initial
appearances before a magistrate in U.S.
District Court in Los Angeles and were
released on $10,000 bail.
They faced a five-count indictment alleging
mail and wire fraud and other charges.
If convicted, they face about 20 years in
prison.
According to the indictment, Shilling and
Crump purchased life insurance policies for
two people - “Jim Davis” and “Laura Urich.”
168
August 2009
For Jim Davis, the women obtained
a $250,000 policy from Conseco Life
Insurance Company in Carmel, Indiana, and
a $450,000 policy from American General
Life Insurance in Houston. Chesapeake Life
Insurance Co. in Oklahoma City issued
a policy for Urich with a face value of
$50,000.
Fake death certificates
The women allegedly then waited for the
policies to mature. When they did, Shilling,
Crump and their co-schemers prepared
false death documents, including fake death
certificates.
In addition to the insurance companies,
they filed the documents with financial
assignment companies. These companies
advance funds to pay for funeral expenses in
exchange for a fee and reimbursement when
a deceased person’s life insurance pays off.
In Davis’ “death,” the women purchased
a burial plot at Abbey Memorial Park in
Compton and held a sham funeral.
Bill for $31,000
Shilling, Crump and Lydia Eileen-Pearce,
owner of Steward-Pearce Mortuary in Long
Beach, wired a bill to Jackman Financial for
nearly $31,000 in funeral and related burial
costs, even though they had grossly inflated
the costs for a “sham funeral with a nonexistent corpse,” the indictment said.
Based on the fake death certificate, the
life insurance company paid more than
$232,000 into a beneficiary bank account.
Exhumation
After the staged funeral, the women filed
documents to exhume the “body,” and filed
faked documents with the county to indicate
Davis had been cremated.
The women feared that if law enforcement
or insurance investigators ever caught wind
of the ruse, they would find an empty casket,
authorities said.
In the case of Urich, the women allegedly
conducted a similar plot, creating fake
documents. This time, they held a fake
cremation, according to the indictment.
Insurance and funeral assignment companies
paid out checks ranging from $5,000 to
$45,000, the affidavit said.
The indictment also alleges that the women
approached a physician and offered him
$50,000 to help create fake medical records
for Davis.
New Zealand Police Association
POLICE COMMUNICATIONS CENTRES
By Deb Stringer, Communications Assistant
Ever since the external review
of the Police Communication
Centres in 2005, Police have
committed themselves to
making their communication
systems more effective and
efficient.
A recent trip to the Central Communications
Centre in Wellington demonstrated
that Police have made positive steps in
maintaining this commitment.
As Police communicator Penny answers a
111 call a distressed caller tells her: “Could
you hurry, my Dad has lost it, he’s become
violent.”
Penny calmly asks the young man to
“stay with her” while she gathers more
information.
As Penny works a series of maps, other
relevant programmes flash up on to her two
computer screens, allowing her to quickly
locate the caller’s area.
She immediately confirms the location
with the caller and sends the initial details
through to the dispatcher so a patrol car can
start heading to the ‘Priority 1’ incident.
Safety issue
As the call continues, Penny manages to calm
the young caller so she can obtain further
details. She asks if there are any weapons
present. She knows it is vital to get as much
relevant information as possible to ensure the
job is given the appropriate level of response
and so attending staff are kept safe.
This is just one of the nearly 700,000
emergency 111 calls that the Police
Communication Centres deal with each year.
Communications Centre staff endeavour
to answer 90% of these calls within 10
seconds. Last year, they met and exceeded
this target in 96% of cases.
• The Palmerston North dispatcher works on allocating units to jobs out of the Wellington
Communications Centre.
In 2008, they received 953,170 general
calls, which include calls to *555 and the
Crime Reporting Line.
Where are they?
In total, around 1.7 million calls are spread
amongst three Police Communication
Centres - Northern Communications in
Auckland, Central Communications in
Wellington and Southern Communications in
Christchurch.
Auckland is the biggest centre and during
the 2008 calendar year fielded 870,000
False, accidental and hoax calls
Of all the 111 calls received initially by
Telecom, 64% are deemed to be nongenuine including accidental misdials,
hang-ups, children playing with the phone
and cellphones being bumped in pockets
and bags.
Below are some examples of 111 calls that
waste Police time:
• A three-year-old boy called 111 to say
it wasn’t him who stole the chair at
kindy, it was another boy.
• A very drunk male call 111 and, when
asked what his emergency was, stated:
“Oh….um….I’m in love!” He then said
he’d better hang up.
• A woman rang to say she had a
spider in the bath and required Police
attendance to remove it.
• A man called 111 to say there were two
hedgehogs fighting outside his house.
• A man called 111 to complain that the
firewood he had ordered did not fit in
his firebox.
• Students occasionally call 111 when
they get lost on campus.
• A woman called 111 to report a mouse
in her house.
• A bride dialled 111 on her day for
emergency help because she had
spilled oil on her wedding dress.
• A man phoned 111 to say he was
drunk and hungry and then requested a
pizza.
• Another woman rang 111 to say that
the tap in the bathroom was leaking
and could Police recommend a good
plumber.
August 2009
169
PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
general and 111 calls. Wellington took
386,000, while Christchurch received the
remaining 384,000.
All three centres have complete business
continuity plans and back-up capability,
which means if one of them goes down,
the other two centres can compensate by
picking up the overload.
Five hundred and thirty-one staff work
across the three centres with roles
consisting of communicators, dispatchers,
section managers, team leaders, shift
commanders, workforce analysts and
administrative support.
Police communicators deal with calls about
burglaries, family violence, disputes, fights
and disorder, vehicle crashes, armed
robberies, search and rescue operations,
homicides, dangerous driving, missing
children, civil disputes and thefts, to name
just some of the events they respond to.
• A communicator takes calls at the Wellington Communications Centre.
Communicators find out what’s happening
and where, make the initial assessment
of the priority of the job, enter the details
into the computer system and send the
information through to the dispatchers who
are responsible for getting Police units to
attend the incident.
The dispatcher’s primary role is to help
co-ordinate the Police response to an
emergency.
Intercad to allow better emergency services communication
Police are set to introduce an electronic
information sharing system called Intercad,
which will link Police, Fire and Ambulance
services.
The project, known as Go Live, has been
developed over the last 18 months and was due
to go live as this article was being prepared.
Currently, Police and Fire have linking
systems but Ambulance has a separate
service, though they liaise closely in
emergency situations.
Intergraph (Police /Fire) and SDSI (Ambulance)
have been developing a number of technical
solutions during the life of the project to
facilitate information sharing.
Streamlining
The Intercad system will assist through:
• A more timely and informative
communication being sent between the
three emergency services;
• An easier method for sending the
information. The process of "copying
the event" to send, involves only one
keyboard stroke as opposed to the
current system (associate event), which
requires 11 key strokes;
• A verifiable (documented) record of
information that is sent;
• Encouraging a closer working relationship
between the three emergency services;
and
1
Clues:
Across:
2. The forming of an opinion, idea or
conclusion (9)
8. Say at chicken tasting? (5)
9. A marked increase with pendulum (7)
10. Had a look around new environment (10)
12. A particular period of time (5)
14. Japanese food (5)
15.Caught baby goat asleep (10)
18. Manacles; handcuffs (British slang)
19. Ogle at a group of steps (5)
20. Swim event (9)
July answers:
Across:
1. Acid
3. Educated
9. Dilemma
10. Mends
11. Testimonials
170
Down:
1. Have too much paperwork in winter more likely?
(slang) (2,6,5)
2. Throw excess load overboard (8)
3. Senior member (5)
4. School teachers perhaps?(13)
5. Inclined to drink to excess: intoxicated, tipsy. (7)
6. Extra time for extra hard work? (4)
7. Stole (slang) (13)
11. At times ate together, I guess (8)
13. Item that holds in place (4,3)
16. Insipid looking (5)
17. Semi (4)
2
• Possibly leading to other areas of shared
communication processing and capability.
Common jargon
Another spin-off of the project will be
establishing a common ‘jargon’ list between
all three agencies so that incident codes are
common to all three services.
Under the Intercad system, Police
dispatchers will be the only ones to do
requests for assistance to the other two
services. The communicator would enter
the event/incident and forward it to the
relevant dispatchers, who would then be
responsible for copying the event to Fire
and/or Ambulance.
3
8
4
5
9
10
11
12
13
15
14
16
17
13. Offset
15. Caddie
17. Battlefields
20. Micro
21. Conquer
22. Guessing
August 2009
23. Shed
Down:
1. Audition
2. Isles
4. Dragon
5. Combinations
6. Tangled
7. Dash
8. Ambidextrous
12. Censored
14. Fiancee
16. Beacon
18. Laugh
19. Smog
6
18
19
20
7
New Zealand Police Association
What happens when Police answer a call
1. You call 111 and the Telecom operator will ask you which service you require
– Ambulance, Fire or Police. After determining you need Police, the operator
connects you to a Police Communications Centre.
2. A Police communicator receives your 111 call and determines what action is
necessary e.g. if a patrol car needs to respond, whether other emergency services
need to attend etc.
3. The Police communicator then relays this information to the dispatcher and the
dispatcher will contact units to see who is available to respond to the job. The
dispatcher keeps in constant contact with the unit during the course of the unit’s
attendance and updates information for other police that may be required to
attend, as well as making sure that the officers are safe.
4. The information is relayed to Police units, who are then sent out to the incident.
5. Police arrive.
Police staff receive honours
• Several police staff received a variety of Honours from the Governor-General recently.
Pictured from left to right at the investiture are: Constable John Ward, Porirua (Queen’s
Service Medal), Assistant Commissioner Jon White, Deputy Commissioner Rob Pope, Gavin
McFadyen, Wellington, (Queen’s Service Orders), Sergeant Kevin Stewart, Napier (QSM),
Superintendent Brett England, North Shore, (Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit),
Detective Inspector Bruce Good, Auckland (QSM).
- Photo courtesy of Antony Paltridge.
NOTICE OF AGMS:
Police Association Conference in
Wellington from 14-16 October
This year’s NZ Police Association
Conference will be held from Wednesday
14 October to Friday 16 October at the
James Cook Hotel, Wellington.
The Police and Families Credit Union
and the Police Welfare Fund will hold
their respective AGMs on Wednesday 14
October at the same venue. The PFCU
AGM will take place between 11 and
11.45 a.m. and the Welfare Fund meeting
between 11.45 and 12.30 p.m.
Have you moved
recently?
If you have moved or perhaps are about to,
please let us know so we can update your
records. You can do this by:
• writing to us at PO Box 12344;
• calling us on free phone 0800 500 122;
• faxing us on (04) 496 6819; or
• Emailing us at: membership@
policeassn.org.nz
YOU NEED TO LET US KNOW YOUR
MEMBERSHIP NUMBER, NEW ADDRESS
AND IF YOU’RE A SERVING MEMBER YOUR NEW STATION.
August 2009
171
PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
Why your Revocable Nomination
Form should be up to date
In the event of your death, whom would you like your life insurance paid to?
This is the question that haunts Police Welfare Fund Insurances for all those members
who have not provided us with a Revocable Nomination Form.
If you or your partner/spouse have any of the following:
What is a Revocable Nomination Form?
A Revocable Nomination Form allows you to decide who will be the beneficiary of
your life insurance payout in the event of your death. If you have a New Zealand
Police Sworn Group Life policy, it also asks you to provide the details of your spouse/
partner whose life will also be insured under the Spouse Death Benefit.
Why should you complete a Revocable Nomination Form?
This form is held independently from your will and estate. The policy owner (Police
Welfare Fund Insurances Limited) will pay the benefit to whomever you specify on
the form, instead of your estate.
If we do not hold a form, any benefit under the Policy will be paid to your estate.
In the absence of a will at the time of death (if you die intestate), it can take some
time to finalise estate issues. In this event, Police Welfare Fund Insurances Limited
will not be able to assist with any initial death benefit payments to your surviving
spouse/partner.
Not sure if you have completed a form?
Easy. Call our our Member Service Centre on 0800 500 122 and speak with one
of our representatives who can check if we hold a completed form for you, or
alternatively you can go to the Members Only website on www.policeassn.org.nz
with your membership number and password and you will be able to view whether
we hold a form for you.
If you haven’t already filled one in and lodged it with us we are able to Email the
forms to you upon request.
• NZ Police Association President Greg O’Connor (left) was a guest of the International
Association of Police, United States Section, New York City recently. Pictured left to
right are: Greg, IAOP President Jon Adler, Vice-President for Agency Affairs Chris
Schoppmeyer and NOAA AP Ernie Soper at the chapter meeting in Queens, New York.
172
August 2009
Try our 5 minute quiz
Okay, morning or afternoon tea break has
arrived. You have your cuppa in hand and you
and your colleagues could do with a quick
brain workout. So appoint your quizmaster and
have a go at these questions. The answers
are under the quiz (upside down, no peeking!).
1. How many Olympic gold medals did
New Zealand’s great middle distance
athlete Peter Snell win during his
career?
2. Who was the actor who played the
character Jake The Muss in the New
Zealand film “Once Were Warriors”?
3. What Australian actor played the
character Mad Max in the Mad Max
films?
4. What is the capital of Norway?
5. He was born in 1642 – the year Galileo
died. He became the greatest English
mathematician of his time. Who was
he?
6. What is the closest planet to the sun?
7. The well-known board game Chinese
Checkers is a direct descendant of
another game that was invented
in Victorian times. What is it? (A)
Draughts. (B) Halma. (C) Ludo. (D) Mah
Jong.
8. One modern nation has Latin as it’s
official language. Which nation is it?
9. What does the prefix micro mean?
10. The composer Mozart embarked on
a major concert tour when he was
only six years of age. In keeping
with the fashion of the time, which
of the following accessories did he
wear while performing during those
concerts? (A) A kilt. (B) A sword
(C) A wig (D) High-heeled shoes.
Scoring: 0-2 – Hmmn, room for significant
improvement (perhaps next month). 3-5 Not
bad, better luck next time. 6-7 – Good effort.
8 – Very good. 9 – Excellent. 10 – Wipe your
nose, take a bow and go to the top of the
class Einstein.
Answers: 1. Three. 2. Temuera Morrison.
3. Mel Gibson. 4. Oslo. 5. Isaac Newton.
6. Mercury. 7. Halma. 8. The Vatican
City, the smallest country in the world. 9.
One millionth. 10. A sword.
Sworn Group Life
Non-Sworn Group Life
Life Insurance Extra
Then you need to make sure that Police Welfare Insurances holds a current Revocable
Nomination Form for each policy.
New Zealand Police Association
Obituary:
Alfred Fairclough Edwardson 1916-2009 (Life Member)
Police Association Life Member, Alfred
Fairclough Edwardson, will always be
remembered as someone who stood for
what he believed in, even if it meant going
against the grain.
Never was this trait more evident than
when Mr Edwardson was championing
for the rights of Association members.
Mr Edwardson served in the NZ Police
for 26 years and 3 months and in 1977
received a Life Membership from the
Association.
Life Membership is only bestowed on
members who have made significant
contributions to Police Association
members from a national perspective.
Mr Edwardson’s time working with the
Association was definitely testament to
this.
During his early involvement he became
the Auckland District Secretary in 1960.
Presence
He soon made his presence felt,
encouraging the then secretary of the
Association to talk to the Commissioner
of Police about changing what he
considered an outdated style of Victorian
era policing. This discussion resulted in
an internal inquiry, which was eventually
made public.
While holding this position, Mr
Edwardson also wrote numerous letters
to the Police Journal (now the Police News)
championing the interests of members.
One of the most memorable issues Mr
Edwardson brought to the table was a call
for coverage of management committee
minutes, despite this going against what
the Annual Conference delegates had
previously agreed.
After winning this battle, in 1976, Mr
Edwardson moved on to the next assisting members, who as a result of a
decision by Police National Headquarters,
were in danger of being arrested if they
were deemed an overstayer under the
Immigration Act.
Most complaints received by Mr
Edwardson were against Police
management and he dubbed it Operation
Shambles. He identified the cause of
the issue as a senior member of Police
wanting to make a name for himself.
His dislike for officers, learned from his
Navy days, never disappeared.
Tireless worker
Mr Edwardson was a tireless worker on
behalf of fellow Association workers and
this was no more in evidence a year later
when he took on what was to be his most
significant battle. During the 1977 pay
round campaign he organised a meeting
at the Mt Albert War Memorial Hall to
secure a 9.9% pay increase for members.
Mr Edwardson was successful after
adopting his well-known “pull no
punches” demeanour, encouraging the
800 police officers that attended to stand
as one against President Alan Monk and
Association Secretary Bob Moodie.
Work to rule threat
He achieved this by encouraging the
officers to threaten a work to rule and
provide negative public comment, which
was aimed at deterring potential Police
recruits.
Although the issues Mr Edwardson tackled
were often controversial, it never managed
to stifle his drive to provide Association
members with fair and equal rights.
Hamish Beckett, who seconded Mr
Edwardson’s Life Membership nomination
described him as a “very strong operator”
in the area of welfare work for Association
members. Mr Edwardson was there when
members found themselves in trouble.
This strong sense of pride in his work
could still be seen many years after he had
ceased working for the Association.
• The late Alfred Edwardson, Life Member
and Police Association stalwart.
Great pride
He declined to attend the 75th Annual
Conference, which honoured Life Members,
after becoming confined to a wheelchair in
his later years. He was a man with great
pride.
Aside from working for Police, Mr
Edwardson had also enjoyed a successful
career as a Royal Marine.
In 1939 Alf saved a man from drowning
while the Achilles was in the port of Aden.
He received a Naval Board commendation
for courage.
During this time, he served on HMS
Achilles during the famed Battle of the
River Plate.
This South Atlantic battle was the first
major naval battle of World War 11 and
involved ships from the Royal Navy’s
South American Division taking on the
might of the famous German warship the
Graf Spee.
Mr Edwardson is survived by his two
daughters, Patricia and Julie.
– By Deb Stringer.
Digital mirror cameras mooted for NYPD after
officer shot dead in friendly fire incident
A cop-turned-lawmaker wants panoramic
cameras placed in all New York Police
Department police cars to investigate
incidents like the recent friendly fire killing
of Officer Omar Edwards, according to The
New York Post.
Edwards was shot while he was off-duty
and in street clothes. He was engaged in a
foot pursuit of a drug addict who had broken
into his car. Edwards had drawn his police
issue gun.
When cops approached, Edwards failed
to stop or drop the gun and turned toward
Officer Andrew Dunton, gun still in hand,
according to Police reports.
Dunton shot Edwards three times, killing
him. The circumstances are still under
investigation.
State Senator Eric Adams, a former police
officer, is now advocating for the $2,500
AV360's high-tech digital video and mirror
system, housed in the car's rear-view mirror,
saying it would help take the NYPD "out of
the eight-track age and into the iPod age."
August 2009
173
PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
Realising the
value of Mum
Once – not such a long time ago - the thinking was that a man’s
income supported the home. So, if the family was to continue to
live in the same comfort in the event of the man dying or becoming
critically ill, it was his life that needed to be insured.
Today, the reality is that whether a woman is working outside or
in the home her contributions are equally important to the running
of the home. Recently, it was reported that British Mums do nearly
NZ$72,000 worth of work around the house every year, 50% more
than men. Here in NZ, a 2001 Statistics NZ study showed women
between 25 and 44, spent on average, 57% more time a week
caring for children than men.
Working Mums
What if Mum is working? With women making up over 45% of NZ’s
labour force, even in today’s economic climate, it is now more likely
she is. The number of women bringing home more than $40,000 is
steadily increasing. Statistics taken between 1991-2001 indicated
that the number of women earning in excess of $40,000 has
quadrupled. That’s a sizeable chunk of the family income to have
to suddenly go without. Yet, according to studies both here and
overseas, women – if they have life insurance at all - are generally
underinsured and seldom covered for critical illness.
If Mum died or became critically ill, who would do what she does?
Can Dad afford to cut back his work hours to care for the kids and
home? Can he afford childcare or before and after school care?
Some general examples of ‘home help’ and caregiver fees
Full or part-time nanny
$14 - $25 per hour
Before and after school care
$26 - $30 a day per child
Babysitting fees
$7 - $15 per hour
House cleaner/ general home help
$15 - $20 per hour
Nursing care
$20 - $28 per hour
Housekeeper
$18 - $25 per hour
Live-in caregiver/housekeeper
$600 - $1,200 a week
Live-in, sole charge nanny
$165 - $250 per 24 hour day
and costly one. Often it means having to rely on one income and
a drastic change in lifestyle at one of the most stressful times in a
family’s life.
Women need insurance too or barriers to adequate family protection.
Today, women need to have insurance whether they work in or
outside of the home. After realising the true value of Mum, the next
two greatest barriers to adequately protecting the family seem to be
the perceived cost and effort involved in getting life insurance. This
is where the Police Welfare Fund can help. While many members
use our Police Life Insurance Extra cover as a top-up to their group
Police Life Insurance, over 40% of those insured under this cover are
members’ partners or spouses.
Low-cost cover
It is a very good, low-cost life cover, which can be extended to
include cover for critical illness. Staff in our Insurance Section are
there to make the process easy. Most often it’s a case of completing
one simple form.
Police Life Insurance Extra - Sample of the standard
fortnightly rates for a female non-smoker with $200,000 Life
Cover plus $100,000 Critical Illness Cover are as follows:
Age
These costs are indications only
We have to ask ourselves why, when a recent survey found
two of our greatest insurance concerns were paying the bills
and protecting our family’s income, are we so care-less about
insuring our women?
Critical illness
Without wishing to be doom and gloom merchants, the fact remains
that the cancer rate among women in New Zealand is high. The risk
of melanoma or breast cancer is among the highest in the world.
These diseases are not just affecting women in their twilight years,
but in their prime, with young or teenage children. Many of us will
know of someone with children, who has had some form of cancer.
While thankfully most recover, that road to recovery can be a long
We remember…
HEALEY Joan Shirley
JENKINSON Peter Ian
GILMOUR Sydney George
EDWARDSON Alfred Fairclough
STEWART Carole Ann
CRAMPTON Dallas
BURROWS Brian Leslie
McGREGOR Katrina Louise
GYDE Alfred Arthur Edward
BROWN Frances Elaine
174
August 2009
$200k
Life Cover
$200k Life
& $100k
Critical
Illness
Cover
$ 5.38
$ 5.24
$ 5.00
$ 5.00
$ 5.00
$ 5.08
$ 5.23
$ 5.39
$ 5.61
$ 5.70
$ 9.03
$ 9.16
$ 9.04
$ 9.20
$ 9.62
$ 9.93
$ 10.39
$ 10.89
$ 11.42
$ 11.78
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
Age
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
$200k
Life Cover
$200k Life
& $100k
Critical
Illness
Cover
$ 5.77
$ 6.15
$ 6.47
$ 6.77
$ 7.23
$ 7.69
$ 8.46
$ 9.15
$ 10.00
$ 11.08
$ 12.27
$ 13.19
$ 14.16
$ 15.34
$ 16.92
$ 18.58
$ 20.89
$ 23.30
$ 25.92
$ 28.96
These are based on the standard fortnightly rates.
For more information or to work out how much cover you might need
visit the Online Police Life Insurance Calculator on the Insurance
page of our website at: www.policeassn.org.nz or call us on 0800
500 122, 8:00am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday.
Who passed away…
14-Jan-09
9-Mar-09
7-May-09
24-Jun-09
25-Jun-09
28-Jun-09
29-Jun-09
7-Jul-09
22-Jul-09
23-Jul-09
Widow of retired member
Retired member
Retired member
Life Member
Retired member
Retired member
Retired member
Retired member
Life member
Member’s daughter
Manukau
Milford, Akld
Waikanae
Auckland
Onehunga, Akld
Porirua
Gisborne
Christchurch
Hamilton
Waitakere
New Zealand Police Association
To be (armed) or not to be (armed)?
A debate whose time has come?
By Steve Plowman, Editor, Police News
While the Police Association
is not calling for the general
arming of Police, President
Greg O’Connor is not impressed
with ‘political’ attempts to stop
any discussion on the issue.
In the last 12 months, two police officers,
Len Snee and Don Wilkinson, have died at
the hands of armed offenders while another
four officers have been shot and wounded.
Over the last two decades, the Police
Association has canvassed opinion on the
issue amongst its members and with each
passing survey the pendulum has steadily
moved in favour of general arming. Twenty
years ago about three in every four officers
were against routine arming but by 2005
that had come down to 64%. In 2007 a
survey indicated that 69% were opposed.
Police split on issue
The latest Association survey (see graph on
page 177), conducted last year by Nielsen,
indicates that members are evenly split on
the issue of general arming. In total, fortyeight percent (48%) of police employees
are in favour of general arming of police
officers while forty-seven percent (47%) are
opposed to the idea. Five percent (5%) are
undecided.
It would be fair to say that there is slightly
more reticence amongst those most likely to
have to carry firearms (constables) with 49%
opposed and 46% supportive then there is
amongst non-sworn employees wishing to
see police officers armed (50% supportive,
42% opposed).
Although the question wording was slightly
different, compared to the 2005 research,
there appears to have been a shift among
members towards greater support of arming
police. In 2005, just over a quarter (26%) of
constables supported the general arming
of police, while in 2008 48% support the
general arming of police with firearms.
Frontline opinions
Not surprisingly, those at the coalface are
more in favour, with Road Policing (55%)
and General Duties Branch (GDB) frontline
(54%) staff being more in favour of general
arming than other groups. Support is also
higher among members who have been in
the NZ Police for four years or less (58%).
Sworn Administration, planning and support
staff (61%), GDB community relations (60%)
and Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB)
(58%) staff are more likely to be opposed to
general arming. This is also the case with
members who have been in the NZ Police
for more than 15 years (57%).
There is higher support among members
who have been in a situation where an
offender has been injured (50% support),
have been attacked by an offender (53%
support) or injured by an offender (54%
support), threatened with any other weapon
(54% support), while of those actually
threatened with a firearm, the support for
general arming was at 65%.
“How many more officers
have to be seriously
wounded or killed before a
sensible debate on the issue
of arming can take place?”
- Greg O’Connor, President, NZ
Public support
Public opinion is also changing. In the
same Associaton/Nielsen survey conducted
last year, 55% of the public approved of
arming the police, while 32% were opposed
(see graph on page 177). This is in stark
contrast to a survey conducted in 2003 by
Research New Zealand in which only 33%
of the public supported police carrying arms.
The latest Research NZ survey, conducted
last year, mirrored the Police Association
survey with a 53% public approval rating for
general arming.
“How many more officers have to be
seriously wounded or killed before a sensible
debate on the issue of arming can take
place?” Mr O’Connor asked recently.
The need for debate
In an address to the Wairarapa Chamber
of Commerce, only a few days prior to the
Christchurch incident in which a paraplegic
man shot and wounded an Armed Offenders
Squad member and a member of the public,
Mr O’Connor challenged politicians to stump
up on the issue of the arming of police.
“Tell us what you want us to do and we’ll
work out what power we need,” he said,
challenging Justice Minister Simon Power on
the issue of resourcing.
Mr O’Connor said that Prime Minister John
Key and Commissioner of Police Howard
Broad had attempted to “close down the
discussion that needs to be had on arming”.
“I am not saying we should arm every police
officer at this time but perhaps it is timely,
in light of the Napier shootings, in which a
good cop in Len Snee lost his life and two
other good cops in Grant Diver and Bruce
Miller were seriously wounded and narrowly
escaped with their lives, that we should, as a
society, be engaged in this debate. Instead,
we have those who seek to sweep these
issues under the carpet in the hope that they
will disappear.”
The reality on the frontline is that most
police officers are not afraid of being
shot. Police officers are more likely to
be afraid of having to shoot someone in
the execution of their duty to protect the
public or themselves. In the event of that
happening, the officer knows that he or she
will be subject to media vilification before
any official inquiry has begun. Years may
pass before the Independent Police Conduct
Authority has completed its investigations
or the officer may be subject to a private
prosecution. That’s years of stress for the
police officer and his or her family.
Tasers
Mr O’Connor says that Tasers do not provide
the answer to armed offenders. “They have
a limited range and I think the day is coming
when Police will have to grapple with the
reality that the best option may be to have
a gun readily available in lock boxes in
each patrol car, as they do in Norway,” Mr
O’Connor said.
Police Commissioner Howard Broad posed
his own question on the issue at Len Snee’s
funeral in May: What more could have been
done to protect our police?
August 2009
175
PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
After admitting that the fatal shooting of
Constable Snee and the serious wounding of
Constables Diver and Miller was “our worst
fear” he went on to say: “Should we make
decisions based on our worst fears? If there
was a slim chance our officers could return
fire, would that make us a better or safer
police?"
It’s an interesting question.
The answer, though Commissioner Broad
may have an understandable level of
discomfort with it – may be “Yes”. It is not so
much reacting to fear that is at the heart of
the issue, rather it is reacting to an increased
danger and level of violence on the frontline,
which the Police’s own statistics bear out.
Coincidentally, among the first responders
in the Napier siege were Youth Aid workers
on day shift. Many Youth Aid workers are
exempted from firearms training as Police
seek to reduce defensive tactics training. Yet
Napier shows the folly of this approach in that
any officer can be called upon to respond to
a potentially life-threatening incident at any
time.
21st century policing
Senior Sergeant Malcolm Ward, an
Operations Manager on the Technical Support
Unit for 20 years and with 42 years frontline
experience, says that times have changed
and Police need to change with the times. Mr
Ward was present when Don Wilkinson was
shot during a surveillance operation.
“We are in the 21st century now and times
have changed drastically. We are facing
serious issues of violence on the frontline,
the magnitude of which we have not seen
previously, and we have to respond to that. I
prefer a model where a member who deems
it necessary for the risks faced should be
able to decide for him or herself whether it is
appropriate to carry a firearm. I can assure
you I have no desire whatsoever to carry a
firearm, nor for the responsibility that goes
with it, but with the reality of policing today I
believe it’s become a ‘no-brainer’.”
Mr Ward said that policing is very fluid and
things can change to violence in the blink of
an eye. “You can’t say to an offender who is
hell bent on grievously harming or killing you
that you’d like a few minutes to whip back
to your patrol car to get a firearm out of the
lockbox,” Mr Ward told Police News.
“Of course, we would need to have far
better firearms training than we have now
176
August 2009
if that was to work though,” he added.
“Picking up a firearm two days a year, firing
off a few shots at a target and saying I’m
accomplished enough to be armed is quite
frankly, nonsense. If we were to give people
the discretion to use firearms according to the
circumstances then we would certainly need
to think about more intensive firearms training
to back that up,” he said.
“In my experience, the Police Executive have
ignored, or ‘fudged over’ this and other issues
for a long time now. If there is a positive
response, it is usually a ‘one size fits all’ reply
rather than anything specific to a particular
group’s requirements. This has caused, or
causes frontline staff to operate in less than
desirable circumstances, take unnecessary
risks and allows complacency to creep in to
get the job done” Mr Ward said.
Opinions varied
Officers spoken to by Police News reflected
the results of the survey split suggesting
unease with the current situation. Of about a
dozen frontline officers spoken to by Police
News, most favoured a change to firearms
being readily available in every frontline car.
This would mean they would not have to
return to the station or meet up with a NCO
(non-commissioned officer) at a critical
incident. “If this happened there would
be less perceived need for everyone to be
armed,” one senior sergeant said.
“In an ideal situation frontline vehicles would
be fitted with long-barrelled weapons secured
in the front of them. This would give staff
access to them before they exit the vehicle.
The long-barrelled weapon (rather than a
pistol) is important because of the practical
problems with using a pistol for anything
other than self-defence (their accuracy and
stopping power over anything more than 5
metres is very limited). The management
of their use could be done via a seal on the
cabinet or lock that could be checked by the
NCO at appropriate times and then resealed
after use, meaning the administration part of
issuing firearms could be done after a critical
incident rather than before as is the case at
present,” the officer added.
Some officers expressed concerns about
having Tasers in locked cabinets in a vehicle
too. “Having the thing in a locked cabinet
in a vehicle is no use if something suddenly
happens that wasn’t foreseeable. If we are
going to issue them, we should be carrying
them,” one officer said in summing up a view
held by several officers spoken to by Police
News.
A shift supervisor, who did not wish to be
named, said: “We would need to adopt and
train our staff in a totally different style of
policing that focused on weapon retention.
One has to think twice about entering
populated areas (like pubs and clubs). One
has to think twice about actually physically
grappling with a person. When cops need
guns they tend to need them immediately having them in a locked box isn't helpful.”
Perhaps the threshold at which we draw
firearms might need to be lower,” he said.
A superintendent told Police News: “While
we don’t carry side-arms on our person, we
are in a sense quietly armed as we carry
them in patrol cars and so they are fairly
readily available to us as the need arises.
But I wouldn’t want to see us generally
armed.”
Officer who was shot
Senior Constable Mark Prendergast of
Ashburton can speak from the unique
perspective of someone who has been
shot. In April 1998, he and his partner went
to a routine domestic incident where Mr
Prendergast was shot in the back with a
shotgun. “I am in favour of generally arming
frontline police because I believe that first
response units need all the tools available
to them to be able to adequately deal with
all incidents they attend. Also, the need to
have to protect oneself, or another is never,
nor will it ever be able to be accurately
predicted,” he said.
Even Mr Prendergast has his reservations
about the maturity needed to handle a
firearm and whether some members of
Police would have the physical ability to
protect, guard and secure their firearm.
“But I believe the New Zealand policing
environment has reached the point where,
unfortunately, we need to be armed. It's a
big subject…there are fish hooks attached
of course but on the balance I think it is
time.”
Drastic changes in violence levels
All of the officers spoken to, from frontline
constables to inspectors, readily admitted
that policing has changed drastically in
the last two decades – certainly in terms
of the levels of violence encountered from
criminals.
New Zealand Police Association
One officer, who favoured general arming,
said he felt that those making the decisions
were “out of touch” with the frontline.
“People are used to seeing armed officers
at airports and overseas, and I think the
public would soon get used to the idea of
police being armed. You could be forgiven
for thinking that sometimes, there are
people within the higher echelons of Police
who would sooner go to a police funeral
than have to explain a police shooting to the
public and politicians,” he said pointedly.
A detective inspector said he was against
arming: “I think routine arming is too drastic
and would be a step too far but I think that
there should be easier access to firearms.
The idea of a lockbox in the front console
certainly has merit,” he said.
“Australian police are aghast that our
officers are going to potentially lifethreatening incidents, sometimes alone
and unarmed,” Association President Greg
O’Connor added.
Australia, the United States and most
European states have a routinely armed
police force. The United Kingdom remains
with an unarmed police force but has
specialist groups similar to our Armed
Offenders Squad and Anti-Terrorist Squads.
As terrorist threats have become more of a
concern, more police officers are seen on
the streets of the UK carrying weapons.
in an emergency in a rural situation – the
officer may use his or her own discretion to
carry a firearm.
In armed incidents, police are told to
withdraw, cordon and contain.
The incidence of threats to police is starkly
evident in the Police’s own figures on use
of force. ‘Use of force’ is a term used to
describe when police have drawn firearms
in incidents where they believed arms were
present. The figures show that in the last
year police responded to 532 incidents
and on 153 occasions (or 29% of the time)
deemed the risk sufficient to carry weapons.
Firearms were recovered on 72 of those
occasions.
Complex issue
The arming debate is a complex one. No one
is pretending otherwise.
Feeding into it are issues of very limited
firearms training, a reduction in defensive
tactics training and the reduced human
capabilities that arise from that, the move
towards more of a Critical Response Vehicle
model, the recruitment of younger police
officers, the general availability of weapons,
public confidence in their police, officer
safety, increased violence against officers
and a whole range of other issues.
Once again, the Association is not
advocating for general arming of police
officers but it has taken note of a change
in both public opinion and police staff on
the issue and feels, in light of the shootings
of six police officers in the last year, that
perhaps it is a debate whose time has come.
What do you think? If you have an
opinion on the issue of arming of police
please feel free to write to our Letters to
the Editor column by sending an email
to editor@policeassn.org.nz
General Arming - Firearms
Public reluctance?
While Mr O’Connor acknowledged that
New Zealanders may be reluctant to see
a general arming of police, he said it was
interesting to note an increase in public
support for Tasers in the aftermath of the
Napier shootings.
“There may come a time when that opinion
changes again in the aftermath of another
Aramoana or Napier siege,” he added.
Police firearms protocols emphasise the
principle of “minimum personal carriage
… at all times". Police sometimes carry
firearms in secure cabinets in the back of
patrol cars but it differs between areas..
Guidelines allow for any sworn member
of police to take a gun on a job if there is
evidence of substantive risk, which is usually
defined as a risk of death or serious bodily
harm.
Authorised officer
An authorised (non-commissioned) officer is
supposed to authorise the issue of a firearm
but where this is not practicable – perhaps
August 2009
177
PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
How policing
in Norway lost
its innocence
By Steve Plowman, Editor, Police News
Norwegian police officers don’t routinely
carry guns and they are the only European
officers who don’t.
But they do have ready access to a Police
issue pistol, which is stored in a locked
console in the front of each police vehicle.
Up until 2004 Norwegian police were
generally regarded as unarmed.
Police officer shot dead
In April 2004 Norway lost its innocence,
however, when 13 heavily armed criminals
robbed the NOKAS Cash Centre in Stavanger
of 65 million kroner ($15NZ million). A
police officer was shot dead. All 13 were
later convicted and sentenced to between
10 and 19 years in prison.
Egil Haaland, President of the Norwegian
Police Association, told Police News that four
things contributed to the decision to institute
the new model of having arms readily
available to officers in patrol cars:
• Increasing levels of violence in society;
• Police confiscating more weapons;
• An incident in 2000 when police officers
were shot at when answering a burglary
alarm. Police were told the alarm was
in a coffee shop but the burglars were
actually robbing the property next door,
which turned out to be a gun storage
facility; and
• A birdseye view of the position of the lockbox between the front seats of a Norwegian police
car.
• The killing in 2004 of the police officer
in the NOKAS Cash Centre robbery.
Some resistance to general arming
Mr Haaland said that there was some
resistance to general arming on the basis
that this may lead to more criminals being
armed. “We also realise that if we start
arming our police officers there will be no
way back, and as has been said, we have
lost our innocence.”
“But we think that availability is important
– and can function as a security for our
members,” he added.
178
August 2009
• Another view from above showing the Police-issue pistol readily available to an officer.
New Zealand Police Association
This column is written by a frontline
police officer. It does not represent the
views or policies of the Police Association.
Send in the clowns
I’m not that big on stage shows but the writer of the ‘lose 10% of
your cars’ has got to be up for some sort of award! Unprintable from
this fella’s perspective! Didn’t this government promise more cops and
more cars?
Maybe our Minister of Finance was speaking Egyptian rather than
English during this brain wave (not) session. And as per usual, we
bend over and take it. My God, the silence from the top table has been
deafening on this one. That bouquet from last week has gone and is
now replaced by a barrow of brickbats!
Flower of Tasman
One of the south’s own speaking commonsense and speaking it loudly!
Well done our Hugh. They want an evidence-based world and those
with influence completely ignore the stats when the hard facts are put
before them.
Our Minister (whom I gotta say I have been reasonably impressed with
so far) has got this one way wrong. And as my teenage daughter would
say: “What a random world Dad.” But as I tell her and her siblings, our
job is far from random as we predict the next place to put our resources.
I’m sure the newspaper misquoted our good lady in reconsidering her
position, as innovation and open mindedness is the order of today’s
(random) world!
August
Transition - robots in disguise
As you can see, I spent some of the school holidays away from the cold
in a warm dark place watching the big screen and telling everyone the
kids chose the movie (honest). It’s funny how fiction is so close to, and
often stranger, than facts.
I’ve been seeing all these transition courses racing through and
speaking with me southern mates, who have taken the big steps up
the rank chain, it appears that these really are more about the quantity
rather than the quality. And here was me believing in the rhetoric that
came forth from this domain that the restructure was all about making
us smarter and more efficient! However, the cynic in me suggests that
our numbers of qualified ranking members was too low to bear and we
just don’t have the resources to get all the staff through their courses.
Hence, let’s do it quicker (and dare I say cheaper) and make the damn
stats look better. No doubt I will get some replies to this one!
On the positive side, I understand HQ has done a bit of a reversal
on needing your exams to apply for promotion. So a bouquet for this
effort. I’m a bit old fashioned in this area and you have my 100%
support on this U turn.
Solid
Boys and girls up North. What can I say? That was simply a fantastic
effort in regard to wee Pumpkin. Well done. A real solid effort and a bit
like the Men in Black in the second test match against the French and
the first Tri Nations test against the Aussies. And look what the French
had to resort to after the match, which kept our Welly Team busy for a
few days unraveling the web that had been weaved.
See Ya
September
October
WAIHEKE ISLAND ........................... 10-14,17-20,24-26,30-31 .............................1-3,7-10,14-17 .......................................................1,15,19-21,27-29
PAIHIA............................................ 9-10,14,16-20,24-27,30-31 ..........................24,26.......................................................................27-28
STANMORE BAY ............................. 6,8-14,16-28,30-31 ......................................1-3,5-18,20-24,27-28.............................................1,4,9,11-15,17-23,26-31
AUCKLAND .................................... 31 ..................................................................2-3,8,16,22 .............................................................12,15,20-21
WHANGAMATA ............................... 9-13,16-20,23-27,30-31 ...............................1-3,6-10,14-15,21-24.............................................18-22
MT MAUNGANUI ............................ 6,9-12,16-20,23-27,30-31 ............................1-3,9-10,14-17,21-25.............................................11-15,18-22,26-29
OHOPE........................................... 6-7,9-13,15-20,23,25-27,29-31 ...................1-3,7-13,15-18,20-24.............................................11-16,18-22,27-30
ROTORUA ...................................... 6-7,14-15,17,24-26,31 .................................1-3,6-10,13,16,20-24 .............................................1,11-14,19-22,26-27,30
TAUPO ........................................... 5,10-11,17,20 ...............................................3,6,8-10,13-14,20-23 .............................................6-8,11-15,19,22,26-30
TURANGI ........................................ 7,14-15,19-21 ...............................................Fully booked ............................................................7,11,13-15,18-22,26-29
NAPIER .......................................... 6,10-13,16-20,25-26 ....................................2,6-9,14-17,22........................................................5,11-15,20-22,26,28-29
PARAPARAUMU .............................. 6,10-11,16-17,22-27,31 ...............................1-2,6-8,20-22,24,27 ...............................................4,11-15,27-29
GREYTOWN.................................... 6,9-13,16-20,24-27,30 .................................6-10,13-14,20-24,30 ..............................................1,4,8,11-15,18-22,26-29
WELLINGTON ................................. 9-12,19,26,31 ...............................................1,10,14,17,20,.........................................................19-20,22,27-29
NELSON......................................... 12-20,22-27,30-31 .......................................1-3,6,8-11,13-14,16-17,20-23,26,30 .....................7-8,11-12,15,18,26-29
HANMER SPRINGS ......................... 6,16-17,31 ....................................................1-3,6,9-10,15-17 ....................................................26
CHRISTCHURCH ............................. 12-13,17-18,20,23-25,27,30-31 ...................7-10,14,20-21.........................................................13,16,18,20-21,27
AKAROA......................................... 11-12,16,25-27 .............................................8-9,23-24................................................................12,26
TEKAPO ......................................... Fully booked ..................................................Fully booked ............................................................14,21-22,27-28
WANAKA ........................................ Fully boked ....................................................Fully booked ............................................................11-15,20-21
CROMWELL ................................... 17,30 .............................................................6-9,14-17,20-24,27 ................................................11-12,15,17-21,27-29
QUEENSTOWN ............................... 6,10-14,.........................................................Fully booked ............................................................8,26-27
TE ANAU ........................................ 6,9-16,18-31 .................................................1-21,23-25..............................................................3-4,8,14,18-21,26-31
DUNEDIN ....................................... 6,10-11,14,17-18,26 .....................................3,6-11,14-15,17-18,22-23......................................10-16,18-22,27-29
August 2009
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PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
Free Roadside Assistance
with your car insurance
CPNZ DVD takes runner-up
spot at annual Telly Awards
Community Patrols of New Zealand, which works closely with
Police to try and prevent crime through being the “eyes and
ears’ of police in communities, was recently awarded second
place in the 30th Annual Tell Awards in Los Angeles.
The CPNZ DVD named Building Safer Communities took second
spot in the not-for-profit category of the annual awards.
The Telly Awards attract over 14,000 international entries
every year and is a highly respected and competitive festival.
The awards showcase the best work of the most respected
advertising agencies, production companies, television
stations, cable operators, interactive agencies, and corporate
video departments in the world.
Don’t be stranded.
If your motor vehicle has ‘Full Cover’ with Police Fire & General
Insurance, we provide a professional roadside assistance service
– free-of-charge.
Your car could have: a breakdown, a flat battery, a flat tyre, or maybe
you’ve just run out of petrol, or locked the keys in the car – at whatever
time - you can call Police Welfare Fund Roadside Assist Plus for help.
The beauty of the service is that cover is attached to the insured
vehicle, not the driver, so it doesn’t matter who is driving your car. If
they have a problem, the driver can contact the service.
This premium service includes the provision of a rental vehicle and/or
accommodation if your vehicle breaks down 100 kilometres or more
from your home. These are benefits not generally provided by standard
roadside support services.
About the cover
The New Zealand Automobile Association (NZAA) is contracted to
supply Police Welfare Fund Roadside Assist Plus. All motor vehicles
with ‘Full Cover’ (but not third party policies) will be covered, with PWF
General Insurances meeting the cost of the service in full.
Police Welfare Fund Roadside Assist Plus will provide roadside support
for:
• Mechanical breakdown: The NZAA will provide assistance to restart
the vehicle. When the vehicle cannot be restarted, cover includes
an emergency taxi and towing the vehicle to a local repairer. If the
breakdown occurs over 100km from home and the repairs will take
over 24 hrs to complete, cover includes accommodation and/or a
rental vehicle (where available).
•
•
•
•
•
Vehicle recovery;
Vehicle lockout;
Flat battery;
Flat tyre; and
No or incorrect fuel.
A full description of services Police Welfare Fund Roadside Assist Plus
provides is on the Police Fire & General Insurance page of our website:
www.policeassn.org.nz. Trailers, caravans and vehicles with third party
insurance are excluded from cover.
How do I get cover?
Insure your vehicle with ‘Full Cover’ Police Fire & General Insurance and
you’re automatically covered. If you would like a quote, Police Welfare
Fund members can call 0800 500 122, or visit the new insurance
section in the ‘Members Only’ area of our website:
www.policeassn.org.nz
180
August 2009
NEW
RETAILERS
Police Association
Member Discounts Programme
The following retailers have joined our Member Discounts
Programme.
Hallensteins – now offer members 10% off all
Hallensteins products including items on sale and 2 for 1
deals (excludes gift vouchers).
Les Mills – members
can now join a Les Mills
gym and receive 25% off
a 12-month membership.
Pacific Magazines – the 3rd largest magazine
publisher in New Zealand offers members an exclusive
offer to subscribe to “New Idea”, “That's Life” or “Girlfriend”
magazine. The offer represents a significant saving off the
subscription price.
To find out about these and other discounts through
the Member Discounts Programme – go online to the
‘Members Only’ section of our website
www.policeassn.org.nz. Sign-on then click on “Member
Discounts” from the menu on the left-hand side of the
screen to go through to view all the discounts available.
New Zealand Police Association
Home buying hints from
The National Bank
Is this a good time to be thinking about
a rental property?
Buying a rental property has traditionally been one of New Zealanders’
favourite ways to invest their money and provide for their retirement.
With house prices having taken a bit of a battering over the last
12-18 months, many investors have had a hard time of it.
With most commentators predicting
that capital gains from growth in house
prices over the next few years will be
modest at best, what is the outlook for
property investment?
Capital gain is just one part of the
property investment story. The other is
rental yield – and there are signs that
this may be an increasingly positive
factor.
Rental yield is basically the return on
your investment – your rental income
minus your costs (such as home loan
repayments, maintenance, and so on).
With interest rates and house prices
both lower than in recent years, and
rents rising in many areas, rental yields
are increasing.
In fact, according to a recent report
released by QV.co.nz, cashflow
positive properties are becoming
increasingly common. These are
investment properties where your
rental income is greater than your
costs. In the past many investors were
happy to record an annual loss on their
property, because rising house prices
more than made up for it.
According to QV.co.nz, rising rents and
falling mortgage repayments mean it’s
now increasingly possible to find rental
properties that return a profit. They
have identified a list of suburbs, which
are likely to return a positive net cash
flow (based on average rents, costs
and house prices). You can find the
full article at the QV.co.nz Knowledge
Centre.
are seeking a solid return backed up by
the security of bricks and mortar, it may
be worth considering for your situation.
A free, one-stop resource
for residential property
investment
If you’re thinking about buying an
investment property, check out our
unique Home Buyers Centre (www.
homebuyerscentre.co.nz) first. It’s
a comprehensive online resource for
anything to do with buying or selling
a home or investment property, and
it includes a separate section on
investing.
At the Home Buyers Centre you’ll find
information, tools and resources on
every aspect of residential property
investing, from how to finance a
property, to the pros and cons of
different ownership structures, to
financing, to understanding the tax
issues through to managing your
tenants. It’s invaluable – and it’s
absolutely free.
The Police Home Loan
Package and rental properties
Don’t forget you may be able to take
advantage of the special Police Home
Loan package if you’re thinking about
purchasing a rental property. If you’d
like more information, contact a Mobile
Mortgage Manager or call us on
0800 800 808 or come into your local
branch.
While the big capital gains of recent
years are unlikely to be seen for some
time, property investment may be
starting to come back into favour. If you
08-2009
OUR LENDING CRITERIA, TERMS, CONDITIONS AND FEES APPLY. A COPY OF OUR DISCLOSURE STATEMENT MAY BE OBTAINED THROUGH ANY BRANCH OF THE NATIONAL BANK OF NEW ZEALAND (PART OF ANZ NATIONAL BANK LIMITED). WHERE
BORROWING OVER 75% OF A RESIDENTIAL INVESTMENT PROPERTY’S VALUE IS APPROVED, A LOW EQUITY PREMIUM ON
A GRADUATED SCALE WILL APPLY AND A REGISTERED VALUER’S REPORT IS REQUIRED. THIS MATERIAL IS PROVIDED AS A
COMPLIMENTARY SERVICE OF THE NATIONAL BANK. IT IS PREPARED BASED ON INFORMATION AND SOURCES THE BANK
BELIEVES TO BE RELIABLE. ITS CONTENT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE
FOR COMMERCIAL JUDGEMENT OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE, WHICH SHOULD BE SOUGHT PRIOR TO ENTERING INTO ANY
TRANSACTIONS. TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW THE NATIONAL BANK DISCLAIMS LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY TO ANY
PERSON FOR ANY DIRECT OR INDIRECT LOSS OR DAMAGE THAT MAY RESULT FROM ANY ACT OR OMISSION BY ANY PERSON
IN RELATION TO THE MATERIAL.
August 2009
181
PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
by Ricky Collins
The upside of tough times
Sharper pricing
The impact of the current recession
is now starting to show in the wine
industry in New Zealand. Wine
producers and retailers are feeling the
effect of consumers’ reduced discretionary spending and
have to adjust their prices, or risk being left with stock they
can’t sell. If you are keen on wine and have money in your
pocket, there are some great deals on offer these days.
Supermarkets are renowned for dropping the price on low
cost wines. They are regularly running specials on wines such
as the Jacob’s Creek range and Hardy’s non-vintage varieties.
While these offer good buying, I’ve noticed recently that there
are some fantastic savings on wines that traditionally sell for
$25 to $35. It’s now not uncommon to find wines in this
price range discounted by up to 50%. Some examples that
I’ve seen recently include Penfolds Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz
that normally sells for $35 selling for $18; Taylors Jarraman
Cabernet Sauvignon that normally sells for $28 selling for
$15; and Esk Valley Black Label Merlot that normally sells
for $25 selling for $15. So, if you’re prepared to spend a
few more dollars on your next wine purchase, you can try a
wine that is at a significantly higher level of quality that those
normally selling for $10 to $12.
Some high-end producers are now looking to re-position
some of the wines in their portfolio at a price that will
hopefully attract higher volumes of sales. The best example
of this that I’ve seen is Craggy Range. They have lowered the
price of their Block 14 Syrah from around $40 to around $28.
This is a fantastic New Zealand Syrah, and in my opinion a
more balanced example of this wine style than their flagship
wine the Le Sol, which sells for around $90. Clearly, sales of
top end wines have fallen off dramatically and this is forcing
a re-think by the industry. There is one clear winner in this
re-pricing approach - the consumer.
Another approach
In these hard times, wine producers are forced to think
outside the square and are some are coming up with novel
new ways of attracting buyers. Some Australian producers
have made an art out of not taking themselves too seriously
and have come up with wacky labels that appeal to young
wine buyers and create interest in their own right, regardless
of the quality of the wine. A couple of Australian reds priced
between $15 and $20 caught my eye recently. They don’t
taste too bad either. Evil is a South East Australian Cabernet
Sauvignon that on the back label simply states: “It’s just
wrong”. Then there is a South Australian Grenache marked
as Bitch, that on the back label just repeats the word bitch
continuously. Side by side they make a formidable pair!
Correction
In last month’s issue in the feature about the Fingerprints Section
it stated that there were Fingerprint Sections in Auckland,
Wellington and Christchurch. There is, of course, a Fingerprint
Section in Hamilton but unfortunately this was inadvertently
omitted from the article. Our apologies to all who work in the
Hamilton Fingerprints Section – keep up the good work.
Useful Information & Contacts
Police Network
44446
Freephone
0800 500 122
Police Health Plan/Police Fire and General Insurance
(on matters that cannot be deferred such as Police
Quotes & information
0800 500 122
shootings, fatal pursuits or deaths in custody)
or Fax
(04) 496 6819
ring 0800 TEN NINE (0800 836 6463)
Police Fire and General Insurance claims 0800 110 088
– 24 hour/seven days service
All enquiries
(04) 496 6800
New Zealand Police Association:
For immediate industrial & legal advice
Vice Presidents
(027) 268 9416
(027) 268 9411
Field Officers
182
August 2009
www.policeassn.org.nz
0800 800 808
0800 429 000
www.policecu.org.nz
0800 654 731
0800 777 243
Regional Directors
Stuart Mills
Chris Cahill
Auckland District:
Waitemata and Northland Districts:
Waikato, BOP and Eastern Districts:
Central and Wellington Districts:
Tasman and Canterbury Districts:
Southern District
Website
Police Home Loans
Police Credit Union
or (04) 472 9645
Credit Union
GSF information
PSS information
Stewart Mills
Steve Hawkins
Graeme McKay
JJ Taylor
Dave McKirdy
Dave Steel
(027) 268 9407
(027) 268 9406
(027) 268 9408
(027) 268 9409
(027) 268 9410
(027) 268 9427
Region One
Region Two
Region Three
Region Four
Region Five
Region Six
Region Seven
Jug Price
Dave Pizzini
Mel Ridley
Luke Shadbolt
Ron Lek
Craig Prior
Tracey Maclennan
Whangaparaoa
Counties-Manukau
Tauranga
Hastings
Wellington
Sydenham
Invercargill
(027) 268 9419
(027) 493 0524
(027) 268 9414
(027) 478 9001
(027) 268 9417
(027) 268 9412
(027) 268 9418
POLICE COUNCIL OF SPORT
To contact the Police Council of Sport, call Alison Murray at the RNZPC. Ph: (04) 238-3139
Cycling
Bob Scott shows the youngsters how its
done in Graperide Ultimate cycle race
By Steve Plowman, Editor, Police News
Christchurch-based Bob Scott is a man who
knows how to stay the distance – 42 years
as a police officer is testimony to that - and
that endurance spills over into his passion for
cycling too.
Bob belies his 62 years when he races as
he showed when he won the Graperide
Ultimate (505 kilometres) road race recently
in Marlborough – showing the youngsters
how it is done by leaving them in his wake.
Included in the field were two former Olympic
representatives. He cut the distance out in
just over 17 hours.
After two hours rest he was back out there
supporting his Police colleagues who were
riding in the other events, cheering many
on to personal bests. Among them was the
women’s winner of the 202 kilometres race,
Shelley Pemberton, a fellow Christchurch
police officer.
Bob’s partner Virginia Le Bas won the first
woman's Graperide race last year. Virginia is
a Detective Senior Sergeant in Christchurch.
Multisport
Bob’s love of cycling actually came out of
an original interest in multisport, which was
fostered by competing in the 1985 Coast
to Coast race – one of the most grueling
endurance events anywhere. Bob Ealam (now
retired) fostered Bob’s early interest, teaming
with him to register a first-up victory in the
veteran teams’ race. Bob Scott was hooked.
Since then, Bob has completed the event a
further seven times, including the one-day
event on five occasions and in 1999 he won
the "Classic Vets" Longest Day in 1999.
Bob, who is a very modest bloke and
something of a legend in cycling circles, has
had some memorable races along the way
- the Zerox Challenge (a 22-day multi sport
race from Cape Reinga to Bluff), the New
Zealand Ironman and an amazing ride of 4
days and 19 hours to cycle the length of New
• The loneliness of the long distance cyclist: Bob Scott has cycled from Christchurch to the
West Coast and back on more than 40 occasions as part of his training for rides like the
Graperide Ultimate, which he won earlier this year.
August 2009
183
PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
• Bob Scott shows the form that took him to victory in the grueling Graperide Ultimate (505 kilometres) cycle race in Marlborough earlier this
year by being out where he likes to be, in front.
- Photo courtesy of Marathon Photos.
Zealand – cutting an incredible 40 hours of
the previous record! Bob has also captured a
New Zealand Mountain Biking title during his
lengthy career as well as winning the Nelsonto-Christchurch cycle race in 1993.
Australian events
Bob’s career has taken him to many events
in Australia, most notably the Australian
Ottway Odyssey Mountain Bike Enduro earlier
this year and Queensland’s "Epic". He also
competed in the World Police & Fire Games
in Melbourne several years ago, competing in
cycling, mountain biking and the triathlon and
coming away with gold and silver medals.
Bob told Police News that the secret to riding an
extreme distance like the Graperide Ultimate
is “preparing well.” It was not uncommon for
Bob during his build-up to the Graperide to
ride for hundred of kilometres in one hit and
during his cycling career he admits he has
done extreme rides such as the Christchurch
to West Coast ride on around 40 occasions.
After a few days he would ride back again.
“I’d look to get a good training base of 250600 kilometres riding a week, with one long
ride of 200-300-plus kilometres each week
too,” Bob said.
his food and hydration. “Having good support
is the key to doing well is these endurance
events and I am very grateful for the help,”
Bob told Police News.
Time commitment
So where did he find the time to do this and
hold down a fulltime policing career? “After
work. It’s a very demanding schedule and
heading out on the bike for two to three hours
after work isn't always that much fun,” Bob
readily admitted.
A cyclist’s dream
At time of writing, Bob was heading off to
spectate at this year’s Tour de France and
to do some riding on the classic climbs in the
French Alps.
Bob said the other major factor in his Graperide
race success was good support. “I have been
fortunate over the years to have very good
support and in this year’s Graperide, Virginia
Le Bas (2nd in 202 km race,) Andrea Jopling
and Gary Knowles completed the Graperide
after doing laps with me,” Bob said.
Also on hand were Canterbury Crime Manager
Peter Read and his friend Paul Threadwell
who did the last 300 kilometres, ensuring
that Bob was on schedule with keeping up
When you speak to Bob, you realise he is
like most legends – very modest about his
achievements. There is huge commitment
and dedication required to be as successful
as Bob has been in multisport events and
especially in cycling.
Perhaps as Bob was watching the likes of
Cadel Evans, Alberto Contador and seven
times winner Lance Armstrong, among the
other greats in this year’s Tour de France,
there may have been the passing thought
of what might have been had he discovered
cycling a lot earlier.
Visit www.policeassn.org.nz for updated contact details for the Police Council of Sport management committee,
District Sports Officers and the latest schedule of events.
184
August 2009
New Zealand Police Association
Conder and Adkins take titles at
national cross-country champs
The 36th New Zealand Police cross-country
Champs were held on the Kapiti Coast in
mid-May. Wanganui’s Rob Conder dominated
in the Open Men’s title over 9,000 metres
while Claire Adkins bolted home in the Open
Women’s race over 6,000 metres, repeating
last year’s victory but in even more convincing
fashion this year.
Andy Horne of Hastings took out the veteran
men’s event by a good margin while Helen
Gillespie of Hokitika scored an emphatic win
in the veteran women’s championship. Brad
Clark, as has become his habit, was too good
for the opposition in the Draught Horse (for
runners 95 kilograms and over) title again.
Brad has had a strangehold on this title for
several years now and his success gave
Hastings a double for the day.
Good conditions
This year’s race was held at Queen Elizabeth
Park just north of Paekakariki in Wellington
on a scenic, undulating coastal track with
good underfoot conditions prevailing.
Fifty-six runners took part from as far away
as Manurewa, Hokitika and Christchurch and
they competed over distances of 6 and 9
kilometres respectively, depending on grade.
Representatives from Te Awamutu, Hamilton
and Waikato added colour to the field by
wearing Hula skirts and fairy wings.
Thanks go to sponsors – the New Zealand
Council of Sport, New Zealand Police
Association and Stirling Sports. A big thanks
is due to Joe Franklin and Ray Read who came
along to reminisce about the old days of the
cross-country and assist with marshalling.
• This quartet added some colour to the annual NZ Police Association-sponsored Police
national cross-country champs held at Waikanae (just out of Wellington) recently. From left
to right: Candice Howe (Waikato), Mel Leonard (Hamilton), Felicity Cook-Jones and Tamsin
Jones (both from Te Awamutu). It was the first occasion in the 36-year history of the champs
that they have been held on the Kapiti Coast and feedback from the competitors indicated
they relished the good course on offer.
Cheers to Section 4 from Kapiti for a fine job
helping out on the day.
Results were:
Open men (9,000 metres):
1. Robert Conder (Wanganui) 33.38
2. Lea Smith (Upper Hutt) 38.20
3. Craig Vinning (Wellington) 40.10
Open women (6,000 metres):
1. Claire Adkins (Palmerston North) 25.09
2. Kristyana Parkes (Manurewa) 30.49
3. Jayde Corlett (Hastings) 33.29
Veteran men (9,000 metres):
1. Andy Horne (Hastings) 36.24
2. Mike Wilson (Christchurch) 37.14
3. Neil Gillespie (Hokitika) 37.35
Veteran women (6,000 metres):
1. Helen Gillespie (Hokitika) 27.02
2. Deb Potter (Hastings) 29.19
3. Carrie Martin (Palmerston North) 29.31
Draught horse (6,000 metres):
1. Brad Clark (Hastings) 26.06
2. Mike Morgan (Counties-Manukau) 27.42
3. Alan Daly (Hastings) 30.30
California considers non-emergency option
NZ Police moves to introduce a single
non-emergency number (SNEN),
now known as a Crime Reporting
Line (CRL), are also being considered
in California as operators become
swamped by non-emergency calls.
However, the option could well
be in doubt, with California facing
cost cutting measures to balance its
books.
Some of the calls are from people
wanting to order a pizza, learn about a
restaurant recommendation, or asking
the time of day. The Vallejo Dispatch
Center of the California Highway
Patrol handles 3,000 calls per day. Of
these 600 are non-emergency calls and
dispatchers are becoming concerned
about the rise in their numbers now
that cell phones are so prevalent.
The CHP is now looking at trying to
filter out the non-emergency calls. Many
of California’s cities are also considering
directly receiving their own 911 calls
from cell phones, rather than having
them rerouted through a secondary
telecommunications agency, according
to a recent report in the Vallejo Herald
Times.
“The brain is a wonderful organ; it
starts working the moment you get up
in the morning and does not stop until
you get into the office.”
- Robert Frost (American poet)
“Don’t aim at success if you want it;
just do what you love and believe in and
it will come naturally.”
- David Frost (British TV journalist)
“Success is getting what you want.
Happiness is wanting what you get.”
- Dale Carnegie (American author)
August 2009
185
PoliceNews
The Voice of Police
Write it here! Letters to the Editor are welcome.
Signed letters are preferred, but in all cases the writer’s name and address must be supplied. Names will be published unless there is a good
reason for anonymity. The editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or decline letters without explanation. Email to: editor@policeassn.org.nz or
write it to the Editor at PO Box 12344, Wellington. Letters under 400 words are preferred.
What’s wrong with zero tolerance?
Inspector Hugh Flowers’ tirade against Minister
of Police Judith Collins in the June issue
(“Warnings don’t work) – and his invoking of
“zero tolerance” – raises an interesting point.
The Minister said the Police “…cannot do
their job without the respect and co-operation
of the law-abiding public…” That’s OK with
me, as it seems to have come straight from the
1829 Principles of Law Enforcement as espoused
by the father of modern policing, Sir Robert
Peel. Ms Collins then says that actions “…
taken against generally law-abiding citizens …
actually ultimately undermines the respect the
public have for the Police…” In a similar vein
Sir Robert said “…the police must secure the
willing co-operation of the public in voluntary
observance of the law to be able to secure and
maintain public respect…”
Note the use of that word “respect” by both.
Mr Flowers’ riposte to these statements by the
Minister centered on his claim that “…warnings
don’t work, and that a consistent zero tolerance
approach is the most effective way of changing
behaviour on the roads…”
It is from the “Broken Windows” method of
policing that we get that phrase “zero tolerance”
– but how, and why?
When introducing “Broken Windows” into
New York city in the 1990s, the NYPD had to
find out from the public what it was that they
expected of them and what it was the public did
not expect. So the NYPD, for example, began
to arrest people who lay down and obstructed
access to stoops (an open porch with steps
leading up to a building entrance) because
such behaviour was found by a majority of the
citizens of New York city to be extremely antisocial. But if people were just sitting on the
stoop the police left them alone.
Similarly, when people were queuing at an
ATM or a bus, they found it annoying to be
panhandled. Conversely, if they were walking
down the sidewalk and were approached
by a beggar, that behaviour they found less
offensive and anti-social. The NYPD responded
accordingly.
The successful introduction of a “Broken
Windows” style of policing has to do it with
the willing co-operation of the public and the
knowledge that there will be built in to that
style of policing a certain amount of “tolerance”
insofar as the policing – or not policing – of
certain “anti-social” behaviours.
NYPD Police Chief Bill Bratton was conscious of
this “non-policing” aspect of “Broken Windows”
and that there had to be tolerance, by the Police,
of some “anti-social behaviours.” Because he
had first-hand experience of how successful
“Broken Windows” had been in his other
commands, Bratton knew that “tolerance” was
integral to that success.
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August 2009
One type of “anti-social” behaviour Bratton
would have absolutely “zero tolerance” for was
corruption in the New York Police Department.
So are traffic offences in the Tasman Police
District so heinous they can be equated with
police corruption? Does Inspector Flower really
believe that road policing must be conducted
not with an iron fist in a velvet glove but an iron
fist in an iron glove?
He claims that it is “…well documented in
international literature that warnings don’t
work…” Oh, really? If that is the case, why
does the NZPD continue with its much-vaunted
Police Diversion Scheme? If that’s not a
“warning” then I don’t know what is.
Road policing in Tasman needs less of the
“iron” and a bit more of the “velvet.” After all, if
someone has a blameless driving record what’s
wrong with giving them a one-only warning?
In that regard I’m with Sir Robert, Bill Bratton –
and Police Minister Judith Collins.
Trevor Morley
(Wellington)
Tolerance and discretion
may be victims of the
zero tolerance mentality
Inspector Hugh Flowers wrote in his letter in
the June issue of Police News: “.... that warnings
don’t work, and that a consistent zero tolerance
approach is the most effective way of changing
behaviour on the roads.”
What worries me, as a Police Association member,
is that this departmental policy of zero tolerance
may be engendering an attitude or state of mind
in the enforcement officers (fellow members)
that may override the application of tolerance,
sound judgement, discretion and commonsense.
Recently in ‘his place’ one enforcement officer
was sentenced to 100 hours of community work
and disqualified from driving for 12 months and
ordered to pay two motor cyclists $30,000 each
within two months – as a result of two charges of
dangerous driving causing injury.
A colleague discussed this matter recently and
was of the opinion that this occurred in the course
of employment and therefore the costs should be
borne by the employer. If zero tolerance was not
policy then the thought processes of the officer
involved may have been such that this “gross
error” of judgement may not have occurred.
A week after the aforementioned court case, a
second officer in ‘his place’ now faces a careless
driving charge for doing a U-turn, again on State
Highway 6.
Wikipedia describes zero tolerance as the concept
of compelling persons in positions of authority,
who might otherwise exercise their discretion
in making subjective judgments regarding
the severity of a given offence, to impose predetermined punishment regardless of individual
culpability or “extenuating circumstances”.
The ability to endorse a ticket with the word
“warned” and have it recorded may just create
an attitudinal change by both the enforcer and
the receiver and still have the effect of changing
behaviour on the roads.
The reason why there is only 18% of ex-Ministry
of Transport personnel on the Highway Patrol,
TAG (Traffic Alcohol Group) and STU (Strategic
Traffic Unit) traffic units may be for the reason
that their ability to apply discretion has been
removed from them by policy.
The reason why 82% of ex-GDB personnel are on
those units may be the hours of duty and perhaps
it is less challenging to issue a ticket than to take a
matter through to a High Court trial.
Maybe it is also because of that policy that many
of my colleagues are no longer open to disclosing
that they are policemen when socialising.
John Fittock
(Christchurch)
Police putting the boot
into safety footwear?
I write asking a question of our employer. When
will the New Zealand Police recognise their
responsibilities under the Health and Safety in
Employment Act in regard to the provision of
safety footwear? Briefly, Section 6 and Section
10 of the Act state that your employer is not
allowed to expose you to any hazard, which may
cause you harm or serious harm. If they cannot
stop the exposure they must take all practicable
steps to minimise the effect of it. This includes
the issue and use of protective clothing and
equipment.
Since the 24th of May 2002, I have been lobbying
our employer to come to the party with some
suitable footwear for all our frontline troops,
who are exposed to hazards of slips, trips and
falls, which safety footwear would minimise.
This is a legal requirement of an employer.
However, to date, I have not had a yes, they will
or a, no they won’t, response.
St John Ambulance staff approached me some
time after I started lobbying for the issue of safety
footwear. Within two years they had recognised
the issue as major and had taken steps to
issue all their frontline staff with footwear. All
Department of Labour (OSH) investigators are
issued with safety footwear. Fire Service staff are
issued with safety footwear.
The New Zealand Police have moved ahead
in leaps and bounds with certain things. We
now have stab resistant body armour after
the Association highlighted the issue through
Police News several years ago. We now have the
Bushmaster M4, which is another great tool for
us to use and hopefully by 2010 all frontline
staff will be issued with a Tazer.
So when will NZ Police take the basic step of
issuing an item of protective equipment that
requires no training, no licence, no certification
and is of minimal cost? (A decent pair of locally
New Zealand Police Association
made safety boots is available for approximately
$110. These boots are the same as those issued
to the NZ Fire Service).
I have spent hundreds of hours in the last seven
years pushing this issue. I have had the support
of a number of people from the Association
National Office and other staff locally as well.
I just want an answer. Will the New Zealand
Police come to the party and honour their legal
obligation?
Doug Peach
(Association North Shore Committee
Chairman/Health and Safety rep)
Insufficient firearms training
The cardinal rules of firearms safety are
fundamental (and internationally recognised)
principles. Any person who legitimately owns
or has cause to use a firearm is bound to strictly
follow this doctrine, so as to avoid the risk of
serious injury and unintentional loss of life.
However, across the world, hunters shoot
each other, soldiers shoot each other and the
innocent, and so do cops. Why? The answer is
too little training. Training that is not sufficient
in duration and intensity for the operator to
perform exactly when the need arises. There is a
lot to consider, before sending the bullet down
the barrel, particularly when death is the likely
result.
Men, who were older, more worldly and wise,
taught me skill at arms. These war veterans made
absolutely sure that I was trained properly, to be
instinctive and to be exact in my mission. I have
practiced weapon and battle drills to the point
where I was considered to be very good - that
was their standard.
As a Police Firearms Instructor I do not get
to teach to the same standard. I do not have
the time or resources to establish, let alone
maintain, skill at arms. I do not get to leave an
everlasting impression on those I am responsible
for training. I worry for our cops - who must
accomplish their missions, against dangerous
offenders, without enough firearms training.
The Association set up a "GSF Information" area
in the “Members Only” section of the website and
loaded in various correspondence in relation to
the issues in order to keep members up to date
with progress.
of the rank, any person could apply and be
appointed at that rank irrespective of whether
they are a current employee or not. This would
result in the Government Superannuation
Fund (GSF) member (who has retired and
commenced his/her GSF pension) competing
for any vacant position along with existing
members and other former members of the NZ
Police or overseas Police Forces, armed services
personnel or any other external applicant with
relevant experience. We see this as too high
a price and would limit the career options of
existing officers.
This has not been updated since President
Greg O'Connor wrote a very compelling
letter (12 March 2008) to the then Minister of
Police, Annette King, trying to prompt some
Government action in line with the legal opinion
the Association obtained from Mr Hugh Rennie
QC.
Our legal advice to date has been that there
is no legal impediment and that it is a policy
issue. We cannot force Police to change their
policy if they are unwilling to do so. Equally,
we can’t agree to a change in policy that we
consider detrimental to the interests of all
members.
I suggest members open and read the articles in
this area of the website to fully understand the
issues.
In relation to the current payround, we have
not included any claims that would complicate
or delay a settlement or arbitration. Even if
the GSF issue had been included in our claim
it would not be able to be arbitrated. The
payround has been our number one focus in
2009 and will continue to be so until after the
arbitration hearing scheduled for mid to late
August.
Derek Lawford (now retired) placed a motion (The
Lawford Clause) before the Police Association’s
National Conference for two successive years
asking that the Police Association take some
urgent action to resolve the issue.
The Police Association took up the cudgels and
tasked Greg Fleming with the job.
What has happened since then? Who knows?
Interested members are constantly having their
requests for updates ignored by those who
should be advocating this issue on their behalf
and any resolution appears to be no closer than it
was when Greg O’Connor wrote his March 2008
letter.
Police Commissioner Howard Broad (at the
Police Association Conference) initially showed
support for allowing the affected members to
draw their pensions and continue working. He
has now done an about-face on that issue. Just
like other senior police officers, he is affected by
this issue.
I know the current NZ Police administration do
not support changing their policies (in line with
Mr Rennie's legal opinion) to allow those GSF
pension scheme members to access their pension
whilst continuing to work.
I would have expected that the Police Association
would really have given this issue a push and
would not have shied away at the first brick wall
put up by NZ Police.
There is an ancient Samurai adage: "The steel for
the finest swords is thrust into the fire ten thousand
times."
I know regional delegates have recently asked for
this issue to be tabled in the upcoming payround.
Has it been and if so why not?
Nick Hall
(Staff Safety Tactical Training, Auckland)
I suggest that if the Association staff who are
currently charged with this issue, are unable to
advance it then consideration should be given
to appointing someone who can. If there is no
one suitable within the organisation, why not
look outside of it? What about Mr Rennie QC?
What about taking the issue to the Employment
Court?
Police GSF pension
issues raise concern
The Human Rights Act affects all New Zealand
workers as it effectively means they no longer
have to retire on reaching a certain age.
This applies to sworn police officers, who prior
to the HR Act, had to retire at 55 years, with a few
exceptions. Unfortunately, nothing was done to
bring the Police Government Superannuation
Fund pension scheme into line with this new
legislation.
This effectively means that members of that
scheme who now no longer have to compulsorily
retire at age 55 are able to continue working
but are not able to draw the pension due to the
fact that they have not retired. A double-edged
sword?
Police members have loyally continued working
beyond age 55, and in some cases by doing so
have forfeited in excess of $250,000 in pension
entitlements.
Where to from here? I don't have the answers;
but I did think that our experts in our Association
Executive would have them.
Come on Association - give us an update. What
has happened since Greg O’Connor’s letter in
March of last year? Did he get a reply? We have
so many questions. Give us some answers.
Steve Hughes.
(Upper Hutt – 55+ GSF pension scheme
and still working)
Greg O’Connor, President of the NZ Police
Association replies: The Association has been
advocating for this issue. However, it requires
NZ Police co-operation to become a reality.
In subsequent discussions with NZ Police they
tell us they would consider it if the Association
agreed to lateral entry. By this they mean when
any position in Police is advertised, irrespective
You have mentioned the Commissioner’s
about face on this issue. That has been a
major disappointment to us given his earlier
enthusiasm, including comments about how
he thought it was such a good idea that he had
suggested it to the Australian Commissioners
and then being told that many of them were
already doing it within their jurisdictions.
More recently, the Commissioner has informed
the Law and Order Select Committee a major
problem facing the NZ Police is an ageing
workforce with increasing numbers staying
on beyond retirement age and that Police are
actively seeking younger recruits. Discussions
with Police have revealed they anticipate
allowing access to the GSF pension and
continuing in ongoing employment with Police
will only exacerbate this problem for them.
Notwithstanding all the complicating factors
around this matter, we are, however, working
at the fringes of this issue and will be assisting
another GSF member over the coming months
with a possible case of discrimination under
the Human Rights Act.
We are still of the view that allowing members
to draw their pension and continue working
can be a win-win scenario for members and
the NZ Police.
Use of 0800 Ten Nine
phone line
Association representatives maintain this
telephone line (0800 8366 463) on a 24hour basis.
It is to be used ONLY for matters that cannot
be deferred, such as Police shootings, fatal
pursuits or deaths in custody.
Important and immediate industrial and legal
advice can then be arranged through the
Association networks.
Please do not phone this line for nonurgent matters.
August 2009
187
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