Police News Nov 04.indd - New Zealand Police Association

New Zealand Police AssociationNovember 2004From the President“Any police officer who has been in asituation where control was lost, as it was inthis case, will know exactly what they felt asthe offender started calling the shots.”I’ve spent time with police officersfrom many different cultures andmany different countries.Whether siting in a muster room ina station in wealthy, well-equippedDenmark or impoverished Honiara,a natural and instant camaraderieexists, which transcends languagebarriers and borders.It’s because we all deal with the samesection of our respective societies,those who don’t abide by the lawsimposed to ensure that society canfunction for the greater good of themajority.Last month, I was fortunate enoughto be in Kowhitirangi, near Hokitika,where a monument was unveiled,commemorating the four policeofficers and three others who werekilled by Stanley Graham during his1941 rampage there.I travelled to the site with otherofficers over the same route the slainofficers took - we discussed howthey would have travelled, whatthey would have been thinking. Theempathy we all quickly developedwith the officers made me realiseour camaraderie not only transcendscultures, it transcends generations.Those were our colleagues, doing thesame job as we do today and whowould have had exactly the same fearand anticipation as we would.They would have cracked jokes toreassure each other.Any police officer who has been in asituation where control was lost, as itwas in this case, will know exactly whatthey felt as the offender started callingthe shots.It is the conflict between selfpreservation,duty and looking afteryour mates and the public.The construction of the monumentinspired by Grant “Cab” O’Fee and madereal by retired Constable Barry Thompsonhas come to fruition and its presence is areminder to us all of the ultimate sacrificethat those four courageous officers gaveto protect their community. Others havemade the same sacrifice in the 63 yearssince the Kowhitirangi tragedy. No doubtother colleagues will pay the ultimatesacrifice in the future in the course ofgoing about their lawful duty inorder to ensure that NewZealand is a saferplace.Police Health Plan growing stronglyand providing the best of careBy Chris Pentecost, Police Health Plan CEOPolice Health Plan remains one of theleading players in the New Zealandhealth insurance industry. Withalmost 28,000 lives covered, it enjoysmembership growth twice that of thegeneral health insurance business inNew Zealand.In the last financial year (to 30 June2004) we met over 23,000 claims,paying more than $14.4m to members.Already this financial year, we have paidout over $4.5m in claim costs.Despite public health funding increases,unless an individual has an “acute”condition, requiring immediatetreatment, they will generally face await of several months for treatment.For many procedures considered nonurgent,the public health system waitinglist can extend to years. Therefore,health insurance is a necessity to ensureaccess to faster treatment for ailments,especially for more serious conditions.Since 2000 Police Health Plan hasapproved 11,455 procedures, including:• 258 major heart operations.• 193 hip or knee replacements.• 271 instances of nasal surgery.• 63 (non ACC) spinal injuries.• 332 ACC shortfalls for majorprocedures.• 1,603 colonoscopies or gastroscopies.• 353 surgical procedures for varicoseveins.We have also met numerous proceduresfor children, including:• 246 tonsil operations.• 249 tonsil and adenoid procedures.• 49 adenoid procedures alone.• 457 instances of grommets.These procedures are not ‘cosmetic’but necessary. Having these operationshas prolonged lives, enabled an earlierreturn to work and/or significantlyimproved members’ quality of life.Best valueThe Association believes that PoliceHealth Plan currently provides thebest value long term health insuranceavailable. As weonly have threetypes of plan, noadd-ons or ‘no claim bonuses’, ourprocesses are not complicated, meaningour administration costs are the lowestin the business.Our staff pride themselves on customerservice. For the past two years, PoliceHealth Plan has been placed first inconsumer surveys as providing thebest service to its members. Claimsare paid out every week, generally ona Wednesday. If a claim is receivedby noon on a Tuesday it should beprocessed and paid by the next day.The reality is that in the modern erahealth insurance, as provided by PoliceHealth Plan, has become as necessary asevery other form of insurance. Childrenof primary members and their ownchildren, including adult children, areeligible to join.For all enquiries call the MemberService Centre on the Police network44446, freephone 0800 500 122 or04 496 6800.195

New Zealand Police AssociationNovember 200463 years on...Police honour their fallen comradesfrom the ‘Kowhitirangi incident’By Gerry MorrisWhen the Kowhitirangi Valley (formerlyknown as Koiterangi), near Hokitika,finally got back to work in the lateafternoon sun on Friday, 8 October,following a moving dedicationceremony commemorating the massmurder of seven men - four policeofficers, two Home Guardsmen andan Education Department inspector -between 8 and 20 October 1941, it wasas if the lack of a mention of the villainin proceedings, Stanley Graham, hadtriggered a last word.As people left, an eerie shuddering blastengulfed the valley from the nearby MtDoughboy quarry, less than a kilometrefrom where Graham was shot andcaptured by police after 12 days on therun in 1941.The memorial project was the brainchildof Tasman District Police Commander,Superintendent Grant O’Fee. Ex-policeofficer and now artist, Barry Thompson,crafted the stunning seven tonne graniteand bronzememorial. The NZPolice Associationhelped with mostof the funding.Big turnoutMore than 100relatives of theslain men and50 police officerswere among the300 who attended.VIP guestsincluded theMinister of Police,George Hawkins,• Constable PercyTulloch...one of fourpolice officers killed.Photo courtesy of theNZ HeraldActing Commissioner of Police, SteveLong, local MP Damien O’Connor, hiscousin, Police Association President andformer West Coaster, Greg O’Connor,and prominent Wellingtonian andformer head of the Armed Offenders’Squad, Bill Brien, himself a relative bymarriage to victim, Constable Ted Best.One of the last surviving members ofthe huge group of Police, Army andHome Guard who were involved in thehunt for Graham, local farmer HenryGrowcott, unveiled the memorial.Captured the moodGreg O’Connor seemed to capturethe mood of the occasion, which alsorecognised the killing of 26 serving policeofficers including the four at Kowhitirangi,by asking for the incident to be known infuture as the Kowhitirangi incident ratherthan in the name of Graham.“These types of incidents start as everydayevents and sadly, they continue in oursociety - every police officer has a timebomb in their patch like this and theseseven men gave their lives to look aftertheir mates,” O’Connor said.“It is wonderful to get some form ofclosure on this infamous incident,however, it is in the nature of humanitythat it will someday be repeated.”• Relatives of Constable Edward (Ted) Best - Senior Constable Ross Campbell, Peter Campbell. Adrienne Campbell, Leith Oliver andBruce Oliver - in front of the memorial. (Photo courtesy of The NZ Herald).197

November 2004Police News The Voice of PoliceAustralia, the state territory police effectivelyreport to a state territory Parliament andthere is a lot of involvement within thenational or federal agencies (such as theAustralian Crime Commission and theNational Commonwealth Policing Service).This was not entirely new ground forMatthews, as he had some involvementwith this process as a liaison officer forthe National Police Research Unit in NewZealand.One of the real learning curves he says, fromthe perspective of an outsider, who foundhimself thrust into this melee of politics, was“the difficulties around the conflict betweenfederal and state [jurisdictions].”Matthews says New Zealand is lucky tohave only one jurisdiction.In terms of the impacts this state-federalcrossover had on his position, Matthewssays he effectively found himself“working for two bosses”. He says thispresented its own challenges, in termsof meeting federal expectations - inwhich federal bodies report through tothe Attorney General or the Minister ofJustice or the federacy on the one hand- and then within the state setting havingto report to the Minister of Police and tothe Premier, on the other.This political climate became “veryapparent” when you had a Liberal/National Government holding theFederal benches while in the territoriesand states Labor held sway. “So you geta bit of an ideological conflict betweenpoliticians,” Matthews told Police News.Rural similaritiesHe found great similarities betweenWA and New Zealand rural policing.“There was good community supportfor the local police out in the country andofficers were highly regarded within theircommunities,” he told Police News.One striking difference between the twojurisdictions in terms of rural policingis that in WA, particularly in the NorthEast, officers wear khaki uniforms. Thisis because the red dirt plays havoc withthe navy blue wool of the standard issueuniform and the more durable khakicolouredmaterial is easier to clean.One of the greatest challenges he facedwas the Royal Commission into PoliceCorruption. He says, personally, he foundit tough but is the first to acknowledgethat it was “tough on everyone in theorganisation”.“You have a constant range of allegationsand many of them were very serious. Butwhile that only really involved about oneor two percent of police currently in theservice at the time of the Royal Commissionhearings, many people were affected andof course, police strongly identify with theimage of the organisation and that imagecertainly took a hammering because of theactions of a very small number of peopleand most of those were people who hadlong since left the Police anyway,” Matthewstold Police News.Matthews was concerned, during theCommission’s hearings, at the lack of crossexaminationof those making allegations. Hefelt that this was “very damaging”.Getting on with the jobHe says he concentrated on keepingofficers focussed on their core role during• Former WA Commissioner of Police, Barry Matthews.(Photo courtesy of the WA Police Association)the Commission while at the same timeproviding transparency. “We allowedcomplete access to Royal Commissionhearing transcripts and we produced dailysummaries on the Police intranet. Whilesome will no doubt have taken an interestin that, I have to say that my over-ridingimpression was that, generally-speaking,officers just got on with the job they had todo,” he says.Recent surveys have indicated that publicperception and confidence in the Police inWest Australia has not changed since theRoyal Commission. Matthews has his ownideas around that: “I think the reason isthat there had been a lot of publicity aboutcorruption prior to the Royal Commission,so I think that where corruption was, in fact,established, people said: ‘Oh well, we knowthat already’. Where it wasn’t established,and they thought there might have beencorruption, then obviously their opinion ofthe Police will have improved. There wouldalso have been some people who thoughtthere wasn’t any corruption in the Policeand, of course, that proved not to be thecase, so their opinion would have dropped,”he says, adding that he thought: “That it allbalanced out, basically”.One of the most pleasing aspects of the jobwas the acceptance he found among hispolice colleagues and the public of WestAustralia. “I went there with some strategicgoals in mind and I think I achieved those.I also wanted to improve the lot of womenin the Police and the relationship betweenaboriginal people and the Police and I thinkthere is unanimous agreement that both ofthose areas have improved markedly,” hesays.Political difficultiesOne of the less satisfying aspects of thejob was the relationship he had withsuccessive Police Ministers. “I had a verygood relationship with Kevin Prince,who was the Police Minister when I firsttook the job, but that changed with thechange of government,” Matthews saysquite frankly.“The relationship with the new Minister[Michelle Roberts] was difficult,” Matthewsadmits. “I think I could have achieved alot more but for the difficult relationship...there was conflict about the willingnessto interfere in the running of the Policethrough micro-management,” he adds.Matthews is philosophical though,saying that, overall, the job affordedhim “a great experience”. “We saw alot of Western Australia, we were welltreated,we met some lovely peopleand made some wonderful friends andit was an enriching experience,” he says.While Matthews was challenged onnumerous occasions by the police union,sometimes through industrial courts, hesays he feels there was a good degree ofmutual respect involved in the relationship.“I enjoyed working with the union and Ihave a lot of respect for them.”As for the future, Matthews is taking sometime out in Europe to think about hisoptions. “I don’t think I’ll completely retire...when I come back from our holiday I’ll lookfor something then,” he says.But for now, there are some itineraries tocheck, there is some packing to be doneand some boat catalogues to be perused.For, after 39 years of policing, BarryMatthews, retired Police Commissioner,certainly deserves to put his feet up for awhile before taking on his next challenge.200

New Zealand Police AssociationNovember 2004This column is written by a frontline police officer. It does notrepresent the views or policies of the Police Association.View From The BottomA full moonI’m a big believer in the full moontheory... all those mad nightshifts overthe years have really confirmed mythoughts and as a youngster (and stillnow) I always loved trudging aroundin the darkness waiting to spring thenext bad/mad guy. Mind you, even ourSenior seems to get a bit strange withthe full moon, so I suppose the sword isdouble-edged!I feel like it’s a bit of a full moonenvironment at the mo with a fewstrange goings on. I mean Banksygoing in what can only be called anavalanche, our worst criminals trying toget pay outs and police shootings notgetting the normal media hype of daysgone past (though I’m not complainingabout that one I tells ya). Still, she’s surea strange weather pattern.Santa’s not far off loading the sled andheading this way and another year willbe gone. I wonder whether he’ll have tohave a gold graded licence to drive thatflash vehicle of his? Bit of debate aboutthis one in the old Letters column andI can’t really see how we can compareBy Constable Iam Keenusing afirearm withdriving theblue and red.Sure, they might be both lethal in thewrong hands, but its apples and pearsstuff, as the amount of time we spendon the road is enormous compared tothe time we are armed. It’s all a bit daftreally.Generation XPSS scoops two top awardsThe Police Superannuation Fund (PSS)has turned up trumps by capturing thetwo top awards at the Association ofSuperannuation Funds of New Zealand(ASFONZ) conference in Aucklandrecently.The scheme won the gold award forlarge schemes for its 2003 annualreport and benefit statements and theplatinum award for excellence andinnovation in overall communication.The latter award is judged on printedmaterial, which introduced investmentchoices and the PSS website tomembers.NZ Police Association IndustrialAdvocate, Greg Fleming, who is oneof the trustees of the scheme, toldPolice News he was “delighted with theaward”.“When member investment choicewas introduced, we realised that thekey to success was giving membersall the information they needed in aI’d hate to be a boy in blue across theditch with the X factor card beingplayed and the suggestion of testingacross the board before you join theranks. Our cousins are certainly takingthe ‘corruption’ call to a new level and‘cleanliness’ really is next to ‘Godliness’.I suppose it helps us living in God’sown and though we can’t rest on thelaurels we sure don’t need to jerk theknee just yet. Mind you, that Internethas a lot to answer for and it’s scarywhen the odd sick puppy gets caughtin the net, though throw the buggers tothe sharks, I say, as kiddy stuff is a ‘donot pass GO, do not collect $200’ atany level.user-friendly format. The combinationof targeted printed material andthe premium website met all ourobjectives,” he said.Contribution acknowledgedAuckland youth aid officer, RohanStace, provided a sprinkling of cartoonsthrough the annual report to highlightdifferent facets of the scheme. MrFleming said the cartoons provideda “lighter visual depiction” of variousaspects of the scheme for members and• Cartoonist Rohan Stace made a bigcontribution.Extra $$$$$$Might be able to keep me lady of thehouse a bit happier if we can earn a fewextra coins up till Christmas by doing afew extra shifts in the watch house. Ourmates at the prisons are really pushingthe proverbial up hill with all thoseextras that the thin blue line keepscatching.I guess it shows the stats must be rightwith so many more in the clink - Yeahright!Wouldn’t it be great if we regularly gotpaid for a bit of overtime? A fella candream can’t he? Mind you, more chanceof getting me two front teeth again forChristmas than that ever happening. Ithink Supertramp summed that one upbest (You’re nothing but a dreamer!).Summer breakMe leave plan says I’m down for acouple of weeks just before thesesummer holidays, so let’s hope the sundoesn’t disappoint and arrives early!The Log of Wood is where it belongsand I can’t wait until the All Blacks goon tour. In between the overtime andfence mending there’s sure gonna besome surfing (channel) done.See ya!he acknowledged Mr Stace’s “significantcontribution” in making the awardwinning report a success.Mr Stace said he was pleased at thesuccess of the publication and theinsight used by Greg Fleming to usecartoons to illustrate points. “Greg hada pretty clear vision that this was theway to go right from the start and hepushed it through to produce a verysatisfactory result. It was a real teameffort from everyone involved,” he said.The PSS, which was established in1992 as a joint NZ Police/NZ PoliceAssociation initiative, now has over6600 members. All members havearound-the-clock, PIN-protected onlineaccess to a website where they cancheck their personal benefit details,read the latest superannuation andscheme-specific news and accessscheme documentation and membereducation material. These educationmaterials include specially developedweb tools that allow members to trialdifferent asset allocations before theymake or change a selection.201

November 2004Police News The Voice of PoliceKeen On Wineby Ricky CollinsA look at ChardonnayNew Zealand is recognised as a cool climatewine-producing region. Because of ourmarginal climate, some varieties do better than others in ourvarious wine regions. For example, medium to full bodiedred wines such as Merlot and Syrah are better suited tothe warmer moderate climate of Hawke’s Bay, whereas thecooler Marlborough region is better suited to producingacidic aromatic whites such as Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling.The one variety that all of our regions are capable ofproducing high quality wines from, is Chardonnay. It is thesecond most widely planted grape variety in New Zealand.However, that universal ability to do well in a variety ofclimates is now resulting in a decline in new plantings.Many new wine producers are shying away from plantingChardonnay because the competition, both internally andfrom our neighbour Australia, is too heated.The good news though, is that there are plenty of examplesof top quality New Zealand Chardonnay on the market atpresent at $20 or below. Below are a few that I’ve enjoyedrecently.2003 Mount Riley Chardonnay RRP $18This wine has gained a solid reputation over the last coupleMemorial WallOur sympathies to all our members’families for those who have passedaway in recent months...We remember…of vintages as a value for money Chardonnay. Notes ofluscious mixed fruit on the nose are backed up by vibrantcitrus fruit flavours on the palate, good length and smart useof oak. Well worth a try.2003 Lake Chalice Marlborough Chardonnay RRP $20I tried this wine at a recent tasting of Lake Chalice winesand was impressed by its elegance and balance. It has aperfumed aroma of stone fruit blended in with savoury oak,and flavours of peaches and apricots. In the mouth it has arich creamy feel, and excellent length. It is very enjoyable.2003 Villa Maria Cellar SelectionMarlborough Chardonnay RRP $20Villa Maria has again just been voted Champion Winery at the2004 Liquorland Top 100 wine show. This is a continuationof the recognition awarded to their full range of wines.Chardonnay has always been a feature in their portfolio andthis wine is a good example of how well they do with thisvariety. It is a little similar to the Lake Chalice, with peachflavours and a rich creamy palate.2002 Mystery Creek Chardonnay RRP $15This is a small winery set up in the Waikato by a couple ofex-employees of Villa Maria. The fruit used is a blend oftheir home vineyard Chardonnay and fruit supplied from awell-regarded grower in the Gisborne area. This has a blendof citrus and stonefruit flavours, well worked oak and goodstructure. This is an impressive effort from a relatively newwinery and represents excellent value for money.Who passed away…AMOS Audrey Elsie 25-Aug-04 Retired member ChristchurchCHARLTON William David 20-Sep-04 Retired associate member TaurangaDALY Anthony Gerald Raphael 23-Sep-04 Retired associate member NelsonWRIGHT Richard 23-Sep-04 Retired non-sworn member WaitahanuiJESSON Margaret 24-Sep-04 Widow of retired member NapierCLARKE-RENSHAW Mary Louise 25-Sep-04 Spouse of retired member ParaparaumuBROWN Walter Felton Alexander 7-Oct-04 Retired sworn member WhangaparaoaCopper’s CrosswordBy Constable CunningNovember cluesAcross:1. Close to this time of the year (6)4. Always welcome to Patrol Staff (4,2)8. Not real (2,4,5,)10. Count singularly (7)11. Hal can sing this note backwards (3)12. Metal teeth, but not braces (4)13. Choke with laughter perhaps (3)14. Entry into Computer (4)17. Double (3)18. Distent broken up mouth, then goes torepairer (7)19. Over the top (11)20. Won’t have 16 Down on this beach (6)21. Paper towel (6)October answers:Across1. March.4. Brash.10. Lemon.11. Replace.12. Interpol.13. Rill.15. Venice.17. Hammer.19. Yoga.20. Regiment.23. Nurture.24. Metro.25. Pagan.26. Snout.Down:2. Admit.3. Contract.5. Rope.6. Stadium.7. Clairvoyant.8. Crook.9. Declaration.Down:1. Pensioner (6,7)2. Admission (e.g.) come towrong conclusion (11)3. A couple of these squared,or just party speakers (6)5. Biased but accepts the laws(6)6. Put a lot of thought intocrazy stuff perhaps (13)7. The chastens lie mixed inwith moral issues (11)9. Braveness (11)15. Emends (6)16. Two piece atoll perhaps (6)14. Talisman.16. Nigeria.18. Lever.21. Enter.22. Cuba.1 2 3 4 5 678 910 1112 13 1415 1617 181920 21202

New Zealand Police AssociationNovember 2004Police Health Plan Ltd in conjunctionwith our Medical Adviser, Doctor EricThornton, publishes articles on medicalissues that affect our members.HeadachesThroughout the world, headachesare the most frequent reason fortaking sick days and subsequentlyin enormous loss of production.They can vary from the simple“headache” to the most severemigraine headache, which canincapacitate a person for severaldays. Headaches can have anunknown cause or be a symptom ofvery serious disease such as a braintumour.By far the most common headacheis one, which has no obvious causeand is harmless in its outcome.These types usually only last a fewhours and are generally eased bysimple analgesics such as Panadol.Recent research has revealed thearea in the brain, which causesa headache, so a permanent cureshould soon be possible.Migraine headaches are much moresevere, usually only involve one sideof the head and can cause visualdisturbances and vomiting. There arenow a large number of treatments- tablets, injections and skin patches.The most important headaches,however, are those related to someunderlying cause, which can beserious. Some of these are:Headache after head trauma. This isvery common and is usually a sign ofbrain damage. The blow to the headmay be minor but the headaches cango on for years. There is no known“cure” but most eventually resolveafter time.Headache caused by eyesightproblems. This usually comes onlate in the day and is above the eyes.Resolves after a night’s sleep. Aneyesight check will reveal the problemto be corrected. The most importantfactor is the possible presence ofglaucoma as it can lead to suddenpermanent loss of vision.Headache due to high bloodpressure. This is usually a dull ache inthe back of the head. It can becomesevere if blood pressure is very high.Lowering the blood pressure resultsin fixing the headache.Headache due to bleeding intothe brain. The pain is severe andcomes on suddenly. It usually resultsfrom rupture of an artery, which hasbeen weakened. Coma and deathcan occur if it is not treated - surgeryis required as soon as possible,depending on where the bleedinghas occurred.Headache due to brain tumour.The pain can be very variableand not easily spotted as beingdangerous. The tumour is picked upby various tests such as an MRI scanand treatment is surgical if feasible.Any form of recurring headachesshould be investigated fully,requiring a visit to the doctor anda variety of tests. Most will find noobvious cause.The last headache to consider isa “hangover”. This is believed tobe caused by the brain becomingdehydrated and is cured by drinkingcopious amounts of water, eitherduring the binge or soon after.There are thousands of folk-cures,each having its place in differentparts of the world. Most have nological basis, even though many doseem to work.HOLIDAY HOME AVAILABILITY– for bookings see: www.policeassn.org.nzNovember December JanuaryPaihia 18,29,30 5, 31Stanmore Bay 7-11, 14-18, 21-25, 26, 28-30 1-2, 5, 7-8, 9, 12, 13-16, 23, 24-26, 31Auckland 14, 28 31Whangamata 7-8, 14, 16, 17, 22-23, 28, 29 3-4, 5, 13-19, 24-26Mt Maunganui 11, 15-16, 23-25, 28, 29-30 1, 18-26 31Ohope 7-11, 14-16, 18, 23-25, 29-30 1, 6-9, 16, 23Rotorua 10, 16, 18, 24-25, 29-30 1-2, 5-9, 13-16, 19, 30-31 22-30, 30-31Taupo 8-10, 18-19, 28-30 1-2, 5-9, 11, 13-14, 19, 23 24Turangi 9-11, 14-18, 21-22, 24-25, 28-30 1-6, 8-9, 13-17, 19-23, 23-25 2, 24-31Napier 17-18, 25, 29-30 1-2, 6-9, 13, 18-19, 21Paraparaumu 7, 9-10, 14, 22-26 13, 18-19, 21Greytown 7-10, 16-18, 24-25, 28 1-3, 7-10, 15-16, 19-20 30-31Wellington 23-24, 29 16-17, 26Nelson 9-10, 13-14, 16-17 1-2, 14-15, 24-26 30-31Hanmer Springs 9-10, 15-16, 20 5, 9, 12, 16, 24 28, 31Christchurch 23-25, 29 13, 15 17-21, 28-29, 31Tekapo 8, 11, 15-16, 24, 30 3, 20 31Wanaka 8, 27-30 5, 8-9 30-31Cromwell 7, 9, 15-18, 22-23 5, 9, 21-22 31Queenstown 7, 17, 23-24 12 31Te Anau 7-8, 10, 11, 12, 16-18, 21-23, 28, 30 2 30-31Dunedin 7, 14-15 31203

November 2004Six percent or 12% - what are the risks?What’s more important - the returnon your money, or the return of yourmoney? Unfortunately, this questionisn’t asked by enough New Zealanderswhen making investment decisions.If you ask the 5,000 NewZealanders who invested inEquiticorp debentures in the1980s how they feel about thereturn of their money, the answerprobably won’t be positive. In1989, the publicly listedcompany collapsedowing $3.5 billion.Fifteen years afterthe collapse, moneyis still trickling in fordebenture holders who received 80cents in the dollar from the money theyoriginally invested.In 1988, 90-day bank bills were sittingat around 16% per annum interest, and10-year New Zealand Government Bondswere at 13%. At the time, Equiticorp werepaying 2-3% more than GovernmentBonds. Given the choice of 13% withthe government or 16% with Equiticorp,many people chose the latter withoutunderstanding the risks.Currently, New Zealand GovernmentBonds are paying just over 6%,yet newspapers are full of financecompanies offering debentures atbetween 8% and 12% per annum. Arecent report from Wellington-basedMcDouall Stuart Securities, showed thatthere are around 180 finance companiesin New Zealand - the 10 largest ofwhich have around 80 percent of the$10 billion in finance company assets.Weighing up the optionsThe following are some of the risksyou need to consider when comparinginvestments:• Is an increase in ‘related party’transactions is apparent, whereby loansare made to business acquaintances,family, friends and other parties?These transactions are not always at‘arms length’ and may not be on trulycommercial terms. For example, onemajor finance company currentlyhas 22% of loans with “related party”companies.• Diversification (spreading your risk) isnot always visible across investments.Some finance companies are lendingsignificant portions of funds to propertydevelopers and increasing risk. If 3,000investors lend $15,000 each to a financecompany of which the majority is thenlent to one or two developers, whathappens if one of these developers getsinto difficulty?• Some finance companies, however, thatspecialise in lending for householdfurnishings and appliances, forexample, may have money investedwith a finance company which isspread over a larger numberof borrowers. Therefore,the individual amountsinvested will generallybe smaller, so if afew people run intofinancial difficultythe impact on thefinance company and the investor islimited.• A ‘mismatch’ in funding can createconcern. A finance company may lendmoney at a fixed rate to a propertydeveloper for two to three years. Thesame finance company may thenborrow money from the public for 12to 24 months to fund the propertydeveloper. If short-term interest ratesrise the result could be damaging. It’sa bit like being a builder who has afixed contract price to build a house,and then finds all his building andlabour costs have increased to a pointwhere he can’t build the house for thecontract price.Careful consideration neededThe rate of the Government Bond isirrelevant. What matters is the actualmargin between the secure GovernmentBonds and the finance companyoffering. The risks created from an extratwo to three percent interest need to beunderstood and considered carefully.It is important to always read theinvestment statement or financecompany accounts to check whetherproblem loans or doubtful debts haveever shown on the balance sheet. Arecommended approach for investorsis to build a portfolio with a mix offinancial assets and real estate, whichcan ride cyclical fluctuations andsmooth your overall return.Always remember the return of yourmoney, is more important than thereturn on your money.To speak with a Spicers Adviser aboutyour investment plan and financialand lifestyle objectives call the PoliceFinancial Planning Enquiry Line on0800 ON BEAT (0800 66 2328).Police News The Voice of PoliceHmmm...the faith isstrong in this oneWellington’s The Dominion Postnewspaper recently reported thefollowing incident:A churchgoer wreaked his ownvengeance on five men who assaultedhis wife, tried to steal his car and thenhit him with an axe handle.Detective Sergeant Tim Leitch saidthe 46-year-old Wellington manand his wife had returned to WesleyWellington Methodist church about10.30pm to collect a bible the manhad left behind during a prayermeeting.As the man went into the church, agroup of five Maori or Polynesian menwalked past his car and one beganfiddling with the wing mirror. His wifewas sitting in the car.“She asked him to stop. He respondedby opening her car door, pullingher out...and he got into the car andstarted driving out of the car park,” MrLeitch said.Car stalledThe car stalled, giving the woman timeto alert her husband, who ran out ofthe church and pulled the man fromthe car. There was a brief scuffle, withthe churchgoer managing to evadeblows from the group but landingseveral punches of his own, includingone that put one of his attackers “onhis backside”, Mr Leitch said.The ruffled group left the car park butreturned minutes later, this time withan axe handle, and another scufflebroke out. Again, the victim was ableto dodge punches and again, oneof the attackers was knocked over.During the melee though, the man washit over the top of his head with thewooden axe handle.“Our victim turned around, shookhis head, and grabbed the axe handleoff him. At that stage the five of themdecided it might be wise to withdraw,”Mr Leitch said.He said the victim, a strong stockyman, suffered a bump on his head butwas otherwise unhurt.A 26-year-old man from the UpperHutt suburb of Silverstream appearedin the Wellington District Courtrecently in relation to the incident.204

New Zealand Police AssociationNovember 2004NZ POLICE ASSOCIATION 69TH ANNUAL CONFERENCEThe New Zealand Police Association’s 69th Annual Conference was held fromOctober 13-15. In the series of articles, which appear over the next 10 pages,Police News Editor, Steve Plowman (pictured) reports on theConference and its issues.President’s address:Devolution of police role; “cannabilisation” of the frontline;targeted funding and resourcing come in for attentionPolice Association President, GregO’Connor, focussed on the theme of thisyear’s conference - “Who will make thearrest?” when he opened the 69th AnnualConference of the NZ Police Association,which was held in Wellington between13-15 October.Mr O’Connor said that public demand forgreater security meant that work, whichwas once defined as police work,was now being carried out by manydifferent agencies. He said the recentcall for batons and pepper sprayby Fisheries officers was a furtherexample of this wider debate andthis call was quickly taken up by thesecurity sector.“Terrorism has spawned a whole newset of fears and organisations likeAviation Security are also requiringmore power to enable them to do thejob required of them. Virtually everytown in New Zealand now has somesort of voluntary community patrolwith varying levels of interaction withtheir local police. The National Front,New Zealand’s own neo-Nazi group,are even offering to patrol suburbsof Christchurch and Wellington.Now that is some gap in the market,”O’Connor told the audience.The Parking Wardens’ Associationhad recently indicated that theywanted to increase their powers toprosecute offenders for a great rangeof offences, he said.Narrower range of dutiesMr O’Connor said police wereincreasingly concentrating on a narrowerrange of duties “being road policing andvolume crime such as burglaries, caroffending and the serious violent crimesincluding sexual offences.”The Association President said thatpolice were operating in an “increasinglybureaucratic environment”. He citedwhat he termed “the ridiculous situationrequiring District Commanders to reporteach time they incur a traffic fine” as agood example of this bureaucratic tone.Increased accountability and reportingrequirements rendered police lessefficient.He paid tribute to officers throughout thecountry, but particularly in Auckland,making reference to significant reductionsin reported crime, which he said was dueto the fact that for the first time in manyyears staff numbers were at establishmentlevels and secondly by the concentration• Greg O’Connor...”police operate in an increasinglybureaucratic environment”.on a relatively narrow range of highvolume crimes.But he said that those members ofthe public who were endeavouring tohave frauds dealt with “and parentsconcerned at the ready availability of ‘P’,methamphetamine and other drugs onthe streets of New Zealand will not be soimpressed with the results this year.”Mr O’Connor said that police were “allworking harder and are more focused”.He paid tribute to Minister of Police,George Hawkins, saying that he had been“a very strong advocate” for Police aroundthe Cabinet table, despite targeted budgetfunding.Frontline being drained“What this inevitably means is thatthe staffing for the new initiative mustalways come from that bottomless pit ofsupplies - the good old frontline sections,”Mr O’Connor added. He said that thisamounted to a “cannabilisation ofthe frontline” every time Police weregiven new funding for some newinitiative.He said that the danger with this sortof targeted funding approach is thatthe accountability that comes with it“becomes an end in itself, soaking upconsiderable resource, which wouldbe better employed policing ourstreets.”“More and more the decisionsaround law and order and policingare made by officials with a verygood knowledge of accountabilityregimes and a very good knowledgeof funding regimes but with littleor no knowledge of law and orderissues.” Mr O’Connor said they werethe “just add water and shake expertson policing”.Mr O’Connor hit out at proposals tocentralise frontline patrol capabilitiesand the “abandonment of suburbanpolicing,” an abandonment, which hesaid was now “spreading into manyprovincial areas.”Call for more policeMr O’Connor said that Police needed1300 additional police officers. Hecited New Zealand’s policing ratio perhead of population as being 1:543against Australia’s 1:461 and said thatNew Zealand had the lowest police-topopulationratio in the English-speakingworld.It was ironic, he said, that at a time whenreal reported crime was on the decreasethat the public’s fear of crime was rising.“people were not seeing police in theircommunities to reassure them and that205

November 2004Police News The Voice of Policelack of reassurance creates a demand thatthe Police are unable to fulfil and so it isbeing picked up by other agencies.”He said New Zealand must be verycareful to avoid the fragmentation that isso evident in places like Miami. “Therethey have 42 police forces, all on differentradio channels with different powersand jurisdictions,” Mr O’Connor said:“New Zealand needs to be very carefulwe don’t get the same fragmentation bysiloing the activities of a large numberof law enforcement type agencies.” Hesaid one of the Association’s greatestfears is the possibility that that growth(in outside agencies doing police work)is going unchecked and without anyoverriding strategy simply because thePolice themselves are increasingly unableto deliver in a wide range of areas.”RedefinitionPolicing was being redefined around theworld. “But I get very disturbed whenI hear politicians and commentators inNew Zealand quoting UK and Americandrug policies. We haven’t lost that fight...and with good resourcing and effort wecan make a real dent into the gains madeby organised crime into drug supply inNew Zealand,” Mr O’Connor said.He said that New Zealand needed notonly to be perceived but also to actuallybe a safe, low crime environment becausethat would be a “strategic asset” to NewZealand.Allowing gaps in public demand forsuch safety to be filled without any wellinformed strategic overview will not begood for New Zealand - unless you are acrook!” he told the audience.• From left to right: Forum panel members - Neil Sole (CPNZ), Laurie Gabites (WCC City Watch), Russell Joseph (Corporate Risk NZ),Greg O’Connor, Professor Philip Stenning (Victoria University), Stephen Stuart (Fisheries), Mark Everitt (AVSEC) and Chris Pentecost.Privatisation of policing inevitable ifpolicing does not “change and adapt”Policing has to face up to and adapt tomajor changes and major challenges or itwill effectively become a ‘dinosaur’ as moreand more of its core business falls intothe hands of the private sector, accordingto Professor Philip Stenning, Director ofthe Institute of Criminology at VictoriaUniversity (Wellington).Professor Stenning put this view forwardduring a forum, which discussed theConference theme: “Who will make thearrest?”The forum also included Mark Everitt(CEO of the Aviation Security Service),Neil Sole (Manager, Community Patrolsof NZ), Stephen Stuart (Manager NationalOperations, Ministry of Fisheries), LaurieGabites (City Watch, Wellington CityCouncil) and Russell Joseph (Director,Corporate Risks New Zealand Ltd).Devolution of core businessIn an enthralling discussion on the futureof policing and the devolution of the coreresponsibilities of the Police various panelmembers spoke of the changing environmentin which policing now finds itself.Professor Stenning said that Policewere now operating in “a competitiveenvironment” and that in the future itmay well be that others could step up andprovide these services better.He said Police needed to look at thesepossible changes in society “with an openmind”. “One of the benefits could well bethe enormous potential for second careersfor police officers,” he said.In reference to the burgeoning private sectorsecurity industry, Professor Stenning said:“Collectively they pose a huge challenge forpolicing”.Professor Stenning said that he saw a “bestcase scenario” for Police in the future asbeing a possible sub-contracting role toother agencies, which would provideservices which previously fell under theauspices of the Police. “More and morewe are seeing the private sector devisingpolicing policies and what’s going on in Iraqis an interesting thing, as there are far moreprivate security people in Iraq now thanthere are public police officers.”Shift away from traditional policingHe said the role of traditional policingof “catching crims” was shifting towardsprevention and away from “lawenforcement” to “order/maintenance/peacekeeping”.Stephen Stuart, an ex-police officer, toldConference that of 160 Fisheries staff, 130were frontline Fisheries officers. A further260 “honourary officers”, who monitoredrecreational fishing, backed them up.Mr Stuart said Fisheries officers oftenconfronted poachers who were prone toviolence, had access to weapons and hadextensive criminal records.Fisheries officers have limited powers ofsearch and arrest. They carry handcuffs andsome had stab proof vests but lacked the“normal defensive equipment that wouldnormally be available to the Police.”Defensive capabilitiesMoves were now being made to addressthis with suggestions from some quartersthat Fisheries Officers should be suppliedwith pepper spray and batons. Mr Stuartsaid that it would be helpful to officers ifthey could access QPs (Query Person) andQPRs (Query Person’s Record) “so as theycould carry out routine checks when theyconfronted people in their vehicles”. He alsosaid that flashing lights on Fisheries officers’vehicles was another option. Fisheries waspresently upgrading radio communicationsfor field staff and instigating its ownCommunications Centre.Laurie Gabites, also an ex-police officer, anda manager of the Wellington City Council’sCity Watch programme, said that whilecouncil workers had no powers of arrestand “no interest in taking over the role ofthe Police” it was interested in building a“relationship and partnership” approachthat would allow both organisations towork together to build a safer community.He said significant shifts had been made inestablishing a safer community programme,with the help of local police, and jointoperations were now part of that intiative.Neil Sole (Manager, Community PatrolsNZ) said that his organisation, which had26 groups nationwide, are only interestedin “being the eyes and ears for the Police forthe duration of a shift while police officersare doing other duties”.“We do not get into confrontationalsituations. We operate covertly from ourvehicles,” he said. CPNZ has 73 communitypatrols nationwide with a Police LiaisonOfficer attached to each one as an overseerand advisor.206

New Zealand Police AssociationNovember 2004“We are not cheap replacements for police,”Mr Sole said.Core policing being erodedAnother ex-police officer (CIB), RussellJoseph (Corporate Risks NZ Ltd) referredto “a growing gap between what we doand what the Police do”. “I don’t want,in any way, to suggest that I am critical ofthe direction of policing at this time butcertainly the gap between the investigativearena that I saw as the core of policing hasdefinitely been eroded and has been pickedup by the private sector. In many respectsthat concerns me,” he said.“There is a public perception that the Policeare not responding to their core functionsof investigating crime. We know thatthe profile of speed cameras is becominguppermost in the public mind and theability of the Police to investigate crime hasdeclined,” he added.Corporate Risks, he said, provided servicesin regard to the investigation of fraud,theft within business, crime prevention,surveillance, undercover operations, E-crime capabilities, security auditing andproviding personal safety options for staff.Mr Joseph said that in many instancesCorporate Risks were frustrated bysuch things as six-week court delays inprocessing vetting requests for companiesfor prospective employees “despite thefact that these employees were likely to beresponsible for large sums of money”. Hefound this “unacceptable”.Lack of powersHe said Corporate Risks did not have anypower to execute search warrants, whichwere generally regarded as the domain ofPolice. “I find this (lack of search warrantpower) to be obstructive...we can investigatea fraud and get it to a particular level butfrom then on we will require the assistanceof the Police,” he said.“There is a public perceptionthat Police are not respondingto their core functions ofinvestigating crime”-Russell Joseph (Corporate Risks)He said joint operations with Police were notunusual once the Police were aware that acriminal prosecution might follow on fromhis company’s investigations. “I suggest thatyou may see a widening of that in the futureif the Police investigative capability continuesto decline.” He gave an example of anincident where his firm had carried out all thesurveillance work prior to the Police pickingup the prosecution of a fraudster.Mr Joseph said that, as a private citizen, hewas concerned that a time was not so fardistant when the Police would be saying topeople who wanted their help: “We don’t dothat anymore, you’re going to have to paysomeone else to do that for you.”Mark Everitt (Aviation Security Service)said that the aviation security industry hada very good working relationship withPolice through the provision of specialistresources to Police “if the Commissionerasks for it”. He said the Aviation SecurityService was involved in a lot of “preventativeissues” where it worked with other agencies,especially since security had become amajor issue since the terrorist attacksof 9/11. He pointed to the work of AirMarshals on planes as being an extensionof that and said he felt “such work shouldreally fall within the work of the Police.”Professionalism reducedAssociation President, Greg O’Connor,said as is often the case, one of thegreatest risks with Police core businessincreasingly falling into the hands ofother agencies, was that the wholeprofessionalism of New Zealand law andorder capability will be reduced.Mr O’Connor said the Police Associationwas sounding a warning, just as it had in1998 when it spoke out about a potentialmethamphetamine epidemic. “Thistime we are cautioning that failure toadequately satisfy the public’s demandsfor their crime to be investigated, fortheir streets to be safer and for efforts toreduce the amount of drugs which arenow available to their kids, will result inthe public looking to other organisationsto take up the slack,” he said.Any resultant fragmentation will “fall intothe laps of the criminal gangs who areconsolidating their sphere of intimidationas New Zealand allows its responsecapabilities to be divided.”“If Police were once defined as thecoercive arm of the state, then severalother agencies now fit that definition,”Mr O’Connor said.Mr O’Connor said that the uncheckeddevolution of that coercive arm to theprivate sector meant that organisedcriminal gangs would welcome as widea distribution as possible. “Divide andrule”, would be their motto, he added.Divergent views on Collective Agreement ratificationOne of the most robust debates took place aroundthe issue of the Collective Agreement ratificationprocess.The core issue was whether the traditional processby which both sworn and non-sworn collectiveagreements are ratified should remain or bereplaced by alternative ratification procedures suchas postal or electronic voting.Association CEO, Chris Pentecost, said that theBoard of Directors and National Office preferredthe retention of the current “50% plus one”ratification through members attending sitemeetings specifically called for that purpose.Tokoroa/Taupo delegate, Allan Humphries,supported by several other delegates, spoke of thedifficulties the current voting system presented tosome members, especially those on night shift.“Another example is someone who may haveto travel 80 kms to the nearest meeting,” MrHumphries said. “An electronic system wouldprovide every member with the opportunity tovote,” Mr Humphries told delegates.General discussion on low turnouts followedand Mr Pentecost said that the voting responseto electronic voting was hard to assess. “When wetried electronic voting for the Detective Constablesvariation earlier this year the feedback from themembers affected, seemed to indicate that it wasof high relevance to most members yet only 56%actually responded,” he said.“Member apathy”Some delegates pointed out that various Australianjurisdictions had electronic voting and that returnswere relatively high. Malcolm Dick (OoC) said thatthe low attendance at ratification meetings in NewZealand indicated a degree of member apathy andthat this might be addressed by turning to electronicvoting but that it had to be remembered “theAussies are great unionists.”Discussion for those mooting a change to electronicvoting, centred on security of Police email, ease ofuse of the Police intranet and low voter turnoutat site meetings. However, those in favour ofmaintaining the status quo said that the electronicoption presented its own fish hooks with securityissues and that it would be “resource-hungry” at analready very busy National Office.After much discussion, a motion was passed by asolid majority to maintain the status quo. Themotion read: “That the existing ratificationprocedure to accept a proposed settlementof a collective agreement, being a majority(being 50% plus 1) of the members attendingmeetings specifically called for the purpose ofratifying a collective agreement (remain).”The motion was passed with a commitment byNational Office to arrange as many ratificationmeetings as can be reasonably organised tomaximise the membership the opportunity toattend ratification meetings, including meetingsspecifically arranged to give shift workers, andtheir like, opportunities to attend.”The ratification procedure for a variation to thecollective agreement that affects the membershipwill generally be the same procedure as for anew collective agreement. However, wherethe variation only affects a group, or groups, ofdefined members only members directly affectedwill be entitled to vote to accept variation andthe ratification procedure will be as providedfor a collective agreement or such alternativeprocedure as determined by the Board ofDirectors.207

November 2004Police News The Voice of PoliceMinister pays tribute to “magnificent work”Minister of Police, George Hawkins,officially opened the 69th AnnualConference.Mr Hawkins said he wanted to “firstlyacknowledge the superb efforts of the Policeduring the devastating floods earlier thisyear”.He said it was the fifth time he had attendedthe Association Conference as the secondlongest-serving Labour Minister of Police(Editor’s note: Peter Fraser is the onlyLabour Police Minister to have servedlonger in the job).When he reflected on the half decade ofLabour’s influence on New Zealand, twothings stuck in his mind. “The first is howproud I am of the New Zealand Police andthe second is that there has been a deliberatecommitment by this government to supportyou to do your job by providing you withthe means to do it.”Support from GovernmentThe Minister said that the Government hadsupported the Police through legislation,(the Parole Act, the Sentencing Act,reclassification of methamphetamine to aClass A drug, the Crimes Amendment Actand the Criminal Investigations (BodilySamples) Act), DNA extensions, upgradingof police stations, the highest-ever policenumbers, an increase of $29.2 million forthe next three years to replace an ageingvehicle fleet and a $1 billion budget. “Recentcrime statistics show crime rates at theirlowest since 1983.”“Police are doing a magnificent job,” he toldthe audience.• Minister of Police, George Hawkins,addresses Conference.He pointed to his own electorate ofManurewa as a good example of goodpolicing at work, paying tribute toAssociation Vice-President, RichardMiddleton (Emergency Response Manager,Counties-Manukau) and his staff. “Resultsthere have shown how working with thecommunity, lateral thinking, determinationand effective proactive policing can drivecrime rates down. The focus has been ongetting crooks behind bars and it’s worked,”Gift to President marks ‘guardianship’ of AssociationOne of the best-kept secrets of the Conference was a special gift ofa carved greenstone Manaia (which symbolises guardianship) toPresident, Greg O’Connor, who was re-elected for a record fourth term.Resolution ratesHe said the crime resolution rate in NewZealand (45.1%) far outstripped theLondon Metropolitan Police resolutionrate (23.5%) and that was something to bejustifiably proud of.The face of policing was changing and mostnotable amongst these changes were:• Women made up 28% of total Police staffcompared with 26% in June 1991.• The ethnicity profile was changing, withPolice actively targeting Maori, PacificIsland and Asian recruits.• New police stations - 11 new ones inthe last five years, with two new onesto be opened shortly in Richmond andMorrinsville and a further 13 new stationscurrently under construction or beingplanned and eight more “in the pipeline.”• The Police building programme is in excessof $73 million and 48 stations had beenupgraded.Mr Hawkins said major advances, wherefunding had been increased substantially,were in DNA and forensic science(through ESR work on clan labs). Palmprinting was another area where MrHawkins said important work was beingdone.He said that all of these things combinedmeant that the Government wascommitted to playing its part in providingPolice with the best tools available to dothe job and that “after the savaging Policebudgets took in the 1990s” he felt that“balance had now been restored.”• Vice-President, Geoff Smith, presents the gift of a carved greenstoneManaia (guardian) to Greg O’Connor in recognition of his long serviceas President.• The greenstone Manaia gifted to President, GregO’Connor.208

New Zealand Police AssociationNovember 2004Question time for the Minister of PoliceDuring question time, Counties-Manukau delegate, SpencerMatthews, raised the issues of remandprisoners being kept in police cells andan overstretched court system “whichwas bottlenecked”, asking what theMinister was doing “to assist the processof making things, particularly fairer forthe victims of crime”.Mr Hawkins said that in 1999 apublic referendum on law and orderoverwhelmingly mandated a toughersentencing regime and that theGovernment was now “being rewardedwith bad publicity for having our jailsfull and some of that is due to the verygood work of the New Zealand Police”.“We are building new prisons....but theinteresting thing about the public is thatwhile they want more people in prisonsthey don’t want the prisons in theirbackyard,” he said.“I appreciate the work of Policeand Corrections in helping with theproblem and yes, help is on the way butit takes some time to build prisons...theproblem is that our success is the causeof this problem.”Diana (Penny) Paterson (Tasman)asked if the Minister had any thoughtson separating out the functions of theGDB and Road Policing services, giventhat there had been “ongoing conflictregarding road policing and generalduties policing”.Mr Hawkins again: “I think policeofficers can actually help themselvesa lot by seeing that those who workin Road Policing do an important job,rather than dumping down on theircolleagues...road safety is an importantelement of policing. Not only whenthey pull people up for speeding orother offences but they quite often havesome very good results from some ofthe villains because villains use theroads to get around the country asmuch as anyone else.”He said he thought public attitudeswere “slowly changing” with regardsto speed and alcohol and that theroad policing units were doing “atremendous job”.Michael Cornell (Auckland Central):Asked for an assurance that the StatutesAmendment Bill would be passed thisyear. Mr Hawkins said that he wouldlike to see it passed before Christmasbut said that it “depended on thepriorities [in the House] of gettingthings through.”Nga Utanga (Tauranga): Made mentionof new Intel cells which were assistingpolice to do their job but said that thesepositions involved a lot of data entry fornon-sworn staff “as well as their normaljob, which creates an enormous amountof stress.” “Last year our Youth Servicesteam invoiced the Area Commanderfor 860 sworn hours on data entry,” MrUtanga told the Minister, asking if anythought had been given to looking at thesupport services of Police with a view toincreasing them in terms of the area ofcrime reduction.Mr Hawkins said that non-sworn staffinghad increased from 1700 five years agoto 2300 today. “Your Association maderepresentations to me basically saying thatif we put non-sworn staff in it would freeup police time and I think that is right.I am always looking at opportunities ofhelping there.”Laurie McNeill (Dunedin) told MrHawkins that the Southern District(south of the Waitaki River) was aboutto lose seven staff to fund anti-terroristsquads and a faster-growing populationin the north. “This loss of seven staffdrastically affects frontline policing.There is no fat left,” he said.Mr Hawkins responded: “I suppose oneof the frustrating things of being PoliceMinister is that you can’t appoint police towhere you want them. Richard Middleton(Senior Sergeant at Counties-Manukau)would probably have more police underhis control if I was able to do that but thereality is that the Commissioner looks atthe number of police and where they canbest be used. He prioritises the needs androles of police and allocates staff and thatis the way it is and has been for years andyears and years,” he said. Mr Hawkinssaid he would take the matter up withthe Commissioner upon his return fromoverseas.Spencer Matthews (Counties-Manukau) wanted to know abouttransferability options between swornand non-sworn roles because he said: “Itappears that the direction that Police aretaking is that the office jobs are becomingnon-sworn and the frontline roles aresworn”.Mr Hawkins: “This is not an idea thatI really support....there is a degree offlexibility in some areas for that to happenand some people might find the lifestylemore bearable [in the office jobs] butthere are huge pressures on the frontlinestaff and there are pressures, be theydifferent, on non-sworn staff. But wewant to use staff to their best possible use.We want to maximise their effectivenessmore than anything and I’m always willingto listen to people and argue those casesaround the Cabinet table.”Roger Wasson (Hutt): Asked for theMinister’s opinion on whether there wasany intention to match the Australianpolice-to-population ratio of 1:461 asagainst New Zealand’s ratio of 1:543.Mr Hawkins: “We are very differentcountries, they have six Policeadministrations and if you look at whatwe’re doing here and without wishing tobe rude to our Australian visitors I feelthat NZ police do a better job.”Tony Zhorab (Legal representative):Asked if securing indemnities formembers (in case of civil action) had beendiscussed at Cabinet level.Mr Hawkins: “There are more pressureson police, people do watch you all thetime but I haven’t taken any papers toCabinet on it and I don’t think, at thisstage, its at that level yet but if you’d liketo drop me a line I’ll have a look at it.”South Aucklandpair lay claim to‘rookie’ titleLast month’s issue of Police News carrieda story on what we thought might bethe country’s shortest serving I-car crew.That followed on from an article in theSeptember issue about the longestservingI-car team in the country.According to the best information at thetime, it was thought that Whangarei’sI-car team of Scott Tyrrell and CarolynTaylor might be able to lay claim tothe title but then we received newsfrom Wanganui of Constables ChayMcArthur and Raewyn Western. Chaygraduated in December 2003 andRaewyn in August of this year.Now we thought that would take somebeating...until we heard from SouthAuckland where their most juniorI-car crew was rolled out on 27 August2004 and consists of Constables PatrickWells and Constable Jasper Tanner,who both graduated from Wing 217and commenced duties in the WesternArea of Counties-Manukau (OtahuhuDistrict for the old timers) on to givingthem roughly 16 week’s service in total.Now that really is going to take thecake. We think...209

November 2004Police News The Voice of PoliceOoC staff cover a wide range of issues• ActingCommissioner ofPolice, Steve Long.• AssistantCommissioner PeterMarshall.• AssistantCommissioner, LynProvost.The Office of theCommissioner waswell represented atvarious times duringConference.Acting CommissionerSteve Long, AssistantCommissioners LynProvost and PeterMarshall and RoadPolicing SupportAdvisory Officer,Cameron Bayly,and Inspector JohnWalker all addressedthe Conference andanswered questionson a variety of issues.Mr Long talkedabout generalpolicing issueswhile Ms Provostaddressed someof the issues thatarose from a tripto observe policingin Britain whileMessrs Marshalland Bayly spoke tothe audience andanswered questionsfrom delegatesabout the PolicePursuit DriverProgramme. MrWalker spoke aboutDNA Elimination.Here’s a snapshot of some of theircomments:Steve Long:Remand prisoners: “We are addressing thisissue day-by-day in a focussed manner. Thepreference is that Police do the policing andwe resolve the remand issues”. He said thathe hoped the situation would be resolvedby CANZ (Corrections Association of NewZealand) site agreements but that if this didnot mitigate the situation then we may haveto revisit these issues with the Association.”(Editor’s note: See Amanda Craig’s articleon this subject on page 196)Body armour: “We thought the trial to besuccessful and officers saw the practicalityof the vests. We will look at triallingother manufacturers’ vests as urgently aspossible. We also have to find out howthe vests go in summer conditions. Therollout would be in a linear rather than aparallel fashion.”Devolvement of policing to the privatesector: “These services will continue tobe a fertile ground no matter what we doI see both areas growing because of thereassurance the public requires.”Complaints against police officers andthe lengthy delays in resolving them: “Ihave regular meetings with the PCA and Iwill raise this issue again with them.”The possibility of indemnity forpolice officers from complaints: “If weare all public officials we’re accountableunder the law but I do haveconcerns about spurious or vexatiousprosecutions that sometimes arise.”A uniform for non-sworn staff: “Iacknowledge the disappointmentof non-sworn staff on this but we’resticking with our original decision [notto have one].”Peter Marshall:Police Pursuit Driving Policy: “Itis designed to prepare and makesure that our personnel are in thebest position in terms of their ownsafety 24 hours a day. It is designedto give confidence to police officers,confidence to supervisors, to theadministration and to the public. Thisparticular programme is designed tobring everyone up to their maximumpotential, whatever that might be andits important to appreciate that theclassifications of gold, silver and bronzedon’t actually come into force, as such,in the next two year period until suchtime as everyone has been through thatassessment.”Cameron Bayly:Police Pursuit Driving Policy: “Wehave a clear obligation to managethese risks and ensure staff and publicsafety and this programme is merelyan extension of the 2001 Safe DrivingPolicy.”Mr Bayly said that the word“assessment” in the PPDP was actually amisnomer because there was “a trainingcomponent that came with the one-ononetraining.”Lyn Provost:Body armour: “I found that Brixtonpolice officers favoured overt vests asthey’re then able to take them off atmeal times.”British policing: “I was shocked at thelocal rates being levied to fund policing.One council’s rates had a levy of 26% tofund policing. There was great diversityand high visibility policing. As far as thediversity was concerned, as an example,at one school in Soho there were 120languages spoken and the implicationsof that are significant.”Civilianisation/British policeforces: “I was shocked at the level ofcivilianisation across broad levels of thePolice. One force had 50% civilians - asobering thought.”John Walker:DNA Elimination: “Protocols are stillbeing developed… the database isvoluntary and the intent of it is to avoidthe unknown crime contamination.”O’Connor takeson recordfourth termas PresidentAssociation President, GregO’Connor was elected for a fourthterm of three years and now becomesthe longest-serving President in thehistory of the Association.In accepting the presidency again,Mr O’Connor said that at the startof this year he had given seriousthought as to whether he wouldstand for another term. “Then camethe second of February of this yearand the Saturday morning TheDominion Post [when allegations ofsexual impropriety by police officersheadlined that edition], whichchanged a whole pile of thingsand resulted in the Commissionof Inquiry and then came a wholepile of others things, which are nowmaking this job very interesting,” hesaid.A chance to contribute“I’m still a cop and feel that in thisjob, with the experience that youhave enabled me to get with overseascontacts and with travelling aroundNew Zealand, I like to think thatI can do more as a cop in this joband contribute more than perhapsif I was back working night shift inChristchurch as a Senior Sergeant,which was my last shift.”Mr O’Connor said that “we hearthe facts and figures about morecops than there ever were and thebudget is bigger and then you geta phone call, like the one I just gotfrom Hamilton, to say that they’relosing four staff up there, all off thefrontline.”“You know then that somewherealong the line it’s just not right andthat what we’re being fed, while itsvery hard to get behind those facts,that its not what we all know and ifyou’re a frontline cop out there youknow that there really aren’t enoughof us and that’s what we’ve got tokeep making sure that the politiciansand bureaucrats know of that reality,”he said.He said it was “a privilege and anopportunity” to keep on carryingthose messages on behalf of membersand he thanked them for the vote ofconfidence they had shown him.210

New Zealand Police AssociationNovember 2004Solomon Islands policing - back from the brinkThe President of the Royal SolomonIslands Police Association, David Diosi, was aspecial guest at this year’s Conference.NZ Police Association President, GregO’Connor, referred to the RSIPA as a“fledging Association, which is at the samestage of development, which most of ourAssociations were at 60 or 70 years ago.”In his address to Conference, Mr Diosioutlined life in the Solomons, often withhumour, and gave an overview of the greatefforts of the NZ and Australian Police inhelping stabilise the country following civilunrest in recent years, which threatened todestabilise the country and push it towardscivil war.Mr Diosi said his attendance at Conference“is valued by the Solomon Islands PoliceAssociation as a gift by a friend indeed to afriend in need”.HistoryHe told the audience of the history of theSolomon Islands Armed Constabulary,set up by the colonial government in1915 with just 30 local constables, who“often found themselves in life-threateningsituations”. During the second World War,the Armed Constabulary were utilised asscouts, bushrangers and messengers forthe Allied Forces.In 1972, the Police Act was enacted,which, according to Mr Diosi, “allowed fora more structured force”. Six years later,the Solomon Islands gained independencefrom Great Britain but still had a BritishCommissioner of Police. From 1982until 1995 the Solomons had a local asits Police Commissioner. “There was nodrastic change until the late 1980s whenincreasing urbanisation, unemploymentand foreign influences contributed tomajor crime,” Mr Diosi said.Since gaining independence, RoyalSolomons Islands Police officers haveserved under four foreign Police• David Diosi (President of the RoyalSolomon Islands Police Association)addresses Conference.Commissioners. William John Morrow,formerly of the Manchester Police, currentlyholds the post.Emergence of militiasSubsequent civil unrest and the emergenceof militias resulted in CommissionerMorrow asking for a mandate from thegovernment to seek the assistance of the NZand Australian governments in restoringlaw and order to the islands. OperationRAMSI (Regional Assistance MissionSolomon Islands) was the result and MrDiosi said that Australian and New ZealandDefence and Police personnel had donea tremendous job in helping restore lawand order and with training of local policeofficers.Mr Diosi said that political corruption haddestabilised the Solomons and developmentof the Police service had “been of a lowpriority”.Chris Cahill is new Association DirectorChris Cahill (Napier) has been elected to theBoard of the Directors of the New Zealand PoliceAssociation. Chris takes over from Logan Alderson,who has retired from his position as Region FourDirector.Chris joined the Police in 1986, as part of recruitWing 102 and was posted back to his hometown ofInvercargill after graduation. There he worked onsection as well as relieving in rural postings.Three years later, Chris took LWOP and traveledto Europe where he eventually wound up playingrugby in Limerick, Ireland. On his return home,he was posted to Te Kuiti. He readily admits thathe’d “never heard of the place”, although he talkedto some fellow Kiwis in Ireland, before packing hisbags for home, and they told him that Te Kuiti “waswhere all the kiwifruit were grown”. Unfortunately,those he asked weren’t big on geography - getting TePuke mixed up with Te Kuiti and Chris says that hesoon realised that the only kiwifruit he was going tofind in Te Kuiti were in the local supermarket.When he arrived in the northern town he waspleasantly surprised to find that most of hiscolleagues had also been on LWOP and he says he“enjoyed his time there immensely” as a result ofthat common bond. During his three years in TeKuiti he completed his CIB induction course andbecame the town’s only detective, which he admits“was a bit of a challenge”.Region Four repBy 1993, he was in Napier, where he becamean Association committee member, eventuallybeing promoted to uniform sergeant as asectional sergeant. In 1999, he was appointed theAssociation’s rep for Region Four on the consultativecommittee.A year later he returned to the CIB and shortlyafterward was a member of the Association’sworking party, which looked into CIB recruitment“Law enforcement officers, withless pay, became puppets and somebecame corrupt,” he said. “Most peopleunderestimated the level of ethnic tensionin our country until months before ithappened,” Mr Diosi added.Wantok systemMr Diosi spoke of the entrenched Wantokor Islandism systems whereby relatives, orthose who spoke the same language, wereoften given special favours by those inauthority and he said that system was nowbeing addressed.“However, certain local leaders tookcontrol of the Police Force and startedserving their own interests and those oftheir cronies and the community andpolice officers began to lose confidenceand this led to the gradual disintegration ofthe RSIP,” he said.By the time RAMSI arrived, Mr Diosi toldthe audience, there was “near anarchy andalmost total disregard for law and order”.The New Zealand Police had done a greatjob at not only restoring law and orderbut also the trust, respect and confidenceof the Police had been restored since theactions of a few police officers, who hadcollaborated with militants during theattempted coup of 2002 had eroded it, MrDiosi told the audience.He said that thanks to the generoussupport of Australian and New Zealandpolice and their governments “effectivepolicing had become a reality again” andhad helped in strengthening the economicinfrastructure of the government and thecountry and “restored the pride that wasformerly a part of the Royal SolomonIslands Police service”.“We are now focussing, given the newresources we now have, on improving ourservice with transparency, accountabilityand fairness and with respect for eachother,” he said.and retention issues.Chris had a specialinterest in looking afterthe CIB members, whohad been outside the CIBwhen Total Remunerationwas introduced in1998 only to find ontheir return to the CIBthat they were heavilydisadvantaged by the lossof allowances that had • Chris Cahill.been built into detectives’ TR in the interim.In 2001, Chris was elected as Chairman of theNapier Branch of the Association and since then,as he had done previously in 1999, he has been amember of the core pay round negotiating team.Chris is married to Rachel and his interestsinclude golf, squash, international travel andbusiness.211

November 2004Police News The Voice of PoliceLife Membership awarded to Lloyd MathesonRetired Association Dunedin RegionalDirector, Lloyd Matheson, was awardedLife Membership of the Associationduring Conference.His nomination was confirmed at lastyear’s Conference and the presentationof his award was at the Conferencedinner. Lloyd’s wife, Linda, their sonGlenn (an Invercargill police officer)and their daughter Kara attended.Unfortunately, guest speaker RichardHayes, a helicopter pilot who hadserved on many SAR (Search andDue recognition ofoutstanding service• Lloyd Matheson receives his LifeMembership badge from Greg O’Connor.Rescue) missions with Lloyd over manyyears, could not be present as he had toattend a fire at Te Anau on the night ofthe dinner.Lloyd Matheson joined the NewZealand Police and the New ZealandPolice Association in 1968 and beganhis service at Dunedin Central. Onhis arrival at Dunedin Central PoliceStation, he almost immediately becamean Association Committee Member ofthe Dunedin District.Leading Dog handlerHis service at Dunedin Central sawhim become one of the station’sleading Dog Section handlers. Hewas a great mentor for younger andnewer members and his mentoringability stood him in good stead whenpromoted to Sergeant in 1988.After his appointment to O/C of TeAnau Police Station, he continued hisAssociation involvement by takingup the role of a committee memberin the Southland Police AssociationDistrict. However. he soon swappedthat position for Vice-Chairman andin 1987 he became Chairman of theDistrict, becoming more involved withAssociation business. The same yearLloyd was awarded a Queen’s ServiceMedal (QSM) for services to the TeAnau community and in recognition ofhis role in SAR.In 1988, the Police Departmentchanged some district boundariesresulting in Te Anau Police Stationcoming under the Otago Rural PoliceAssociation District.Lloyd took over the new PoliceAssociation District with great gustoand became Chairman, also combiningthe role of Conference Delegate until1996, a similar range of responsibilityto that which he previously held in theSouthland District.Regional DirectorIn October 1996, Lloyd was electedRegional Director for Region six (latterlyRegion seven), a role he successfullyfilled until his retirement from thePolice in February 2002.Often, because of his isolation, Lloydwould have to travel long distances toattend Association meetings - in hisown time. Meetings in Oamaru, forexample, required Lloyd to allow atleast five hours traveling time in orderfor him to attend a two-hour meetingbefore the long return journey home.To say that Lloyd Matheson hasrepresented members in outstandingfashion over many years is anunderstatement. Members in thedistricts in which he has served holdhim in the highest esteem but Lloydwas never one to rest on his laurels andallowed his vision for the betterment ofmembers to be represented at nationallevel also.In presenting the Life Membership toLloyd, Asssociation President, GregO’Connor, said that Lloyd Matheson“represented everything the publicwant in a cop”. He said Lloyd’s policingmethods were “commonsense ratherthan compliance”.Mr O’Connor said that Lloyd Mathesonhad “worked tirelessly in all fields of theAssociation to better the life of members”.• New Life Member, Lloyd Matheson (left) with his wife Linda, daughter Kara and sonGlenn.Have you moved recently?If you have or perhaps you’re aboutto, please let us know so we canupdate your records. You can dothis by:• writing to us at PO Box 12-344;• calling on freephone 0800 500122;• faxing us on (04) 496 6819;• or emailing us at:membership@policeassn.org.nz.You need to let us know yourmembership number, new addressand if you’re a serving member- your new station.212

New Zealand Police AssociationNovember 2004“A good bastard” ishonoured by a colleagueWith the unfortunate absence of LloydMatheson’s longtime work colleagueand friend, Richard Hayes, due tounforeseen circumstances, AssociationCEO, Chris Pentecost, did an admirablejob of stepping into the breech bydelivering Mr Hayes’ entertainingspeech, which was themed on Lloyd’sfamiliar reference to people he liked asbeing “good bastards”.Here is a slightly abridgedversion:I first met Lloyd in 1977, when TimHenderson and Lloyd arrived to take uptheir duties in Te Anau.Lloyd and Tim were appointed to TeAnau at a time when the ‘deer wars’had finished but were fresh in theminds of most Te Anau people...thecommunity had three major industries- deer culling and live deer capture,crayfishing and farming. Competitionwas fierce in the deer recovery withlong hours being worked and badweather resulting in the crews havingsome lengthy sessions at the local pub.Tim Wallace employed me in thosedays, flying one of Alpine Helicopters’Hughes 500s and my crewman wasColin Yeates, who was a quietly spoken,giant of a man. He was very strong.Lloyd and a colleague had just arrived.Both Lloyd and Tim had arranged tohave their furniture arrive in the sametruck...and apparently Lloyd arrivedfirst as the Matheson’s furniture was tobe unloaded first. With boxes spreadabout waiting to be unpacked thetelephone went announcing their firstcall out, which was to the public barof the THC Hotel where a fight was inprogress.Uniforms were still somewhere in themaze of boxes. Tim’s stuff was yet to beunloaded so all Lloyd and Tim couldlay their hands on were a couple of DogHandler jackets in an effort to makethemselves look official.They arrived at the front door of thepub, only to be challenged by ColinYeates. Colin was refusing anyoneentry to the bar so that the businessinside could be finished. Colinlooked at these ‘scruffy bastards’ andasked if they really did represent theQueen, and could they please provideproof, whereby they had to explainthat they were the new coppers intown. Convinced, Colin holds outhis hand and nearly breaks theirs ashe introduced them around the bar- “Welcome to Te Anau!”Around the same time, a good friendand colleague of mine, Alan Bond,encountered Lloyd in his officialcapacity as a ‘serious bastard’. Badweather had resulted in a largegathering of helicopter crews at thepub and their numbers continued toswell as the Saturday night progressed.When overcrowding in a particulararea of the bar occurred ‘Bondie’ tookit upon himself to do some interiorredesigning...the alterations proceededwith the use of a chainsaw.• The “good bastard”himself, Lloyd Matheson.Lloyd and Tim arrived to a bar full ofchainsaw smoke and no one admittinganything. In due course they foundout that ‘Bondie’ had been responsible.Tim tells me that diversion hadn’tquite come into NZ policing at thetime. However, Lloyd was instrumentalin recommending diversion forone Alan Bond. Lloyd persuadedWarwick Maloney that diversion fromprosecution was the best way to handlethe situation - ‘Bondie, got diversion- and the THC got a new public bar,much to everyone’s satisfaction.My personal association with Lloydhas grown from the many Searchand Rescue operations we have beeninvolved in.On one occasion, Lloyd took on therole as my winch operator and wearinghis ‘creative bastard’ hat decided thathe could devise a better body bag thanthe one they were currently using inthe force. We had been dispatched toretrieve a body and yes, you guessedit, Lloyd decided that this was an• Chris Pentecost stands in for RichardHayes and delivers his “good bastard”speech.ideal time to try out his modified design- ‘dumb bastard’ was not what I yelled athim when he pipes up 15 minutes fromhome to say: “We’ve just lost him!”When we are involved in a search, asa lot of you will know, there are longperiods of tedium when you are workinggrid patterns, searching for that vital signof something that doesn’t look right, abroken branch, maybe a colour that is outof sequence.It is at those times when it’s vital to havea good team, with cool heads who workwell together. I have certainly beenthankful to have Lloyd at my back.We had an instance where we wererequired to winch some men off a deepseatrawler that was in the vicinity ofthe Solander Islands. The Departmentof Conservation would not allow apassenger transfer off the island, as it wasnot an emergency flight. The weatherdown there is always windy and thisparticular day was no different - plenty ofwind and a significant swell. The transferof men started without a hitch until themen decided to ignore Lloyd’s messageof leaving luggage till last. Lloyd looksdown to see not only his man coming upthe wire but he ‘s got a bloody suitcase inhis hand that proceeds to get caught onthe skid. So I’m yelling in Lloyd’s headsetto hurry it up and “what’s taking so long?’while Lloyd’s herniating himself tryingto swing this bloke in and wrench hissuitcase off the skid.As you are aware, I am still fighting afire that keeps being fanned by Norwestwinds, and is currently resistingall our efforts to be brought undercontrol. I deeply regret that I am unableto be with you all as you honour LloydMatheson, for he’s a good bastard!213

November 2004Police News The Voice of PoliceEvery Conference has its lighter moments andhere’s a snapshot of a few from this one…Sharon - do you feel about$200 worth of retail therapycoming on?Dunedin delegate Laurie McNeill’sattendance at Annual Conferenceturned out to be a little more expensivethan he had planned. On the secondday of Conference, wives and partnersof attendees went on a bus trip toPencarrow Lodge on Wellington’s eastcoast for a spot of sightseeing and claypigeon shooting.Laurie, obviously feeling he was ona pretty safe bet given that his wifeSharon had never been clay shootingbefore, ventured, as the group headedoff, that for every clay pigeon Sharonshot he would give her $100.Each shooter got two shots and whilemany missed both, Sharon provedas good a gun as Wyatt Earp andplugged both of them, no trouble at all.Incentive is everything in some sportsay Laurie?Gold standard for AussiesAfter a wide ranging discussionon PPDP (Police Pursuit DrivingPolicy), Queensland Police UnionVice-President, Denis Fitzpatrick,told Conference: “Yep, we have gold,silver and bronze standards too butwe dropped the silver and bronzestandards and we only drink gold now- Castlemaine XXXX it’s called.”Fitzpatrick followed this up with anopen invitation to delegates. “If you’reever in Queensland come and see us,you’ll be most welcome. There’s nocharge but remember to bring a cartonof beer on each shoulder - just knockon the door with your forehead.”President’s comebackJust to demonstrate that trans-Tasmanrelations are alive and well, after around of good natured banter betweenone speaker, who had just finishedaddressing Conference and the toptable, President Greg O’Connor toldone Aussie as he walked from thepodium: “There has been rumour andconcern that the ugly Aussie was deadbut you have just reassured us that he’salive and well.”Yes Minister?Journalism 101 -”Never give apolitician a chance to give a one-wordanswer”. Auckland City delegate,Michael Cornell, asked a simple enoughquestion of Police Minister, GeorgeHawkins, but initially, got less of ananswer than he had been expecting.Michael: “Minister, regarding the StatutesAmendment Bill, are you able to givean assurance that the Bill will be passedbefore the end of this year? Mr Hawkins:“No”. (Although he did, after the laughterdied down, go on to give the reasons whyhe could give no such assurance).The curly oneNapier delegate Malcolm Lochrieasked the question on everyone’s lips.“Minister, I’m just curious to knowhow secure you are in your currentposition?” The reply from GeorgeHawkins came back, quick as a flash:“So am I!”A final wordAfter an entertaining speech fornew Life Member, Lloyd Mathieson,which was themed around Lloyd’sown endearment of people as “goodbastards” and contained references to• David Diosi presents the Alu Alunecklace to Association Executivesecretary, Tui Hunter.“scruffy bastards”, “serious bastards”and “dumb bastards” Lloyd finished hisown entertaining acceptance speechwith the words: “Well, I’ve retired now- and I’ve joined a new breed - I’m arich bastard”.A thank you to TuiDavid Diosi, President of the RoyalSolomon Islands Police Association,made a presentation to hard-workingAssociation Executive Secretary, TuiHunter, for all her assistance in makingit possible for him to attend theConference. He presented her with abeaded necklace of special significanceto Solomon Islanders. The necklace isknown as an Alu Alu, which translatedmeans “unification and peace”.“Of course, it has another significanceto us also,” he told the audience ashe placed the necklace around Tui’sneck. “Usually it precedes a proposal ofmarriage,” he said.Later President, Greg O’Connor wasalso presented with a necklace and MrDiosi commented: “Sorry Tui, I have tomarry Greg now.”By Acting Association ResearchOfficer, Prue WilsonChildren, Young Persons andtheir Families Amendment Bill(No. 4)This Bill proposes revisions to youthjustice processes. The Associaton tookinto account concerns expressed bymembers when it presented a writtensubmission at Select Committee stage.On 14 October 2004, RichardMiddleton, Steve O’Connor and RichardSpendelow also presented an oralsubmission to the Select Committee onthe Association’s behalf.This submission highlighted concernfor victims in the process surroundingFamily Group Conferences and thevictim’s ability to represent him/herselfand the confusing nature of the Bill.The Association is of the opinion thatthe Bill was hard to follow in its presentform, had contradictory section andwould prove hard to implement.Concern was also expressed aroundyouth arrests and bail conditions.The committee officials have sincecontacted the Association for furtherinput into the drafting of the Bill and itsamendments.The Association appreciates thecontributions of all members whoexpressed opinion on the Bill and whohelped formulate the written and oralsubmissions.214

New Zealand Police AssociationNovember 2004POLICE COUNCIL OF SPORTSPORTS NEWSTo contact the Police Council of Sport, call Alison Murray at the RNZPC. Ph: (04) 238 3139Trans-Atlantic rowing pair take NZ PoliceSportsperson of the Year title againBy Tracy Hall, Communications Manager, NZ Police AssociationTrans-Atlantic rowers Steve Westlakeand Matt Goodman have scooped theNZ Police Sportperson of the Yearaward for the second time.On 19 October 2003, Matt Goodman ofOtahuhu and Steve Westlake of Aucklandstarted rowing the Atlantic and didn’tstop for 40 days. They rowed 5,000kms,sometimes through waves of up to 10metres and endured scorching heat (over50 degrees Ccelsius on occasions).It was a superhuman effort by the pairand they are fitting winners of thetrophy. They first won the award in2001 after winning the trans-Atlanticrace. Last year they finished second.Police Association President, GregO’Connor presented the trophy at aPolice Council of Sport ceremony in theOtahuhu Police Club recently.Harsh challenge“The NZ Police Association is honouredto present this award to Steve and Matt,for a second time,” said Mr O’Connor.“Like many Police both past andpresent, they have excelled in theirchosen sport. Their ability to face theharsh challenge of rowing the AtlanticOcean, for a second time in just threeyears, is an impressive show of guts anddetermination.”Matt and Steve were selected after thePolice Council of Sport, who organisethe award, called for nominationsthroughout the country. The awardrecognised both their sportingachievement at a national level andcontribution over the years to liftingthe profile of Police through sportingexcellence.Matt and Steve visit many schoolsthrough the Alan Duff, Books inHomes programme, talking about theirexperiences and encouraging kids toread and achieve their dreams. Mattsays many kids in his area only dealwith cops in a negative way, so byattending in uniform he can show thekids that ‘Duffy’ heroes can be Policeas well. He says in some policingsituations, parents have opened upto him when their children haverecognised him.Coaching involvementBoth officers put something back intothe sport through coaching and Matt iscaptain of the Auckland Rowing Club.Steve is currently the NZ Surf delegatefor Karekare Surf Club.Steve says their policing backgroundhelped them many times, in particularwith their thorough preparations andcommon focus. He said even when thewaves or weather were against them,just like Police when involved in anoperation, they were a strong, focusedunit.Award Background: Since 1970members of Police who have excelledat a national level have been formallyrecognised with the Sportsperson ofthe Year trophy, organised by thePolice Council of Sport. The NZ PoliceAssociation encourages and supportssporting participation and excellence inPolice, proudly sponsoring this award since2001.Previous recipients include: SilverFern, Jenny-May Coffin; All Blacks,Murray Pierce, John Gallagher andBlair Larsen; Kiwi (rugby league), SamStewart; All White, Roger Gray; Hockeyinternationals, Shane Collins, ScottAnderson and Karen Smith; Cricketer,Sarah Illingworth; Lawn Bowler, PhilSkoglund; Triathlete, Steve Farrell; Athlete,Andrew Collins; Martial Artist, KarenMueller and NZ Black Cap, Shane Bond.The Cannonball run• Pat Mulrooney leading the Cardrona Cannonball.Snowboarding Championshipsattract entries from far afieldThe 2004 NZ Police Association Police SnowboardingChampionships were held at the Cardrona Alpine Resort inQueenstown from 15-17 September. The event was organised bythe NZ Police snowboarding club, the Blue Hogs.For the sixth year in succession, participants experienced goodweather, including overnight powder on two days. Members fromas far afield as Auckland and Invercargill competed.Southerners dominantThe three main events, boardercross, giant slalom and slopestylewere keenly contested with the southerners coming out on top.The results were as follows:1st. Regan Boucher (Invercargill) Cheapskates Top Boar award.2nd. Richard Lindsay (Invercargill).3rd. Steve Lloyd (Christchurch).Winner of everybody’s favourite event, the 3km rolling brawlknown as the Cardrona Cannonball, was won by defendingchampion Carlos Marryat (Christchurch), after race leader DonVan Onselen overshot the finish.Visit www.policeassn.org.nz for updated contact details for thePolice Council of Sport management committee, District Sports Officers and the latest schedule of events.215

November 2004Police News The Voice of Police11th Australia and NZ Police andEmergency Services Games tobe held in Adelaide in April 2005Sport and its ideals can traverse allboundaries - national, cultural andpolitical. It has the ability to captureand galvanise a community, a nationand even the world as evident by theOlympics in Athens.If the Olympic spirit touched youthen the 11th Australia and NewZealand Police and Emergency ServicesGames create the opportunity for menand women, who share a commonbond through law enforcement andemergency service, to foster the spirit ofsport, build camaraderie and promotehealthy living.Having been handed the baton fromPerth, The South Australia Police SportsFederation Inc, with support fromAustralian Major Events and SouthAustralia Police, are hosting the 2005ANZPES Games to be held inAdelaide from Saturday 9 Aprilto Saturday 16 April, 2005.Multi-sports experienceSouth Australia Police hasprevious experience in running multisportevents (SAPES Games) and willutilise that knowledge, together withexperienced sports co-ordinators toensure that participants training andsporting endeavours are rewarded.Planning is well underway and withthe Games theme ‘prepare to take onthe world’. The 2005 ANZPES Gameswill provide competitors the uniqueopportunity to experience Adelaidebefore the 2007 World Police & FireGames.2005 ANZPES Games Executive Officer,Allan Vilcins, has promised eight daysof fun and great competition.“I extend a very warm welcome to allNew Zealand Police personnel,” hetold Police News recently. “With directflights to Adelaide now available, theability to visit our wonderful city hasnever been easier. With 50 sports onoffer at first class sporting venues,there is no excuse not to be a part ofthe Games. There is something foreveryone and as an example; we areexcited to be able to offer dragon boatracing as an event to be held on thepicturesque River Torrens in the heartof the city. We’re not looking for worldchampions. We simply encourage youto be active, be healthy and be a part ofthe Games.”The 2005 ANZPES Games websitewww.anzpolicegames.asn.au willprovide all the information you need,including on-line registration at adiscounted fee. If, however, you haveany questions that require that personaltouch, please contact the Games officeon 08 8226 2688 of via Email sapol.anzpolicegames@police.sa.gov.auRemember to register your interest asearly as possible.Touch rugby tournamentset down for November 19The NZ Police Association North Island touch rugbytournament is being held on Friday, 19 November atAnderson Park, Havelock North.The tournament will double as a national trial. A nationalselector will be present with a view to selecting players forvarious national Police touch rugby teams. To be eligible forselection, members must compete at either the North or SouthIsland tournaments and register their intentions with therespective organisers.For further details on your local contact, or the tournamentitself please phone Bryan Smith at the Flaxmere PoliceStation on (06) 879-9799, extn 66005 or email Brian viathe Lotus Notes network.SI Police Bowls champsThe South Island Police Bowls championships are being heldat Waimate on Tuesday and Wednesday, 23-24 Novemberrespectively. All intending players please contact:Barry McLauchlan, Tel: (03) 689 7966 orEmail: bazzamac@xtra.co.nz2005 Surfboard champsExpressions of interest are sought from members whowould like to compete in the NZ Police surfboard ridingchampionships, to be contested in New Plymouth on 23February, 2005.Organisers need a firm indication of how many are interestedin competing before final preparations are made for the event.Initial interest and questions can be directed toGrant Coward extn 63002 or Email him on Lotus Notes.Waitakere constable setsbench-pressing recordWaitakere-based Police Education Officer, Mike Claguerecently achieved a rare milestone in Police weightliftingcircles.In a special attempt on the 178 kilogram mark (400 lbs) atthe Henderson Police club gym, Mike bench-pressed 182kilograms (just over 412 lbs).Mike’s initial attempt at 182 kg (409.5 lbs) was unsuccessful,but, undeterred, he lined up for a second attempt and attainedthe record lift.Raising the barBut Mike Clague is not one to rest on his laurels and with therecord safely in his name, he then went on to better the markby bench-pressing 185 kilograms (just over 416.25 lbs), apersonal best. In a subsequent lift he again ‘raised the bar’ bypressing 187 kilograms (420.75 lbs), a personal best.The feat qualified Mike to have his name engraved on theBench Press Club 350/400lb honour board next to the onlyother name on the board - the holder of the 350lb title,Constable Steve Pivac, who achieved his feat in February1998.Well done, Mike.(Editor’s note: With Mike’s lift has come the obvious question- does anyone happen to know if there is a recorded Policenational record for the bench-press and if so what is it andwho holds it?If you know email me on editor@policeassn.org.nz)216

New Zealand Police AssociationNovember 2004Letters to the Editor Write it here! Letters to the Editor are welcome.Signed letters are preferred, but in all cases the writer’s name and address must be supplied.Names will be published unless there is a good reason for anonymity. The editor reserves theright to edit, abridge or decline letters without explanation. Email to: editor@policeassn.org.nzor write it to the Editor at PO Box 12344, Wellington. Letters under 400 words are preferred.When the chips aredown...In October, 2002 I was working inWanganui on Operation Diana. My homestation is Pahiatua.That morning, I received a call overthe radio to contact the Pahiatua PoliceStation urgently.I spoke with Peter Knight who toldme that my wife, Trudy, had collapsedat the Medical Centre and was beingairlifted to Palmerston North. On arrivalat Palmerston North Hospital I was toldthat Trudy had had a brain hemorrhageand her chances of survival were less that50%. Because of the bleed, they were inthe throws of flying her to Wellington foran operation to alleviate the pressure.At Wellington Hospital, Trudy was placedon life support.I spoke to the doctor in charge who toldme that they had done another scan andhe believed that the bleeding had stopped.They decided not to operate and said theywould ‘let nature take its course.’During the next few days it was decidedto take Trudy off life support as thedoctors felt she would be able to functionby herself.She spent 12 days in Wellington Hospitalbefore being transferred to PalmerstonNorth Hospital, where she stayed foranother eight weeks.With such a serious brain injury inevidence we knew that the recoverywould take some considerable time.It is now two years since this incident andI would like to take this opportunity tothank all the people who have given ussupport over this time.The Police Association has been great withthe assistance of their Welfare Officers -Ross from Wellington and Janet Baker anda special thanks to Heather Clinton forthe time and energy she spent with us.Staff at Wellington and Palmerston NorthHospitals were exceptional.My boss, Taxi, was remarkable with hisempathy and understanding and my workcolleagues have been great, as was MarkLammas, who contacted me in the firstinstance. The Police have been great withtheir support.Our families have been great, supportiveand understanding.Trudy is now about 90% recovered. I amgrateful that the only sign of any deficit isthat she is not allowed to drive. Hence themove to Feilding, to be near her familyand public transport, which has given herback some independence.She still has ongoing difficulties on a dailybasis and life has been tough for us as afamily. Life will never be the same butthrough it all we have learned that whenthe chips are down the Police AssociationWelfare team are there to give you ahelping hand or at least point you in theright direction.Once again thanks to all.Grant Lawton(Feilding)Field Training OfficerappointmentsHave you felt as if you were being usedbut not getting paid when some officersare?I am a General Duties Branch constablewith only two and a half years service. Sowhy is it that members like myself, withless that three years (the recommendedlength to even apply for a Field TrainingOfficer appointment) are accompanyingnew constables out onto the streets?The department put this system intoplace over a year ago and in somedistricts only limited positions wereappointed.So what happens when the FTO memberis on annual leave, sick or in court forthe day? Who ends up taking the newconstable out on to the street, stays lateto help with paper work and is stillrequired to make the levy of stats? Yes,officers like myself who are not FTO andtherefore, do not receive an allowance.But we do have PA (permanentappointment). We have completed18 months’ service as a ProbationaryConstable.I’m not having a go at the FTOs as theydeserve the allowance and if I couldapply, I would. But I feel sorry for thenew constables that have to either reador hear these comments when they are sonew to the job of policing.But why has the Police Department seta precedent? Why should they have theircake and eat it too?“Feeling used?”(Name withheld, Christchurch)Industrial Advocate, Greg Fleming, replies:If you have your permanent appointmentthen you can apply for an FTO position.There are FTOs, especially in Auckland,with similar levels of service to you.Obviously, the competition for placesis hotter in Christchurch with moreexperienced police officers already onthe frontline.Devaluation of thedetectiveI read with interest the letter by DetectiveIrons of Auckland City recently and havebeen quite disappointed at the lack ofcomment by CIB staff around the countryon this issue.Quite frankly, I agree entirely with him.The devaluation of the detective has beenan office topic for a long time in AucklandCIB circles and if my informants are to bebelieved, in other centres too.Police reinforce daily that the skills andexperience of staff is an important issue,so I would be most intrigued as to whereon the fence, or even what side of thefence, the Police Association sits on thisimportant issue?I’ve had a wee nosy at the GeneralInstructions. There are several instructionsdedicated to CIB training. Also, there arethe dedicated CIB trainers in the districtsand of course the CIB courses and exams.You are also expected to study in yourown time if you hope to qualify. You haveto be dedicated to complete this training.So, from the resources committed and thenature of the training, we can take it thatthe department takes CIB training quiteseriously.Therefore, it should be taken as readthat detectives, by virtue of the stringenttraining and skills gained, are still valuedby the department. I know that thedepartment enjoys the good press whenhomicides are solved and drug importersare busted and I know that the CrownSolicitors’ Office holds detectives in veryhigh regard, which to me at least reflectsthe CIB’s unequalled training.217

November 2004Police News The Voice of PoliceSo how is the obviously highly-valuedstaff rewarded for their two and a halfyears of unequalled training? I cananswer that too - a jump in pay bands ofcourse - to H band.This might have been an acceptablereward in the past but nowadays there isa multitude of lucky non-CIB memberswho are currently enjoying their H bandlevels as a result of policy that quiterightly recognises the skills they bring tothat position. But I am not interested ingoing into that, as the list of personnelgoing to H Band is becoming endless.But now detectives are watchingcolleagues catch up to their pay scalesdespite not having the same training. Whyhasn’t the detective’s pay band not beenon a par with their non-CIB counterpartsand also raised to the next level orperhaps even a new level?Could this be the reason why so manycentres are having difficulty recruitingtrainee detectives? Is it because there isno financial incentive any more to jointhe CIB? There was a time, not so longago, when you had to join a waiting listto get in.But more importantly, why has this payband inadequacy gone unchallenged forso long?So, on a final note, who should negotiatethese inadequacies on behalf of the CIBthroughout NZ? I suggest the sameperson who haggled for the STG’s (SpecialTactic Group) current rate, of course.David Nimmo(Auckland)Disturbing trends precludeeffective policing practicesAfter 32 years service, I find it necessaryto write to Police News about what I seeas disturbing trends, which affect the wayin which police officers carry out theirduties.Over the years, events have occurredwhereby the media, and anyone elsewanting to get on the bandwagon, createsuch a diversion from the facts of casesthat the blame falls squarely on policeofficers’ shoulders, even when all statutoryand other enquiries say otherwise. Theperpetrator comes out of it lily-white.Brave officers carry out their duties to thebest of their abilities, and in some cases,have had to make lethal decisions in orderto protect their own lives and those of thepublic.After the event the ‘experts’ come outof the woodwork and infect the legalprocesses by their insistence that a policeofficer should have done it differently.Sadly, we now have ex-police officersbecoming experts amidst the mediafrenzy. Even the Prime Minister hasbecome involved when she should havebeen practicing politicus interuptus.The main problem with the media andall these ‘experts’ is that with all thecoverage they tend to get some credibility.From there, political committees andenquiries are set up. I may be a bit cynicalbut what generally comes out of those‘examinations’ is that Police powers arewatered down, thereby making it safer forcriminals to go about their business.We must not forget, however, that someof the watering down of our ability tocarry out our functions lawfully comesfrom within the same organisation thatis supposed to be fighting the good fightalongside us.We lost the ability to carry the longbaton because of perceived problemswith its use by frontline officers. Theonly problem with the long batons is thatthe Police Department did not providesufficient training in the use of them.The long baton is the best non-lethaldevice available for personal protection byproperly trained personnel - the operativeword being ‘trained’.At first, I was dubious about theintroduction of pepper spray; however, itappears to be a good personal protectiondevice. But where it has no effect, the longbaton would be effective. The new ASPbaton requires the officer to get in tooclose to the offender in its use, making adangerous situation even more dangerous.New rules and regulations regarding theuse of firearms make it just too difficultfor officers to carry out their duties. Wenow have the possibility of legislationmaking it a legal requirement to namethe officer who uses deadly force in theexecution of his or her duties.There appears to be a trend wherediscretion to charge with criminal andtraffic offences no longer exists. Offendersthat should be dealt with by a warningare arrested and prosecuted. Is discretionbecoming redundant?In a recent article in The Sunday-StarTimes a Superintendent stated that:“Previously officers had discretion”. Fromthat I take it the inherent power of apolice officer has been removed. Wheredid the authority to take away an officer’sdiscretion come from?This is serious interference in the wayindividual police officers carry outtheir duties and is something the PoliceAssociation should take up with the Policeadministration.We now have a new pursuit policy wheresomeone seated miles away from theaction tells a patrol to “pull out” and theymust immediately move to the left of theroad, stop and turn off their lights andsiren.Admittedly, pursuit policy needed to belooked at, but, as with the long baton,training is the only way to improve ourability to do our job properly and safely.Unfortunately, the criminals are thewinners in this one.After many years in the Police, thetrends cause me to wonder where we areheaded as an organisation, whose primaryfunction is to protect the community. Wetend to be moving toward the protectionand rights of criminals and away frompolice officers trying to do the job they arepaid to do. What next?Colin A MacDonald(Takapuna)Grading of Police drivers– it’s a matter of trainingI read with interest Grant Pollock’sresponse letter in relation to the “Gradingof Pursuit Drivers” in the October PoliceNews.I see no fault in the basis of his argumentand agree with the majority of what hesaid, in that AOS are trained in the useof firearms, the Dive Squad in swimmingand SAR in mountain safety, so thereforepursuit drivers should be with regards todriving. One would be no use in a squadif he or she did not hold the required skills.But let’s look at how people obtain therequired skill - training. Let me putforward the crazy idea of Police drivertraining? Should it not be on a regularbasis (for all staff, not only the bottomof the heap, sorry bronze) as we dowith firearms training, as SAR do withmountain safety training. What do peoplethink?This would allow all police officers, whoswore the oath to uphold the law, to dotheir job. That’s why we are here after all.To tell someone who has been driving forsay 20 years, 10 of those in the Police,sorry, you are not good enough to drive ina pursuit so don’t do it again - well, that’sjust a cop out.As Jo Fox so rightly pointed out, do wehear AOS/firearm instructors say: “Sorry,you only got five out of 10 shoots inthe bulls eye, so you are a bronze andtherefore you can only display a firearm,not pull the trigger?” No we don’t, we218

New Zealand Police AssociationNovember 2004receive regular training, which keepspersons upskilled and able to use afirearm safely if necessary.That is the key here, regular training.If this new system of gold, silver or bronzeis so successful let’s see if we can adoptit into the driver licensing of all NewZealanders. We could perhaps have a golddriver able to drive 100km/h on the openroad, a silver 90km/h and bronze 80km/h.Then when more tickets are issued, whenthese persons exceed there allocatedspeed, maybe some of that revenue couldfilter back down to the CIB to enable us tofight the growing “P”/methamphetamineproblem. Worth a crack!Wayne Steed(Hastings)The ‘new era’and more for lessI write in response to Grant Pollock’sletter in the October Police News regardinggrading of pursuit drivers. Firstly, withregard to your final comment: “Thedays of go hard or go home are gone,welcome to the new era”. You are right.We are in a new era open to far morecriticism from all quarters and sadly,what seems like little public support fromPolice management. But, you must alsoremember, what organisation you joined.You joined the NZ Police. That thin blueline that runs between the good folk andthe bad, referred to in the new era as‘customers and clients’.The job, by its very nature, involves risk.Sure, no one wants to get hurt, but itdoes happen, and on occasion, some ofthe members don’t get home. Thankfully,those occasions are few and far between.I do not think Grant’s analogies to theArmed Offenders’ Squad, Police DiveSquad and Search and Rescue have anyrelevance to drivers of Police cars involvedin pursuits.These specialist guys do a great joband apply themselves in a professionalmanner, but there are numerousoccasions, where Police frontline ‘I’ carstaff have been involved in firearmsmatters, some with fatal outcomes. Thereare numerous times when front line ‘I’ carstaff, at great risk to themselves, jump intoswollen rivers, harbours and streams in aneffort to save lives, and do so.Those staff may not have been great shotsor feel the most confident with firearms,and know it. They may not have beengreat swimmers or have confidence in thewater, and know it. They did what theyare there to do, as part of the job theyundertook and as part of the oath thatthey swore.On most occasions, when specialist squadsare called out, it is either to a controlledscene (controlled by those same ‘I’ carstaff) or well after the event. This appliesparticularly to divers and SAR (by virtue ofwhere those teams are located).With regards to car pursuits and gradeddrivers; in a perfect world that system maywork. However, these pursuits are generallyspontaneous incidents and the ‘Johnny/Jenny on the spot’ is usually an ‘I’ car staffmember.These staff have no say in what happens infront of them or what is around the corner.They are, however, wearing a distinctiveblue uniform, driving an extensively markedcar indicating who they are. The public’seyes are on them to deal with the matter. It’snot for the public to have to understand orStop press:Comms subject to reviewtry to comprehend that Police may operatea graded system for drivers or who ispermitted to do a pursuit.Sometimes, things go wrong, horriblywrong. It can happen to the mostexperienced member or the leastexperienced. We have to live with that.If there is a system fault, whether it bedriving or any of the other tasks undertakenby staff, that should be addressed throughproper training, proper staff selection andnot stop gap measures or fanciful ideals.Over recent years, staff are working moreand more under the corporate adageof a ‘more for less policy’. Perhaps as astarting point, Police management couldlook at addressing this area and some ofthe problems that are creeping in andburdening staff.Howard Roscoe(Waitakere)Just as this issue was going to press, the Commissioner of Police, Rob Robinson,announced that an external panel would review Police handling of emergencycalls and other calls for service through the Police Communications Centres.Mr Robinson indicated that he had approached several overseas police agenciesto “provide input into the panel review”.The review follows recent concerns voiced about the handling of emergencycalls related to the disappearance of Iraena Asher near Piha and the homeinvasion, which left Te Puke farmer, Peter Bentley with serious injuries. At timeof writing, Ms Asher had not been found.Other complaints about alleged mishandling of calls, delays and other incidentshave since been levelled at Police.In May, Police News highlighted concerns Communications Centre staff heldnationwide about shortstaffing, staff turnover and the fact that they felt theycould not provide the public or frontline police with the coverage they deserved.Comms staff predicted that it was only a matter of time before the shortcomingsin the system were exposed by a serious incident.Special LTSA fundingSubsequently, the Police gained special Land Transport Safety Authority fundingof $1.3 million for 18 additional Comms staff.The Association will be asking Police how much of the $13.8 million in the lastBudget, targeted for Primary Response Management, was allocated to Comms.Association President, Greg O’Connor said that he welcomed the review. “TheAssociation signaled earlier this year its concerns over Comms Centres andunder-resourcing in that area and how that was placing lives at risk, just asit had warned about the spread of methamphetamine use before that. Theseproblems are a further indication that Police resources are stretched and theAssociation wants to see Government making every effort to address them in thenear future.”“Sadly, it seems, we are governed by a regime which reacts only when problemshit the front pages of newspapers,” he added.At time of writing, the Association was in the process of bringing in reps fromall three Communications centres to ensure frontline Comms staff views arerepresented during the current review.219

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