First Goldsmith vigilante citizens arrest goes wrong
Well, well, well.
The ‘I told you so express’ is on time again.
TDB warned you that Goldsmith’s vigilante powers would lead to this exact situation and barely a month since passing we have our first fuck up…
Young man charged with assault after attempted citizen’s arrest
A young man has been charged with assault after a citizen’s arrest in Hamilton allegedly went too far.
Hamilton City Area Commander inspector Scott Miller told RNZ a 19-year-old was before the courts after incident involving a citizen’s arrest in Hamilton last week.
He said officers were called to a commercial premises on Victoria St around 5.15pm on Saturday, following a report of shoplifting.
Miller said when police got to the scene, they found one person suspected of being involved in the shoplifting had been detained.
It was alleged the person who detained the suspected shoplifter assaulted them during the incident.
A 19-year-old man had been charged with common assault and was next due to appear in the Hamilton District Court on Friday.
The suspected shoplifter would also go through a youth justice process.
Minister of Justice Paul Goldsmith said he didn’t know the particulars of the case but that they passed a law and expected people to follow it.
“The clear directions in that is if the situation is appropriate, people can hang on to somebody and then call the police and follow the instructions of the police.
“We’ve got clear legislation in place and we expect people to follow it.”
RNZ
…people who want to be vigilantes don’t read the fine print of the law, they just think they now have legal protection to bash others.
For the billionth time.
The ONLY PEOPLE who should have the legal power to place hands on you is a Police Officer.
Allowing vigilantes to believe they have the legal right to do so is dangerous and stupid.
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Well it had to happen! Know-it-all Goldsmith, so hell bent on bringing in such a scurrilous Bill, has now got egg on his face. Well done! You cannot legally pit people against each other. It was always going to go this way and if it continues it will get worse until someone dies. I agree with Martyn. The only peple who should have the legal power to place hands on you is a Police Officer. Allowing vigilantes to believe they have the legal right to do so is dangerous and stupid, but of course Goldsmith “borders on stupid”!
@Patrize Garden – I totally agree with you. Can I also add a comment – I don’t know the full facts but the perception is that here we have a 19 year old trying to do the right thing and the cops charge him with an assault on the thief for detaining him. What does this whole thing say about the cops? Couldn’t they have and can’t they look at the bigger picture and sort it out because a 19 year old now faces a conviction for violence that will mark him for the rest of his life – stop him getting employment and even travelling overseas. No-one will want to know about the background circumstances – all they will look at is the conviction.
I condemn Goldsmith for creating this but then again, what can you expect from this far-right brutal government which has brought about the very situation that we were warned about. I feel sorry for the 19 year old and I shake my head in dismay at the conduct of the cops.
“dangerous and stupid” that’s Goldsmith to a tee!