Nothing desensitises the masses into believing Police are fearless warriors fighting on the side of good like 90minutes of Police TV porn 7pm week nightly.
Our refusal to hold the Police in a critical gaze so that we are assured they aren’t abusing their power is one of the juvenile parts of our national psyche.
When something goes bump in the night, we call them to keep all those media perpetrated stereotypes from invading our middle class property values, no questions asked.
This lack of demanding accountability is no where more prevalent than with this Government who have not only passed retrospective law that cleanses the Police of illegal spying but makes that illegal spying legal.
Tumeke!
Put aside the appalling RoastBuster farce, put aside the Police raiding Nicky Hager’s house and seizing evidence he had of police corruption and put aside the sado-masochistic gang rape parties of the 1980s and nothing highlights a Police force becoming a law unto themselves quite so spectacularly as the Red Devils case…
Judge critical of police after botched Red Devils gang operation
The case against the Red Devils gang in Nelson has been dropped because of possible “serious criminal offending” by police, involving a fake search warrant and arrest of an undercover officer, during the investigation.
The Crown officially dropped the case on Thursday, opting not to appeal a High Court ruling that resulted in all but six charges being thrown out of court because evidence for them was improperly obtained by police.
There were originally 148 charges against 21 defendants, who were patched members or associates of the Red Devils Motorcycle Club in the Nelson area.
Justice David Collins said a fake search warrant and prosecution of an undercover officer during the investigation, known as Operation Explorer, amounted to “significant misconduct” and possible “serious criminal offending”.
Lying to the Court and manipulating the Court process to entrap anyone is an abuse of power. No one wants more organised crime in NZ, and the Police have massive tools available to them to shut those crime networks down, so to deceive the Court in this manner is just as astonishing as the Police reaction of being disappointed that the Court wouldn’t just give them a wink, a nod and a playful punch on the arm down at the Rugby club later in the week.
Giving a Police force as arrogant as ours guns would be a terrible mix of misplaced self confidence and civilian casualties.
I hear the morel within the police force today is at an all time low now.
Also it appears they are being forced to take on so many unpleasant search and seizure tasks against their will.
The average cop is a member of our community and is being used as national’s own private security service to torment members of the public, so we can assume the situation is only going to deteriorate and become worse in time as long as this Government uses the Police force as their attack dogs.
I hear the morel within the police force today is at an all time low now – Are you illiterate?
Just a creative speller, not Illiterate. But what about you?
No I cant spell either – thank god for spell check
Is this what the police know is happening today before our own eyes?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYWx_cFzqro
Martyn, your article about this is simply proof that you actually do not want the responsibility of power, you simply want to niggle on the sideline. Supporting gangs will will never get you power. I did think for some time that you may be a component of an effective opposition, but you are not, and never will be. Most of your supporters are genuine and I wish them all the best, but you are actually an unfortunate distraction from the people that deserve change, and do them a disservice. One day , maybe, we will have an effective opposition.
Dan – if your definition of good governance is allowing the NZ Police to break the law and wilfully abuse police power, then you and your ilk my dear friend need to be removed from power as soon as humanly possible.
With the greatest of respect, the following story does put a rather different slant on things. http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/69456051/union-backs-police-in-botched-red-devils-case (by the way I do not have an ilk, I would like to see an effective opposition but I do not believe supporting criminal gangs is a way for an opposition to gain support)
With the greatest respect Dan, are you fucking serious? Greg O’Connor? A fake warrant given the nod by a FORMER district court judge hardly vindicates criminal behaviour. Were he still alive he should be up on charges as well. Also, to assert that criticism of illegal behaviour and corruption in the police is somehow supporting criminals is simply ludicrous. Whatever your ilk may be, the comment adds weight to the characterisation mentioned in the article – ie; a product of the juvenile national psyche.
If the national psyche is juvenile (and I do not believe it is, but for the sake of the argument lets use that title) then those presently in opposition who want to be in power, must in part at least, appeal to that group. Does not matter if the subject is global warming, housing, whatever.You cannot make change in opposition, just noise. I wonder if making noise is all some actually want. Yes you can go out on a limb, a crusade if you want, but you will not achieve much.
^ woeful and deliberate denial of the facts of some the greatest historical social movements that DIDN’T involve established law agencies and incumbent govt’s.
In case you didn’t realize….in a healthy democracy – the very laws and policy’s are shaped by the will of the people. And one of those planks was to have a corruption free police force and due process to enhance checks and balances so we do not end up like other corrupt nations.
Your argument therefore becomes invalid if you truly adhere to democratic principles and wish to partake of a fair and decent society.
@Dan –
You have lost your marbles mate. You are just talking shit. Of course the police union is going to back the police… That is what it is there for.
The fact that police claim a judge gave them a fake warrant… or whatever. They did not have a right and were breaking the peoples rights… The police are only a gang for JK….
Have their been any resignations amongst the police relating to this blatant fraud+ criminal offending? or any prosecutions? this is easily the most damaging thing that the police have done to the NZ justice system and the public perception of the police is already at an all-time low.. the police are showing themselves to be a law unto themselves and the the organised crime prevention team are clearly corrupt and dysfunctional.
what a farce.
One thing that continues to fascinate me with regards in the televised so-called cop shows, is how on earth the film crews don’t end up with any of the “dodgy” cops. That there are dodgy things going on, is more common knowledge than many realise. The other day I learnt of someone who had been arrested, – wrongly as it happened – had a sample of their DNA taken. WITHOUT the necessary court order!
Regardless of whether it’s action against a gang, or anyone else, it needs to been done PROPERLY and LEGALLY.
If the police carry on down the path that they appear to be on at present, we can expect trouble, not just from the cops. Generally, people will only put up with so much before they fight back.
At least, they used to.
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