A week ago I wrote its time to arm the police, an attitude inconceivable to me up until the last half dozen years.
Well talk of the devil, two days later the New Zealand Herald came out with a polling survey I was unaware they had commissioned, which showed a significant majority of New Zealanders now backed such a move, as do nearly 75% of the police.
Police Minister Poto Williams protested that this would heavily affect the Pacific and Maori community. Well of course it would if they’re the principal offenders, which they are. Perhaps they should be given immunity from parking tickets on that “logic”, if they were shown to be the main offenders.
Labour and National ducked for cover and opposed this, without giving reasons and therein presented an excellent opportunity for David Seymour to speak out and align ACT with the public opinion. The current situation is alarming. Over the last 18 months police officers have found themselves facing guns an astonishing five times each day, that’s nearly 2,000 times.
Nowhere else in the world would this be tolerated.
5 Comments
Thanks for raising this. It always struck me as odd that the NZ Police are expected to maintain law and order with a notebook and a flashlight. Arm them all now! No use bringing a knife to a gunfight.
I remain opposed to NZ Police carrying firearms due to the disgraceful bullying, cowboy-like behaviour I have witnessed from many of the younger, front-line members of the force but have no problem at all with NZ Police getting new management, sourced from abroad, who can ensure ALL new officers are properly trained and policed and subsequently allowed to be armed at all times while on duty.
New management from the very top (Poto) down would be my minimum requirement.
I hesitate to rush to arm our police, but nevertheless, having read an alarming number of cases in recent times where officers have found themselves getting shot at and have been lucky to escape with their lives, I am coming to the view that sole officers in patrol cars are probably too unsafe these days, and should probably be wearing their glocks on their hips.
Poto Williams, sadly, looks like she does not really support our police officers, and is likely on the way to becoming the most useless Police Minister our under-staffed & too often embattled police force has ever had.
A case in point, from 3 Sept 2021: Police Minister Poto Williams can’t say whether the officers who arrested Auckland’s MIQ escapee yesterday were fully vaccinated. Asked by @NewstalkZB’s John MacDonald if she’s able to go and get that information, Williams responded with: “Why don’t you put in an OIA?”
She seems to be completely out of her depth.
Well yes and no. Single officers in a car are cautious and tend to ask for back up before rushing in to situations, which is good if it saves lives, but bad if it puts a Policeman at risk. Cars with 3 officers are also good as at least one is usually experienced and careful. Where Police can get it wrong is in 2 officers in a car as this often results in feeling safer than they really are, and tending to rush in.
However-arming police seems to me to be inevitable. The criminals are now armed. Ergo the Police need to be.
Don’t worrying. Its not going to happen with the number of Maori represented in caucas.
I do wonder whether its appropriate to arm all people, and some are clearly on a power trip where innocent lives could be lost. Car chases are a good example of what we outcome we are likely to get.