No not all cops are “bad”, but unfortunately too big a proportion of them are power trippers and let the uniform, car, taser, pepper spray, gun go to their heads. They let down all the good cops.
They forget they are there to serve and protect the public not intimidate and try and stand over them. One bad example I’ve personally come across is Constable BCY075 [wouldn’t give his name] based in Thames.
If there was a gestapo in NZ he would be in the front line doing the bidding of whatever dictator was in power. In my experience cops like him were usually one of those kids who never quite fitted in at school and were always on the outside, building up a resentment and hatred for those who were popular. Sometimes copped a hiding or two behind the bike sheds and run snitching to the teachers all the time. Most of us remember kids like that.😭
They join the Police to feel tough and get back at everyone in their life who they perceive mistreated them. Once they grow up a bit and mature they sometimes come right…or karma gets them.🤔 BCY075 needs a couple of refreshers at the Police College to understand that he has authority to use in the public interest not for his own agenda.
Arthur Taylor is The Daily Blog’s Prisoner Rights blogger and Police Power critic
Hey Arthur,
Not all Police being bad. I put that statement alongside not all politicians being shitheels.
When a person decides to be a Police Officer, I’m sure the vast majority are motivated by wholesome ideals such as serving your community and making the world a better / safer place bla bla bla but somewhere along the journey, a % of them become corrupted by the power etc. Not unlike a % of politicians.
When do we judge the Police as being “good”?. When they are not under pressure and they are doing wholesome helpful things in the community? or when they are under pressure and abuse their power as a % routinely do?
It’s when the Police get it wrong that we see true colours and shit sticking to blankets. A big part of the problem is the farcically named “Independent Police Conduct Authority”. The are about as independent as the Mongrel Mob investigating the unlawful actions of other Mongrel Mob members. Our Police know the IPCA has their back.
Here’s two examples. A family standing on their deck noticed a high speed police chase coming in their direction. The Police with siren and lights flashing were only 50 metres or so behind the vehicle being pursued according to all witness testimony. That vehicle crashed into an innocent motorist at high speed killing a young female occupant. The Police Officer arrived on scene a few seconds later with lights and siren still activated. The family all gave virtually verbatim statements to the Police and later to the IPCA. The pursuing police office however told a completely different yarn about what unfolded. He stated he was minutes behind the vehicle being pursued and didn’t have his lights and siren activated at the time of the crash. He estimated he arrived on scene a minute later with lights and siren still turned off. The IPCA astonishingly and despite all the witnesses, dismissed their statements and took the Police version of events as factual. Lying with our Police and covering up for those lies is some distance from rare even when it involves an innocent young lady being killed.
Second example involved myself and numerous people associated with me. I was being followed by Police one quiet early midweek evening. About 500 metres from my destination they activated their flashing lights to pull me over. To my left was a bus stop and that was followed by a line of parked cars and then a long sweeping bend. I made the prudent call to continue to my destination and then chat with the Police there. They didn’t like that. No laws broken but they wanted to have me. Asked if I’d been drinking. I told them no, I was a non drinker. A few seconds later three other Police vehicles arrived on scene. All with lights and sirens activated. I hadn’t anticipated the Constable requesting back up. It was like a movie scene. I was respectful toward them but stood my ground. The alcohol test was a pass. The Police all had a chat together. They wanted to nail me for something so decided on “failing to stop”…(later laughed out of court). They handcuffed me and took me back to their base. I was allowed my phone call. Lawyer advised me that I can’t be detained overnight etc. Photographed and fingerprinted me shortly after. I assumed I’d be immediately released but they put me in the cells and left me there. Six hours later, I demanded to be released. They told me they were busy despite it being as quiet as a church mouse with no activity. They kept me overnight despite fielding multiple phone calls from my lawyer and my wife who was at the hospital with my unwell son. Next morning, straight to my lawyer. Made a formal complaint of unlawful detainment. Police involved gave statements that remarkably all contradicted each other. One said they had been so busy they hadn’t been able to fingerprint and photograph me despite the record showing that occurred 9 minutes after arriving at their base. Another constable stated I had requested to stay the night in the cells. My lawyer asked about the likelihood of that occurring with a sober person desperate to get to the hospital to see his young unwell son. We had them fucked. They had been arseholes on a power trip and got caught with their own lies. It was set down for an IPCA meeting. Over the next month, everyone associated with me was turned over by the Police. My wife is a well respected senior health professional. She was stopped virtually every day to and from her hospital work. Almost every visitor to our home was stopped on arrival or departure by Police nearby and had their car searched etc. I was pulled over myself 22 times in as many days. All my family and friends were harassed and searched. We went from zero contacts with the police on an average month to over 115 in the month after making a complaint against the police. It got to all of us and I withdrew the complaint against the police. The harassment stopped the same day. It went from 0 “contacts” a month prior to the complaint, 115 contacts in the month after the official complaint and then back to 0 contacts after withdrawing the complaint and 0 ever since.
Bottom line is, our Police will lie, harass and abuse their power to get what they want.
As long as you have very little contact with the Police or don’t have the audacity to complain about their actions, you will likely still believe they are fine and dandy.
Wrote my comment below before reading yours Jacindafan–rather prescient eh? My general comments were based on numerous personal experiences. Volumes could be written on the type of active harassment NZ Police indulge in.
100% Tiger Mountain.
I’m certain there are many thousands out there just like us who have either been on the receiving end of highly dubious Police attention or have witnessed it elsewhere.
I own the fact I had a “colourful” younger life and like Arthur, also involved a stint in the infamous Epuni Boys home. I also wear a fair bit of ink. That aside, I’ve been a solid family man for 30+ years and run a business so no reason for Police to be turning me over.
My wife as a respected senior health professional with a high profile in our community had always looked up to Police but not now. She has no faith, trust or respect for them. What she witnessed and was subjected to has been shared with many other health professionals. Had it been anyone else relaying what unfolded, they would likely not have been believed.
There are good Police no doubt but that counts for F/A when those good Police allow shitheel colleagues to abuse their power and then lie and cover for them.
I understand what you’re saying about how most cops probably start with good intentions etc – that’s often the case for a number of other occupations like Work and Income and ACC staff, people wanting to serve others, but then as time goes on they become captured and turn into arseholes. The few who don’t turn into arseholes and do a good job are often whisked off to head office where they can’t be of direct service to the public and because they have a clue or two are useful policy people.
But I think the police is different. Arthur Taylor’s got a point about how people go into the police from the beginning with the perception that becoming a cop will give them power in a situation where they felt they didn’t already have it, that something’s missing and the cops and give it to me. I see what you’re saying, but I think joining the cops is often a bit different.
I am concerned at the lack of oversight of police, the militarising and the increase in powers being given to them.
And the fact they have written our new gun laws.
Gotta say tho this blog post just read as a flat out anti police whinge.
Maybe a post on the current police management and bullying/culture would be educational?
Well I do think most cops are bad in motivation & deed, or at least will go bad at some point. Sure they are not all extreme psychos or bent in a corrupt “on the take” way, but the macho bully boy culture of the NZ Police runs deep and is highly resistant to real change. Fabricating evidence and lying in court are commonplace. Personal vendettas using Police IT and after hours visits are common. Threats and intimidation are standard operating procedure rather than negotiation and discussion.
Taser was meant to be a sometime substitute for lethal force but most cops use it as a compliance or punishment device!
Authority loving kiwis who worship the cops have obviously led a very sheltered life. Many Police functions could be done by tow truck drivers, paramedics and well resourced civil defence staff. The cops do some useful work that the rest of us probably would prefer not to–but the fact that they are sworn to the Crown means they adopt a class political position that often lets the big crims in society off the hook while Unionists, activists and people exercising freedom of speech and assembly get bashed and arrested.
Signed–“not a cop lover…”
Jacindafan is absolutely spot-on with her comments about the IPCA. Using the word “Independent” in the title is a joke. How can there be independence when the investigators are senior retired cops who believe the cops never do anything wrong. I recall there was a case in Christchurch last year when an off-duty cop assisted a mate to retrieve two dogs which the cop’s mate’s ex-partner had taken possession of. The cop and his mate confronted the woman and her husband and the cop assaulted the woman.
The IPCA said that the cop had used excessive force on the woman but supported the Police decision not to lay any charges against the cop. How disgusting is that? If the cop had not been a cop the Police would have charged him but because he was one of their own they didn’t. In other words, the IPCA support the cops in what they do and what they get away with and the cops know this. What the IPCA should have done is launch an investigation into the Police investigation of the cop and issue a finding against the decision not to charge the cop with assault.
The IPCA has also introduced a system where it tries to resolve many complaints against the cops by getting the parties into mediation. In other words the person who has been wronged by the cops is expected to sit there in the presence of the cop who has abused/assaulted/intimidated them and be re-victimised by their presence and talked into agreeing that it was really the victim who was at fault. This happened to a person I know but she would not accept she was at fault so in the end the cop said she was at fault and she was lucky not to get charged with a crime.
Agree re the “I”PCA being an absolute farce.
Having an actual robust complaint/discipline system would go a long way to addressing my concern.
Jacindafan’s story above is awful if true.
I will add to what has been said and say not all cops are bad nah! but many are bad ! and they do what their masters tell them to do and many are very judgmental and some are quiet dumb, naive and racist. I say this all from my own person experiences.
Here’s yet another fairly typical yarn.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/119666410/police-kick-to-teens-head-after-stolen-car-pursuit-was-excessive-force–ipca
Very occasionally, the IPCA find against the Police. This generally only happens when they have been embarrassed into that result by witness(es) they are fearful of being exposed by.
Here we have an appalling incident where a teenager is kicked in the head by Police. This diabolical situation is witnessed. I’m not saying the victim was an angel. He’s clearly not and has been caught in a stolen car but it’s very common for Police to get pumped up by an event and repeatedly tell their target to “calm down” and “stop resisting” despite that person being virtually motionless. The police are doing little more than making it “appear” like their extremely heavy handed actions are justified. Very rare to ever hear the demonized victims perspective. As a result, I NEVER believe what the Police say anymore. They routinely lie and cover up for each other and then have the IPCA gift them a free pass.
So what do we have here? The IPCA accepting that our Police have kicked a 13 year old in the head. What an appalling situation and it was witnessed.
Consequence. NO PENALTY. Why? Because the IPCA state they can’t identify which of the two officers kicked the 13 year old in the head. What a disgraceful situation. Not only are the Police kicking 13 year old boys in the head when they are on the ground, but they are both happy to lie about it. The person who did the kicking lies and denies it. His offsider lies about it to cover for his outrageous colleague. A VERY common scenario with our Police. Now we have two men dressed in blue out and about that are not only happy to kick 13 year old boys in the head, but are also both bare faced liars. They will fit right in with the NZ Police.
Hows your confidence in the NZ Police?
I find the following article extremely “interesting”. It’s what is said by the police involved and not said by the Police area commander for Hawke’s Bay. There are more contradictions than you can shake a truncheon or boot at.
https://www.msn.com/en-nz/news/national/police-tasered-kicked-13yo-in-head-during-arrest/ar-BB10aRdg
So we have repeated kicks to the head that of a 13 year old boy resulting in serious facial injuries and witnesses describing the victim being kicked in the head while he was restrained on the ground. Even the IPCA state “”However it is clear to the Authority that an officer did kick him,” reads the IPCA report”
There can be no doubt that the boy was repeatedly kicked in the head by the Police while he was on the ground. What a disgraceful indictment on our Police.
Despite this extremely powerful evidence, ” All three officers involved in the arrest vehemently deny kicking or punching the teenager”. This means that all three Police involved are bare faced liars who will cover for the diabolical actions of a colleague. It also highlights these police all condone 13 year old boys being repeatedly kicked in the head while restrained on the ground. “Vehemently deny” from our Police = bare faced lie. This kind of “vehemently denying” from the Police happens every day in our courts.
All we need now is for the Police to “accept” the findings of the IPCA and make the strongest possible statement condemning 13 year old offenders being treated in such a reprehensible manner. It’s a given that the Police will follow the nationwide narrative about any rare IPCA findings against them. It’s all about placating the public. The usual BS is the “Police accept the recommendations of the IPCA and have implemented change” That is code for “we dispute the IPCA findings and will justify our actions until the second coming of Jesus so the status quo continues”.
Here is the statement from “Inspector Jeanette Park the Hawke’s Bay Area Commander”
“Police come to work every day to keep the community safe, and are often required to make decisions to ensure that safety for the public and for our people,” and “”Following this incident, our staff were debriefed, and lessons learned have been implemented.” What’s missing?
Remarkably, nowhere does this Police area commander condemn in ANY way the reprehensible actions of the Police involved despite accepting the “findings” of the IPCA. What an incredible situation. Her silence in this all important area is in fact condoning kicking a 13 year old boy in the head repeatedly while he was restrained in the ground and then her staff telling bare faced lies about their actions.
The area commander goes on to say “our staff were debriefed”. What an amazing debriefing that must have been.
“Well done for getting another scum sucking maggot enemy off the streets. The ends will always justify the means and well done boys for lying through your teeth and covering for each other. Be sure that when you kick 13 year old boys in the head when they are restrained on the ground, make sure there are no fucking witnesses. We can’t afford a Rodney King incident in our area. There are still a few naive members of the public out there that trust us”
I got to see lots of good cops in ’81
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