The Independent Police Conduct Authority – A toothless watchdog has its bark muzzled
So our toothless police watchdog is having its bark muzzled…
Police watchdog IPCA skips investigations due to financial pressures
Allegations of excessive force by police are going uninvestigated by the country’s independent watchdog, due to financial pressures on the organisation.The Independent Police Conduct Authority says it is “pushing against the wall” as a result of the need for penny-pinching – at a cost to its work.
Speaking to the law and order select committee, IPCA chairman Sir David Carruthers said the authority had run operating deficits for the last four financial years, putting “significant pressure” on its cash flow and eating away its reserves.
…this follows a constant move by this Government to silence, starve and kill off critics or counter weights built into our system to mitigate against corruption and abuses of power.
Look at the way the Government killed off Environment Canterbury for threatening water access to their farmer mates. Look at the way the Government killed off the Problem Gambling foundation because they criticised Key’s Casino deal. Look at the way the Government killed off TVNZ7 because it might make the electorate too aware. Look at the way this Government rammed through mass surveillance powers. Look at the way this Government kills off or denigrates journalists from Campbell Live to Nicky Hager. Look at the abuse of power throughout Dirty Politics. Look at the way Key has handed sovereignty over to the USA. Look at the way the PMs Office colluded with the SIS to frame Goff.
It should come as no surprise at all that the IPCA has been so starved for funding they can’t investigate a Police force who abuse power with alarming regularity.
We should not be surprised that we dropped in the corruption free stats recently, this Government’s abuse of power is only as terrifying as the voter apathy that let them get away with it.
This is the NZ National have built and it is the NZ National voters love. Biased towards the powerful with zero check and balance accountability.
The minister denies the IPCA has run out of money. If we had an opposition worth anything all, they would be making an issue of this. Either the opposition is totally useless or the claim is untrue.
This is nothing new, the government does this with ALL so-called “watchdogs” that we have, or are supposed to have. They do not do much of the type of investigations that we would expect them to conduct, they simply reprioritise their work load and throw many complaints out.
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/ombudsman-complaint-dr-bratt-deleted-emails-refusal-to-investigate-r-paterson-hilit-17-08-15.pdf
It gets worse though, see the comments by Marc C towards the end of this post on Public Address:
http://publicaddress.net/speaker/how-is-government-evaluating-its-welfare/
http://publicaddress.net/system/cafe/speaker-how-is-government-evaluating-its/?p=352864#post352864
Go to the following post:
Marc C, in reply to Ian Dalziel, 2 months ago
@Yes, they do, hence so much gets either swept under the carpet, denied it ever existed, or is just plainly “wrong”, no matter what.
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.wordpress.com/2015/11/27/msds-selective-and-poor-responses-to-new-oia-requests-on-benefits-advisors-reports-mental-health-and-sole-parent-employment-services/
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.wordpress.com/2015/10/04/how-the-n-z-health-and-disability-commissioner-let-off-a-biased-designated-doctor/
AND how much is this for “fall out”, that the MSM have NO knowledge about?
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/speaker-of-parliament-complaint-abt-ombudsman-hdc-complt-handling-anon-xx-05-15.pdf
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/speaker-house-of-repr-complaint-abt-ombudsman-office-reply-anon-25-08-15.pdf
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/speaker-house-of-repr-complaint-abt-ombudsman-office-reply-anon-hilit-25-08-15.pdf
https://nzsocialjusticeblog2013.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/speaker-of-parliament-complaint-abt-ombudsman-rqst-f-inquiry-reply-to-dec-anon-05-09-15.pdf
Heaps more seems to be there, but no one in government seems to care, as the MSM chooses to focus on trivial stuff, and not do their job, which must be, because their masters own them, and do not want to “rock the boat”, which is a “safe hand” government under our esteemed leader John (Not the Baptist) Key.
A government of compulsive liars, that is my conclusion.”
Then click the attached PDFs with letters to the Speaker of Parliament, complaining about the Ombudsman. You will also find the response with a decision by the Speaker.
The government has it all nicely stitched up to suit its purposes, the system that is. They do the same with so-called advocacy and budget services for beneficiaries. They simply say these are the terms for getting funding, and if you do not like it, take a hike.
Hence we nowadays here fewer beneficiary advocates dare complain as they rather not bite the hand that feeds them.
And when the “watchdogs” are neutered the way they are now, we are not far away from a kind of dictatorial system.
Theres a very real pattern here.
IPCA, NZ Police, Schools (except charter schools), Military, Public broadcasting, Health, CYFS, Justice, Corrections (except SERCO), Housing NZ, WINZ, Conservation, to name but a few of the bigger organisations are starved for funds by National. But somehow they manage to meet and improve their government set targets. Hallelujah, glory be National, it’s water into wine miracles! Or in reality very creative accounting!
And on the subject of reality we are all worse served and poorer as a result by the poverty in these public services.
And isn’t it truly ironic and wrong that Judith Collins is the minister of police and corrections? NZ is getting a feel about it like one of those tin pot African dictatorships.