No stone left unturned - New Zealand Police Association ... and domestic violence, rape, robbery and...

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nVolume 37, Number 9, October 2004

75Association puts

proposal on remand prisoner

problem

• Police offi cers search every nook and cranny of the Puketitiri Valley property where Hawke’s Bay farmer Jack Nicholas was shot dead in late August. (Photo courtesy of Melanie Glover/NZ Herald).

No stone left unturned...

Page 177Commission of Inquiry

in abeyance

Page 182Logan’s run

comes to an end after 38 years

October 2004 Police News The Voice of Police

174

Industrial news

Useful Information & ContactsAssociation and Police Welfare Fund: Police Network 44446 Website www.policeassn.org.nzFreephone 0800 500 122 Police Home Loans 0800 800 808Police Health Plan/Staffpac Insurance Police Credit Union 0800 429 000Quotes & information 0800 500 122 or (04) 472 9645or Fax (04) 496 6819 Credit Union www.policecu.org.nzStaffpac claims 0800 110 088 GSF information 0800 654 731All enquiries (04) 496 6800 PSS information 0800 777 243

Vice PresidentsGeoff Smith (027) 268 9417Richard Middleton (027) 268 9411Field Offi cers Northland and Auckland Districts: Stewart Mills (027) 268 9407Waikato, BOP and Eastern Districts: Eric Newman (027) 268 9408Central and Wellington Districts: JJ Taylor (027) 268 9409Tasman, Canterbury and Southern Districts: Dave McKirdy (027) 268 9410Regional DirectorsRegion One Steve Hawkins Whangaparoa (027) 268 9419Region Two Mark Leys Papatoetoe (027) 268 9413Region Three Mel Ridley Tauranga (027) 268 9414Region Four Logan Alderson Napier (027) 268 9415Region Five Stuart Mills Offi ce of Com (027) 268 9416Region Six Craig Prior Sumner (027) 268 9412Region Seven Dave Steel North Dunedin (027) 268 9418

NZ Police Association Police News is the newsletter of the New Zealand Police Association and incorporates the New Zealand Police Journal fi rst published in 1937.

Editor: Steve PlowmanOctober 2004, Vol. 37, No.9ISSN 1175-9445Deadline for next issue Friday October 15, 2004.Published by the New Zealand Police Association P.O. Box 12344, Willbank House, 57 Willis Street, Wgtn. Phone: (04) 496 6800, Facsmile: (04) 471 1309Email: [email protected]: www.policeassn.org.nzPrinted by City Print Communications, Wgtn.Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Association.COPYRIGHT: NZPA Police News must not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the formal consent of the copyright holder - New Zealand Police Association.

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Sport/Entertainment

Columns

Features

General news

TYPECAST

Welfare/Notices

60’S HEROES

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

CONTENTS

Association puts proposal to Police on remand prisoner problem .... 175Typists role an invaluable part of policing ....................................... 176Commission of Inquiry in abeyance ................................................ 177Court will determine Holidays Act dispute ...................................... 186

Medal recognises Solomons service ................................................ 175Body armour - after the trial ........................................................... 177Former officers get awards 40 years on ........................................... 178Government says it will move on ‘compo’ for criminals .................. 179

Logan Alderson brings down curtain on long career ....................182/3

From the President ......................................................................... 175Keen on Wine ................................................................................. 179Health Watch .................................................................................. 180View from the bottom .................................................................... 181On The Hill ..................................................................................... 186Letters to the Editor .................................................................189/191

It’s a Bob’s Life (cartoon) ................................................................. 178Sports calendar ............................................................................... 180Copper’s crossword ........................................................................ 181Dave Smith’s outstanding contribution to Police sport .................... 187Sports News ................................................................................... 188

Memorial Wall ................................................................................ 176New holiday homes (Auckland/Greytown) officially opened ........184/5Holiday home availability chart ....................................................... 185Hamilton CIB reunion ..................................................................... 188

October 2004New Zealand Police Association

175

From the President

This month, I will be reappointed as President of the NZ Police Association.

It is humbling to receive this endorsement from my 9,000 colleagues - the best a man can get. (Although, some acknowledgement of relevance at home, from my six-year-old daughter, would be nice).

What this re-appointment has done is to force me reflect on what the role of the Association is in the modern policing environment.

Are we simply here to provide legal and industrial advice to members who have very little individual ability to influence their future and need the collective influence of a big organisation to assist them?

Or do we have a bigger role in ensuring that, like in health and education, the voice of those who actually understand the business we are in is not completely overridden by politicians and public sector bureaucrats, whose vision of the world doesn’t include drunk drivers, drugs and domestic violence, rape, robbery and rioting teenagers.

Change is inevitable and provided it is implemented for the right reason and with a full understanding of the implications involved, it can be very healthy.

However, the increasing politicization of policing often means that political expediency, newspaper headlines and Monday morning Cabinet meetings can be as influential in setting policing direction as well-researched and far reaching policy analysis.

New policing initiatives, examined on a one-day stopover during a world trip and

“Change is inevitable and provided it is implemented for the right reason and with a full understanding of the implications involved, it can be very healthy.”

usually being shown off by the architects or adherents to the scheme, may look very different in the New Zealand context.

The Association is not here to advocate the status quo. That consigns any organisation to eventual irrelevance as the world moves on. However, the nature of the beast that is Police demands total adherence to the philosophy of the day and entertains no dissent or even debate on direction. Maybe that is inevitability in what is still a quasi-military organisation.

The Association has an important role in providing a forum for that debate. We are often criticised for even printing letters from those with dissenting views on policing direction-evidence of the need to do so.

There is only one Police Department in New Zealand and there are many people with many years of commitment to it.

The Association will continue to give those people, who are often denied the opportunity elsewhere, to put forward their views on what is occurring in Police, without merely providing a platform for the disaffected.

In summary then, we are here to look after the interests of police - to ensure they are treated and remunerated fairly.

Part of doing that is to be informed and heard in the law and order debate so that New Zealanders don’t have the Police Force they are so proud of, irreparably damaged on the whim and vision of an influential individual. Some cynics might say, again.

Association puts proposal to Police on remand prisoner problem The remand prisoner saga continues with numbers expected to peak in November.

The Association has put forward a proposal to Police to deal with the staffing difficulties. The proposal provides for sworn members to voluntarily, by mutual agreement, come back to work on their days off to look after remand prisoners. They would be paid an hour for hour flat rate and would not accumulate TOIL (time off in lieu) or DDOs (deferred day off).

The proposal also contains some safeguards to ensure that members still get time off for health and safety reasons.

At the time of writing, Police were considering the proposal.

New medal for service in the Solomon IslandsMinister of Defence, Mark Burton, recently announced a new medal to recognise the service of New Zealand personnel who have served with the Regional Assistance Mission in the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), since 24 July 2003.

They will soon receive the New Zealand General Service Medal (Solomon Islands) in recognition of their service. In total, 110 New Zealand police officers have served in the Solomons.

“New Zealand police personnel, who have provided support and assistance for 30 days or longer in re-establishing order between 6 October 2002 and 23 July 2003, will be eligible for this award,” Mr Burton said.

New Zealand military personnel will continue to serve in the Solomon Islands until 31 July 2006. In addition, 35 New Zealand police officers will continue to work long-term to help rebuild the Royal Solomon Islands Police.

• Mark Burton

NSW Police to drug test recruitsAspiring police officers in New South Wales would be forced to undergo random drug testing as the state’s crime-fighting agencies come to terms with recruits who have grown up as part of the so-called “chemical generation”.

Police Commissioner, Ken Moroney, told The Daily Telegraph the generation of party drug users, who might continue their use once in the force, was a “new age” threat.

Mr Moroney wants to introduce drug tests

at Goulburn Police Academy as a three-year inquiry into drug use among the state’s officers comes to a close.

He will tell the Police Integrity Commission’s Operation Abelia he also wants students to get a doctor’s certificate saying they are free from illicit drugs.

No drug-testing regime exists among academy recruits, who are students of Charles Sturt University, until accepted into the Police.


176

Memorial WallOur sympathies to all our members’ families for those who have passed away in recent months...

Valuing the role of Police typistsThe Association’s typists’ reps have completed work, which pulls together what they see as the common features of an operationally focussed senior typist.

“This position is central to an effective and efficient typing service within the NZ Police,” said Greg Fleming, the Association’s Industrial Advocate.

“We have created a document, which best outlines the key features of this specialist role”.

It is hoped that an expanded explanation of the operational typist’s job will lead to a greater appreciation of their skills and value to the organisation.

Transcription of videosA good example is the requirement to “transcribe videos”. The simple words “transcribe videos” do not do justice to understanding the nature of the task itself as it involves:

• Verbatim transcription of a video taped interview with an offender/victim using specialist equipment.

• Transcription must include all words and utterances, significant body movements and actions.

• A degree of technical difficulty due to the interaction of those present.

• Interviews can often include an interpreter, lawyer or independent nominated person for a juvenile, as well as the interviewing officer. There are often three people present during interviews.

• An experienced video transcriber taking approximately seven-10 minutes per minute of video (if the video is of good quality).

• Sometimes being required to type non-English transcription with the assistance of an interpreter.

• 100% accuracy being required for investigation and court purposes.

• Content being of a graphic and disturbing nature, especially

child abuse cases and other serious crime. All operational typists should have mandatory and regular professional supervision.

• The person being interviewed can be traumatised, angry, frustrated, agitated or mentally disturbed, which adds to the complexity of the transcription.

StereotypesIt is acknowledged that outside of the station the title “typist” can unfortunately generate a stereotyped understanding of the role, however, the typists’ reps are reluctant to generate a new job title to overcome it.

“Executive Operational Support Assistant is too much of a mouthful,” typists’ rep, Fiona Opray, told Police News. “Police officers would probably go looking for the typist to find out who this fancy-titled person is”.

The Office of the Commissioner staff are currently assessing the senior typist (operational) document, provided by the Association, to determine if it fits their understanding of the role and will then submit it for job evaluation in order to determine the appropriate pay band.

• The women who represent Police typists (from left to right): Adrienne Senior, Gail FitzGerald and Fiona Opray.

HAIMES Walter Michael 30-Jul-04 Retired member Waikanae

BARNARD Nigel John 31-Jul-04 Retired member Auckland

CUTHBERT Robert Neville 20-Aug-04 Retired associate member Hamilton

CARTER Alfred James 21-Aug-04 Retired member Hamilton

JOHNSTON Patricia 23-Aug-04 Spouse of retired member Invercargill

SMITH David Cyril 28-Aug-04 Retired sworn member Wellington

DONNELLY Maureen Margaret 28-Aug-04 Spouse of retired associate member Nelson

APES Kathleen Mary 07-Sep-04 Widow of sworn member Lake Tekapo

IYER David 11-Sep-04 Spouse of non-sworn member Gore

PAYNE David 13-Sep-04 Retired member Lower Hutt

McIVOR Allan James 14-Sep-04 Retired member Gisborne

DRINKWATER Barry Gordon 20-Sept-04 Retired member Raetihi

We remember… Who passed away…


177177

Body armour - after the trialBy Amanda Craig, Association Industrial Offi cer

The initial trial of overt and covert body armour by a variety of staff ended on 20 September. During the trial, these staff wore overt armour for four weeks and covert armour for the next four weeks - apart from CIB members who only trialled covert vests. A daily diary was kept on issues such as wearability, whether the vest helped when on duty and public comment.

The triallists were interviewed at the completion of each four-week period to get their feedback on each type of vest.

A focus group, made up of operational staff (with Association representation), was due to come together at the end of September to discuss ‘where to from here’.

Feedback from youThere are still major decisions to be made around the body armour issue; For example, which staff will need it most, when should it be worn, what make of body armour is best for NZ Police etc?

The NZ Police and the Association are now seeking feedback from all staff on the requirements for body armour in the NZ policing environment.

Please send any comments to me at [email protected] comments will be included into the feedback on body armour.

Commission of Inquiry in abeyanceBy Steve Plowman, Editor, Police News

The Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct has set down a ‘chambers’ meeting for 22 October to determine where the Commission is heading.

On 27 August the Commission decided an interim adjournment was in order after considering evidence from interested parties. Justice Bruce Robertson and Dame Margaret Bazley are conducting the Commission.

In its lengthy, written ruling, the Commission outlined a number of concerns it had regarding why it was not feasible to continue with the Inquiry at this time. Among them were:

• The hearings had engendered a high level of public interest and media scrutiny and because of the nature of the Commission’s inquiries, the Commissioners considered that if they continued to “investigate, hear evidence and eventually assess, evaluate and report publicly, there would be a serious and genuine risk that our work could have a direct bearing on the trials, or the processes attendant upon them, which are now in actual contemplation”.

• Even though the Commissioners are precluded from making assessments about the strength or validity of complaints, to do their task they would have to evaluate the complaints and their underlying circumstances to some extent to determine whether the responses were appropriate or sufficient. This will inevitably be heavily publicised. Such publicity could undoubtedly have an effect on the possible trials of other serving or former police officers.

• The Commissioners said that: “The events of the last six months have confirmed fully the need for a thorough, rigorous and comprehensive assessment of a variety of issues. The real issue is one of timing.”

Ongoing investigationsCommissioner Bruce Robertson stated in the official ruling on 27 August: “As we are not yet in a position to assess the full implications for our Inquiry of any criminal proceedings, we propose to adjourn the Commission until 22 October 2004, or sooner if the

Commissioner of Police confirms that all work of reinvestigation and criminal responsibility has been concluded and issues are then totally in the hands of the prosecuting authorities. After that date we will, if necessary, provide further opportunity for submission. If there are criminal charges pending (and suppression orders do not impede full information about them) we will have to assess how they impact on the Commission carrying out its terms of reference.”

Given the obvious complexities facing the Commission, as a result of ongoing criminal investigations, the Commissioners said they were “...persuaded that the activities of the Commission must now stand in abeyance until that information about criminal charges is available”.

“It is not a case of our task being abandoned, but an issue of when it can fairly and properly be undertaken,” the ruling stated.

Body armour warrantyperiod reducedMore than 100 New Jersey Police departments could be affected by a body armour company’s decision to voluntarily exchange some of its vests, according to a report by Associated Press.

Florida-based American Body Armor is allowing police agencies to replace levels II and IIIA of its Xtreme ZX vest.

American Body Armor is reducing the warranty period on ZX models from 60 months to 30 months, saying that its testing found that factors such as heat and humidity can affect the ZX models more than other body armour in its product line.

However, the company emphasized that the body armour has never failed to protect an officer in the field.

Lightest, thinnest model“In this specific model, which happens to be the lightest, thinnest model that the company makes, it’s appropriate to replace it more frequently than the previous standard of five years,” said Michael Fox, a company spokesman.

Police can opt to exchange their ZX vests for new ones with a 30-month warranty or can opt for another body armour product. There is no need to exchange the vest prior to the 30-month point, company officials said.

American Body Armor, a subsidiary of Armor Holdings Inc., implemented its national warranty exchange programs as the result of a settlement reached with the Southern States Police Benevolent Association, state officials said.


178

IT’S A BOB’S LIFE…By Rohan Stace

40 years on former

police officers receive

recognition...

“Every time there’s a shooting of a police

offi cer you think how lucky we were that it

wasn’t us.”

Forty years after attending an armed offender incident in New Plymouth, retired police officers Keith Torckler and Geoffrey Black have been recognised for their courage.

The pair was recently awarded a District Commander’s certificate for their dedication to duty on November 30, 1962 when, without back up, they overpowered an armed offender who had three firearms and 1000 rounds of ammunition in his possession.

The officers had responded to a call from a Harbour Board employee who had reported hearing shots.

Holed up in lighthouseThe offender was holed up in Mikotahi Lighthouse during the siege. Torckler climbed up to the lighthouse with Black following him and as the offender pointed the firearm at Torckler, the sergeant grabbed hold of it, and with assistance from Constable Black, the two men were able to wrestle the offender to the ground and arrest him.

Mr Torckler, told New Plymouth’s The Daily News, that he was “just doing his job”. “We were the buffer between lunatics and the public. If something happened we went and did it, because it came with the territory.”

Time to reflectDuring the intervening years, both former officers have had plenty of time to reflect on just how lucky they were to escape with their lives. “The only time I felt any concern was afterwards when I discovered my knees knocking together a little bit,” Torckler told the local newspaper.

“Every time there’s a shooting of a police officer you think how lucky we were it wasn’t us,” Mr Black said recently.

Central District Commander, Superintendent Mark Lammas, presented the two former officers with their certificates.

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• Geoffrey Black (left) and Keith Torckler with their commendation certifi cates. (Photo courtesy of The Daily News)


179

Keen On Wineby Ricky Collins

Tough times ahead for New Zealand wine industry

New Zealand’s wine production in 2004 took a giant leap forward in terms of volume. The annual crush of grapes soared to a new record high of 166,000 tonnes, well up from the 119,000 tonnes crushed in the last trouble free vintage of 2002. This growth is set to continue into the next few years at least, with significant plantings still yet to reach production stage. Compared to that level of growth, New Zealand’s average annual consumption of wine per person has remained relatively static over the last ten years at around nine litres per person.

This means that our increased volume of wine will have to find new export markets. It is true that New Zealand has done well in exporting its wine to date, however, we cannot rely on our existing export markets absorbing our annual increase in production. There is increasing competition for the global wine market, with many other wine-producing countries also increasing their annual production.

What does this mean for the New Zealand industry?Because 2003 was such a poor vintage, with low levels of production, the domestic and export markets are likely to absorb this year’s increased volume. However, if production in 2005 is at the same level or higher than

2004, we are likely see extreme competition in both markets, with the possibility of some producers not surviving. The producers who do not survive are likely to be bought up by some of our larger producers. Australia has faced this situation over the last few vintages, with several of their larger corporations swallowing up many of their struggling boutique producers.

What does this mean for the consumer?We are likely to see a trend develop where unsold stock from previous vintages will be dumped onto our domestic market. To an extent this is already happening, with many on-line retailers and some supermarkets offering heavily discounted wine. Australian producers also see New Zealand as a target market for their excess production. Therefore, we can expect to see an increase in cheap Australian wine on sale here. The natural impact of supply and demand is likely to determine a bright outlook for the New Zealand wine consumer, but not so bright for some of those in the local wine industry.

Wine of the MonthTe Mata Estate Rymer’s Change wine rangeTe Mata are widely regarded as one of New Zealand’s premium wine producers. They have recently released a new wine range called Rymer’s Change, which is a value-for-money selection of wines produced from fruit from their own Hawke’s Bay vineyards. Within the range are a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay, a Rose, and a Cabernet/Merlot. At $11.65 a bottle direct from the vineyard, they represent excellent value for money. As a new release special, you can order on-line a sample dozen, comprising three bottles of each wine for $119.00 plus delivery costs. Just go to their website (www.temata.co.nz).

Government says it will move to prevent criminals gaining from state compensationIn the wake of the High Court awarding $130,000 to five prisoners, who were kept in a prison behavioural management system, the Government has moved to legislate against criminals being able to benefit from future compensation payouts by the state.

The issue was raised again recently in light of the possibility of further compensation claims arising from the use of police and court cells to house remand prisoners.

Instead, the Government wants to ensure that any compensation awarded to criminals by the state has to go to their victims.

Appeal in the windThe Department of Corrections is to appeal the original High Court decision, which has effectively opened a compensation minefield for the Government. Minister of Justice, Phil Goff, has said he supports the appeal.

In a recent statement, Mr Goff said: “I believe most people will feel that the real injustice was that those who had committed such crimes as murder should be compensated for relatively minor offending against them.”

Police News inquiries with the Minister’s office confirmed that Mr Goff was “still awaiting draft legislation from the Ministry of Justice”, according to a spokesman.

Police Association President, Greg O’Connor, recently visited many of the police stations housing remand prisoners and told Police News he was greatly impressed by the “humanity and professionalism” of police officers involved in a difficult situation.

“Many police officers feel some sympathy for the plight of the remand prisoners in their care. However, that doesn’t mean that they necessarily feel that monetary compensation for the prisoners is the answer either,” O’Connor said.

Abhorrence at crime“Most police officers feel an abhorrence for the crimes that criminals commit but that is not mutually exclusive and they do feel a certain discomfort at seeing remand prisoners in these conditions,” he added.

O’Connor said that most people would feel a great sense of unease about the granting of $130,000 compensation to the five prisoners in the behavioural management case. “Clearly, if there are breaches of human rights and the prison has got it wrong then there has to be some form of sanction put in place - but that needn’t necessarily be money. You have to find a balance because in these sorts of instances you’re dealing with unco-operative, hardened criminals and you have to have some sort of behavioural management regime in place. You need a system where prisoners can earn something by improving their attitudes and behaviours,” he said.


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Police Health Plan Ltd in conjunction with our Medical Adviser, Doctor Eric Thornton,

publishes articles on medical issues that affect our members.

To sleep, perchance to dreamSleep is absolutely vital for our wellbeing. We can only do without sleep for relatively short periods of time before the brain begins to lose some of its functionality. Going without sleep for 18 hours is the equivalent to having a blood alcohol reading of 50 mgs, and after 24 hours this rises to the equivalent of a 100 mgs reading.

In other words, you function the same as though you are over the limit for driving. Lack of sleep is often a major factor in road accidents.

For some people, sleep does not come easily. They suffer from a medical condition known as sleep apnoea. (Apnoea means not breathing). These people go to sleep but wake frequently as they are unable to breathe properly. Some wake as often as every minute. When they wake in the morning they are exhausted. Usually sleep apnoea is associated with snoring. If

they can stop snoring their sleep patterns improve.

SnoringWhile snoring is regarded as amusing or irritating, it affects a very large number of people. These people may then have impaired efficiency and can be prone to

There are no easy solutions and remedies bought over the counter are usually useless.

There are a number of treatments for snoring. The minor remedies are often performed by GPs and consist of using heat to tighten up a loose, soft palate. This is effective in only a small number of cases.

The majority of patients end up seeing an ear, nose and throat surgeon who will operate on airways. In a few patients, removing the tonsils and cauterising the nose is sufficient. Others require more major surgery to remove the uvula (the dangling bit at the back of the throat) and to tighten the soft palate. These procedures are effective in 90% of cases but a few patients go on to have second or third operations.

CPAP machineFor those who wish to avoid surgery, there is a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine. This device is worn over the mouth and nose every night and delivers air at a positive pressure. The air pressure stops the sleep apnoea. Many patients have found their lives greatly improved by using this machine. The machines operate very quietly and people soon get used to them. They are small enough to be portable.

Recent research in Australia has indicated that patients with sleep apnoea are being diagnosed in such numbers that there are not enough doctors to treat them. The same will certainly apply in New Zealand. The cost of sleep disorders in lost productivity is huge and is stimulating further research.

accidents due to being so tired. Tests, conducted in sleep laboratories, can determine whether a person is just snoring or whether they have sleep apnoea. Health insurers will contribute towards the cost of the tests but often will not pay for the treatment of snoring. However, they will pay for treatment of sleep apnoea.

Once the diagnosis is made, the treatment depends upon the severity of the problem.

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NZ Police Council of Sport

2004 CALENDAR OF EVENTSFor more information regarding any of these events, or

including other Police national sporting events, contact: Alison Murray (04) 238 3139; Email: [email protected]

October4-6 Ski Champs - Turoa. Contact: Neil Warren extn: 7904119 & 20 Sevens Rugby Tournament - Palmerston North Netball trials (included at event)

Contact: Helen Mahon-Stroud extn: 3790028-30 NZ Police Mountain Biking & Road Cycling Champs - Christchurch Contact: Greg Luxton extn: 36400 31 - 2 South Island Golf Championships - Timaru Contact: Mike Wingfield extn: 35062

November9-11 17th Police Champs Trap & Skeet - Waitemata Contact: Paul Burns 021 287 6743. Please note change of

date from previous listing due to operational requirements.16-21 Police Cricket - Australasian Police Cricket Championship Contact: Paul Johannsen extn: 37940, Geoffrey Ringer extn: 9578919 North Island Touch Rugby Championship - Havelock north. Contact: Bryan Smyth extn: 66005.21 South Island Touch Championship - Ohoka, Nth Canterbuty Contact: Tony Maw extn: 35783 or 025 200 131119-21 National Squash Tournament - Taupo Contact: Sean Millar extn: 74340


181

Tuff timesStats, stats and more stats saying what a great job we are all doing, with clearly not enough resources. I say clearly cause you can’t argue with the stats, apparently, and they do say we have the second lowest coppers to population ratio in the whole damn world (slight exaggeration, I know, but aren’t some of those stats we’re putting out?).

I hear a few of me CIB mates north of the Bombay Hills are being used for traffic duties just to get the stats up in the road policing (or is it road volume these days) area and if that’s not manipulating the situation then I don’t know what is!

It’s a cruel worldIt bloody is when you have the ‘Beat Boys’ near the Sky Tower doing fantastic work and stripping bad guys of their cash (over 600k in fact) and they get an ear full for not issuing enough tickets. Someone needs their head read if they can’t concentrate on the positive on this one and maybe a bit more tread in the boyz boots would help them pull over a few more mainstream Kiwis to fill the quota. Oops, I said the Q word that doesn’t exist in the enforcement vocabulary! Funny how we set measurements for everything else we do - still, what’s in a name?

Whats’ going on here then?Now look, I’m a realist but waddya think about a finance section that doesn’t distribute funds ring-fenced for a specialist area, for let’s say nine months, and makes the districts involved keep digging into their own pockets?

Me sources tell me the meth teams still haven’t received the funding from The Castle though they’ve had it since 1 January. Maybe it’s in a nice interest earning account somewhere to help the teams out? Maybe it’s sitting in a cash tin in someone’s desk and they just forgot about it? Maybe...maybe...maybe.

Red and blackWell done the ‘Bay’. You fellas did a wonderful job looking after the log of wood for us and it was a pity we had to take it back but after such a titanic struggle. But it was great to see her come home. Hasn’t the old NPC been a breath of fresh air this year after so much disappointment on the international scene?

Days are getting lighter and the fire’s not being put on so early, so spring is here and summer is on its way. Time to mend a few fences and observe the circle of life doing what comes naturally in the coming months. Busy at home and busy at work. Ain’t life grand!

See Ya

Copper’s CrosswordBy Constable Cunning

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View From The BottomBy Constable Iam Keen

This column is written by a frontline police offi cer. It does not represent the views or policies of the Police Association.

September answers:Across:1. Limits4. Scored8. Anniversary10. Pardons11. Urn12. Rule

Across1. Charm of the third month (5) 4. Bold statements from him, help

Police fight crime in the future (5)

10. Melon or just another fruit to descibe your cranium (5)

11. Lace per drink this substitute instead (7)

12. Fifty pointer combined to make overseas Police Agency (8)

13. Small brook (4) 15. City of Canals (6) 17. Two thousand hear this tool at

work (6) 19. Yoda ? Yogi ? No a mixture of

both help to relieve stress (4) 20. Metering this band of soldiers (8) 23. U-turner who will help foster (7)

24. Subway in Paris (5) 25. Nag pa about being a heathen (5) 26. To sniff and grunt (5) Down:2. Confess to (5) 3. Some Police have one as terms

of employment (8) 5. Fibres of string (4) 6. Thousand audits make up this

arena (7)7. Fortune teller (11) 8. Robber, thief or felon (slang) (5) 9. Announcement (11) 14. An engraved amulet (8) 16. Country of Africa (7) 18. Revel and use a jemmy bar (5)21. Break and go into (5) 22. April sun in this place (4)

13. Get14. Ager17. Rut18. Non-Life19. Rhapsodises20. Retype

21. GrantsDown:1. Learner Driver2. Manipulator3. Tavern5. Classy

6. Decentralises7. Crookedness9. Young Person15. Encamp16. Binder

Easter ballot form in this issueIn this issue of Police News you will see an Easter ballot form for the holiday homes, which are heavily booked at this time of year. The fairest way to allocate accommodation over this period is by ballot. If you wish to be in the ballot you need to complete this form. The ballot only applies to serving sworn and non-sworn Association members and graduate recruits.

Association secretaries and chairpersonsIn the last issue of Police News there was a transposition of positions for office holders in the South Taranaki listing which appeared in the Association’s list of secretaries, chairpersons and delegates. The chairperson for South Taranaki (based in Hawera) is Nicola Davies and the secretary for South Taranaki, also based in Hawera, is Andrea Burling.


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Logan Alderson brings down thecurtain on a long career in policingBy Steve Plowman, Editor, Police NewsWhen Logan Alderson was 17 and fresh out of school, people used to say to him: “You’re a tall fellow, you’d make a good policeman.”

They were right on both counts.

Thirty-seven years and nine months later, Sergeant Logan Alderson, Napier-based prosecutor and Police Association Director, is about to see the curtain come down on a long career as a police officer.

He sits in my office, counting off the days. “Five to go,” he says with a grin.

After 19 months training at the Police Training School at Trentham, Logan celebrated his 19th birthday by being sworn in as a constable on 23 January 1967. He was sent to Invercargill where his first contact with policing was with the infamous Tom “Blooder” Fordyce, the watch-house keeper.

“Blooder”, had gained his nickname for his rather blunt use of language when greeting new constables, as in: “What the ‘blooder’ hell do you want?”

With this rather grumpy and succinct introduction to his new career - Logan Alderson was on his way.

Walking the beatIn those days, young constables walked the beat and Alderson has “fond memories” of the eight years he spent in Invercargill.

During his time there he attended two major riots - involving somewhere between 200 and 300 adversaries - the V8s and the local bikies. “We were right in the middle of them, outside the Post Office on a Friday night,” Alderson told Police News.

One of Logan’s sharper memories of that first riot is the arrival of an inspector on the scene. The inspector drove an old police car with a little red cherry of a light into the middle of the melee. Logan takes up the story: “He announced to the crowd: ‘My name is Lancelot Ewing Bardwell and I am now going to read the Riot Act, and he sat there and read the Riot Act while bottles and other objects rained down upon his car.”

Bardwell gave the groups three minutes to disperse. His announcement was greeted with laughter. The groups carried on scrapping. Then Bardwell instructed Alderson and his colleagues: “Righty oh troops, lock ‘em up.”

And they did, making 42 arrests.

On the second occasion, Alderson, who was at the time doing Army training with the territorials, was back in Invercargill on leave and happened upon the second set-to, which was being attended by his police colleagues. “I was standing there (in his civvies) making sure that the boys were safe and the back doors of the police van flew open and all these prisoners came tumbling out and there were a couple of guys trying to force them back into the van. They got all but one and the guy that got out came steaming across the road and stood right

for their evening meal at 3 o’clock in the morning. Of course, the evening meal wasn’t there any longer and so then the domestics would start,” Alderson says.

Alderson got proactive in his approach. He started policing the pubs rigorously and any domestic violence assaults would result in the arrested individual taking a trip south to the cells in Invercargill. It soon got round that if you cut up rough at home then you’d be going to Invercargill for the night.

Domestic violence incidents fell away sharply after that.

During his time in Riverton, Logan played rugby at lock or number eight and served as secretary of both the local rugby club and the sub-union.

Logan’s passions, when away from policing, have at various times been rugby (as a player, coach and referee), karate, squash, diving and tramping.

He was instrumental in starting a project, which eventually saw squash courts built in the town. In Riverton, he started a 17-year career in the Volunteer Fire Service.

Baptism by fireOn his first day on the job as a volunteer fire fighter it was, quite literally, baptism by fire for the young recruit. A fire broke out in one of the town’s buildings and the fire chief came up to Logan and said: “Here, put this thing on your back and go in there.” The thing he was told to put on his back was a breathing apparatus unit and ‘in there’ was the building, which was well ablaze by this time.

From Riverton he went north to the sunny climes of what he terms “Cannabis County” - Motueka. Seasonal fruit picking work brought many transients in house trucks to the area - and with the climate being conducive to good cannabis crops - the combination resulted in 200 arrests in one year alone.

Next came a Chatham Islands posting, in 1989. They say forearmed is forewarned and in this respect Alderson, with his Riverton experience behind him, found the adjustment to life on the island not quite as daunting as some of his predecessors. The Chathams, with its unique combination of

alongside me and announced: ‘Did you see that mate? I got out of that f.....g van!”

Alderson replied: “That’s good mate, now you’re going right back in, because I’m a policeman”, as he promptly grabbed the prisoner and escorted him back to the van. He still recalls today, with a grin, the look of horror on the prisoner’s face.

QueenstownMarriage followed and his next posting was to Queenstown where he served for over three years under the command of Sergeant Warwick “The Axe” Maloney. From there, he took up a posting in the tough port town of Riverton, as O/C of the two-man station. Apart from fishing, domestic violence loomed large as one of the ways in which the locals passed their time - or so it seemed to their new policeman. “It was a bit like the wild west at times,” Alderson recalls.

“The fisherman would go crayfishing on the West Coast for a month. Their first port of call, when they got back home, was invariably the pub and then they’d go home

• Logan Alderson, nearly 38 years in the job.


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isolation, rough weather, rough seas and tough fisherman, who worked hard and played harder, presented its own unique policing challenges. Alderson’s time there was to prove no exception.

“In my first three weekends there, I was in three fights,” Alderson says.

New game in townThe locals were inclined to try the new police officer out. “I think they were playing the game called bait the new cop,” Alderson says. “I made 10 arrests that first year but things got better - “there were only four arrests the second year” - and by the time he left, in his third year, there weren’t any.

One of the things that may have helped gain the respect of locals was a particularly violent encounter with a local who, by all accounts, could make the hair on the back of your neck stand up just by coming into your presence. Alderson variously describes him as “tough and evil”.

They had a wee run in, the result of which Alderson says, with a wry grin: “Restored the respect for the Police”.

“From then on I never had any trouble,” he says.

Eight months later, the pair met again but the circumstances were somewhat different. A bloke from the mainland was cutting up rough in the pub and Logan had him tipped upside down with his face in the dirt when he discovered that he’d left his handcuffs in the truck. Just then he heard a voice behind him say: “Do you need a hand?” He did.

It was his former adversary, who obliged by getting the handcuffs from the truck for Alderson and then said: “Can I put them on him?” And he did.

The circle of respect was complete that day.

Winning respectAlderson says that winning the Islanders respect was a big thing. “They’re a hard people. If they respect you, you’re okay, if they don’t you may as well pack your bags and go home on the next plane out.”

The Chathams was undergoing a huge transition at the time Alderson was there. The ship, “The Holmdale” left and was replaced by barges, the Argosy plane service ceased and the manual telephone service was replaced by satellite phones. Alderson remembers the ship-to-shore telephone coverage well. “If atmospheric conditions were bad it was like putting your head in a four-gallon can and talking to yourself,” he says. A further complication was that the

exchange ceased operating at 10.00 pm and did not resume until 7.00 am the following morning. “So if an emergency happened outside those hours you physically had to go up to the radio station and get them to open all the lines, which could take up to an hour,” he adds.

Alderson wore four hats on the Chathams - Registrar of Courts, Police Prosecutor, Probation Officer and local constable - and he gained a fifth job when he was responsible for organising the Bicentenary of European discovery, which still ranks as the biggest function ever held there - effectively doubling the population.

He then went to Christchurch where he gained his sergeant’s stripes. He describes the experience as “a huge culture shock”. “I previously had to live by my own decisions

in small country stations and suddenly I had 20 staff I was responsible for,” he says.

He felt like a fish out of water.

“The adjustment was massive because I had to get my head around being a supervisor now rather than one of the boys,” he says. The transition didn’t take too long. “You had to learn to trust your staff and that was good,” he adds.

Move to ProsecutionsAbout 12 years ago, while still in Christchurch, Alderson moved into the role of a Police Prosecutor. A couple of judges he knew encouraged him to apply for the job because they felt he had a natural aptitude for it.

A couple of cases stick in his mind.

One was the Police vs Wilcox and others case. It revolved around priests and others who had allegedly trespassed on the grounds of the Lyndhurst Abortion Clinic in Christchurch. Experts were called to give evidence about a foetus being a human being and the protesters thereby claimed ‘self-defence of another’. But Alderson reasoned, rightly as it turned out, that there had to be someone present at the clinic for the self-defence argument to have credence and since the protesters had arrived prior to the women attending the clinic then their defence fell down because there wasn’t anyone present to defend. The protesters were duly convicted. They appealed but the appeal was thrown out too.

Another was Police vs Tolhurst. This case involved an incident on the Takapau Plains where a horse, who habitually jumped

a faulty fence ended up colliding with a car late one night. A passenger in the car was killed. The Police originally looked at a prosecution under the Fencing Act but eventually got a conviction against the farmer involved under the rarely used section 156 of the Crimes Act, which relates to the duty of persons in charge of dangerous things.

Alderson says the best thing about the prosecutor’s job is “getting criminals where they should be, behind bars”. And the worst thing? “Presenting a case that you know the evidence is there and for some reason a judge decides that it’s not.”

Alderson says his heart goes out to complainants in such circumstances. “They drag themselves to court, the last place they want to be, and for some reason

they end up basically being victimised by the system all over again...that can stick in your craw and be pretty dishearteneing,” he says.

During his lengthy career, Logan Alderson has seen many changes and one of the main ones is police radio. When he first started, he had a “telephone handset stuck on the dashboard of the car and the boot would be full of radio equipment because you couldn’t put it anywhere else”. Cars and uniforms are amongst other major changes he mentions but he says that stations haven’t really changed much over nearly four decades.

ReflectionsWhen he reflects on the Police as an organisation he says: “We do circles. We centralise, we decentralise, we do all that sort of stuff. Same old, same old, it’s just got a different coloured hat on it, that’s all.”

And what of the future?

“A new start in Australia,” he says. “I am looking to close a chapter in my life and make a completely new start.”

Before he joined the Police, Alderson gained his heavy trade licence and worked for a local transport company. He says he may give that another shot on the other side of the Tasman. “It’s something I’ve always thought I might have a go at again - drive a road train or something like that.”

Would he do it all over again? He hesitates, before answering with typical humour. “Yep, I would, but there’s one thing I’d change.”

And what might that be?

“This time around, I’d get a lobotomy and come back as a commissioned officer,” he chuckles, as he walks out of my office and down the road to retirement.

“In my fi rst three weekends there, I was in three fi ghts.” - Logan Alderson on the Chathams ‘experience’.


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New holiday homes officially openedAuckland Mayor, John Banks, officially opened the first of two new holiday homes, located in Newmarket, Auckland on 8 September.

Local police staff, Association representatives and neighbours attended the opening.

While completing the fit-out of the first home, the opportunity to purchase a second apartment in the same complex arose. This home was available to members from 1 October.

“The existing Auckland apartment is already very popular and the second apartment, located directly next door, will ensure more members have access to this desirable location” said Pete Hayes, Police Welfare Fund Manager.

Greytown opening Wellington District Commander, Superintendent Rob Pope, did the honours at the opening of the new Police Association holiday home at Greytown recently.

Local kaumatua, Jimmy Hemi, blessed the site and Association staff, local police and members of the local iwi were all on hand to officially open the new facility.

The modern house sits in a prime location, close to local shops, parks and cafes and is the perfect spot for a relaxing weekend getaway or longer holiday.

Important note: It is imperative that members using the new Auckland and Greytown holiday homes take the confirmation of booking correspondence with them as this contains specific instructions regarding the key pick up and security measures.

Mayor Banks does the honours

• Auckland mayor and a former Minister of Police, John Banks cuts the ribbon while Association President, Greg O’Connor, looks on.

• The pool complex, which is available for use by holiday home occupants.

• The lounge of one of the two Auckland apartments.

• A landscape profi le of the modern Greytown home.


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“I declare this home officially open”

• Wellington District Commander, Superintendent Rob Pope, cuts the ribbon at the Greytown holiday home while Association vice-President, Richard Middleton, looks on.

Time for a break away from the hustle and bustle?As can be seen from the table below, there are many vacancies available in virtually all homes leading up to the Christmas ballot period. As summer approaches and the weather improves this time of the year is often ideal to have a break without the normal hustle of holidaymakers.

Holiday hometariff increaseThe Board of Directors recently approved an increase for the holiday home overnight tariff from $45 to $50 per night.

This will take effect for all bookings made after 1 November 2004.

Any existing bookings or those made before 1 November, and where the required deposit(s) has been paid, will remain at the existing rate of $45 per night.

“This increase is the first increase since 1997. The increased income will assist in meeting the increased operating costs of the homes, such as rates, insurance and electricity. As well, half the increase will be put aside for on-going holiday home maintenance and refurbishment,” said Pete Hayes, Police Welfare Fund Manager.

“As occupancy of our holiday homes is in excess of 85%, and in some homes is as much as 98%, the need for ongoing maintenance to ensure the homes are kept to a high standard is imperative. Even at $50 per night, our high quality homes are tremendous value compared with other alternative accommodation,” Mr Hayes added.

HOLIDAY HOME AVAILABILITY – for bookings see: www.policeassn.org.nz

October November DecemberPaihia 13, 21 3-4, 7-9, 29-30 5Stanmore Bay 7, 10, 11-14, 15-21, 25-29, 30-31 1-4, 7-11, 14-18, 21-30 1-2, 5-9, 12-16, 23Auckland 7, 8-25 2-11, 15-20, 28-30 1-9, 12, 22-26Whangamata 7, 10-14, 19-22, 26-28, 29, 31 1-4, 8-9, 14-18, 21-25, 29 5-10Mt Maunganui 10-14, 18, 20, 25-28, 31 1-3, 4, 8-11, 15-16, 23-25, 28, 29-30 1, 14-15Ohope 7, 10-14, 17-22, 25-29 1-4, 7-11, 14-16, 18, 23-25, 29-30 1, 6-9, 17-18, 23Rotorua 7, 10-12, 14, 17-21, 25-31 1-5, 7-10, 14-18, 23-25, 29-30 1-2, 6-16, 19Taupo 9-12, 14, 16, 19-21, 25, 27-28 8-11, 15-18, 19, 21, 25, 28-30 1-2, 5-11, 13-14, 19, 23-26Turangi 8, 13-15, 17-21, 24-29, 31 1-4, 6-11, 14-25, 28-30 1-9, 11-26Napier 13-14, 17-21, 26-28, 31 1, 5, 7, 17-18, 21-22, 24-25, 29-30 1-2, 6-9Greytown 11-14, 18-22, 25-28, 31 1-4, 7-11, 14-18, 22-26, 28 1-2, 5-10, 12-16, 18-20, 23-26Paraparaumu 8-20, 26, 31 1-4, 7, 9-10, 14, 16-17, 22-23, 26 4, 12-13, 21Wellington 7-14, 18-20 2-3, 22-25, 28-30 15, 26Nelson 8, 14, 17, 19-20, 21, 25-28, 30-31 1-10, 16-17, 24-26 1-2, 8-11, 14-15, 22-23Hanmer Springs 20, 25-26 1, 4, 9-10, 15-16, 19 3, 5, 9, 12, 24Christchurch 14, 17, 18-20 4, 23, 25, 29 13, 15, 19Tekapo 7, 10, 13-14, 20, 25 8-11, 15-16, 24, 30 3, 5-6, 20, 23Cromwell 7, 11-12, 15, 16-21, 28 9, 12-18, 22-23 5, 9, 21-22, 25-26Wanaka 11-12, 13, 18-19, 21, 28 1, 8, 15-19, 30 1-3, 5, 8-9Queenstown N/A 4, 7, 15-18, 21-24 12Te Anau 7, 10-12, 17-21, 22, 25-28, 31 1-3, 4, 7-8, 10, 11, 16-18, 21-23, 28, 30 2Dunedin 12 7, 14-15 N/A


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Court will determine Holidays Act disputeBy Stephen Ross, Association Legal Offi cer

The issue of whether Police are to pay its employees time and a half on public holidays is still in dispute and is to proceed to court for determination. However, the timing of when this matter can be heard by the court has been stymied by the introduction of the Holidays Amendment Bill. As a consequence, it cannot be litigated until the Bill is passed into law and its impact on us (if any) can be properly assessed.

The Holidays Amendment BillThe Holidays Amendment Bill had its first reading in Parliament on 7 September 2004. The Bill follows discussions on the ‘unintended consequences’ of the Holidays Act 2003 (the Act) by a working group convened by the Minister of Labour. The working group comprised representatives of employers and unions.

The stated aim of the Bill is to correct the ‘unintended consequences’ that have arisen or may arise in applying the Act and to ensure ‘fairness’ to both the employer and the employee when paying time and a half to an employee who works on a public holiday.

Essentially, the Bill proposes to:

• Change the time and a half provisions by excluding penal rates designed to compensate an employee for working on a ‘particular day’ (such as a weekend)

or a ‘particular type of day’ (such as a public holiday) from the calculation of an employee’s ‘relevant daily pay’ before time and a half payments are made.

• Amend the sick leave provision by making it clear that an employee, who is to work on a public holiday, but does not work, because the employee is sick or bereaved is paid only their ordinary pay for that day.

• Allow employers to demand proof of sickness or injury within the current three consecutive calendar day rule, if they have reasonable grounds to believe that the sick leave is not genuine.

The Government aims to push the Amendment Bill through the select committee process with a view of amending the Act before Labour Day on October 25.

Select committee submissionsWhile the Police Association supports the necessity to clarify genuine ‘unintended consequences’ it does not support, and has made written submission against the majority of proposed changes. In particular, the Association does not accept:

• That an employee who receives penal rates for working on a weekend should have this rate deducted from their ‘relevant daily rate’ simply because a public holiday also fell on that day. Nor does the Association accept the rationale to change the current three-

day rule in respect of proof of sickness.

The Association also submitted that the Bill failed to address issues of ‘fairness’ in respect to those employees who will be financially disadvantaged as a result of them being required to start work (for example, being called back to work) on a public holiday.

Currently, an employee who starts work or is called back to work on a public holiday must be paid time and a half for the hours they actually work. Thus, if the employee works less than their ordinary hours, e.g., if they work for three hours they will only receive the equivalent payment of 4.5 hours of their ‘relevant daily pay’. In contrast, an employee who does not work on that public holiday will receive their normal daily payment. Clearly, an employee who is required to work in these circumstances is financially disadvantaged, as they will receive less remuneration for that week, or if this occurred over a number of public holidays, then less total remuneration than an employee who had those same public holidays off.

If you are interested in the policy behind the proposed changes to the Act you can view the Bill at: http://www.knowledge-basket.co.nz/gpprint/docs/welcome.html

By Chris Aitchison,Association Research Offi cer

Criminal Procedure BillThe Association supported our written submission by making oral submissions to the Law and Order Select Committee in mid-September. The Select Committee is due to report back to Parliament on 28 December.

Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Amendment Bill (No 4)This Bill proposes amendments to youth justice processes. These include new powers to exclude people from family group conferences, where a risk to the safety of the young person is perceived, new powers to hold young people in police custody if bail conditions are breached and a new procedure for all offences, related to a purely indictable offence, to be dealt with together. The Association has a number of concerns relating to the proposed amendments and has made written submissions to the Select Committee. The Bill is due

to report back to the House on 15 November.

Holidays Amendment Bill 2004The Association has made submissions on this Bill. Please refer to the article written by Stephen Ross, which appears above.

Inquiry into hate speechThe Government Administration Committee has begun an inquiry into hate speech. The inquiry is to look into whether further legislation is required. It has come about as a result of issues raised in submissions to the Select Committee on the Films, Videos and Publications Classifications Amendment Bill. Submissions to the Hate Speech Inquiry closed on 1 October. The Association, at the time of writing, was considering whether or not to make submissions on this matter.

Have you moved recently?If you have or perhaps you’re about to, please let us know so we can update your records. You can do this by:• writing to us at PO Box 12-344; • calling on freephone 0800 500 122; • faxing us on (04) 496 6819; • or emailing us at:

[email protected] need to let us know your membership number, new address and if you’re a serving member - your new station.


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SPORTS NEWSTo contact the Police Council of Sport, call Alison Murray at the RNZPC. Ph: (04) 238 3139

POLICE COUNCIL OF SPORT

Former Council of Sport President dies:

Dave Smith made a significant contributionto Police sporting endeavours over many yearsRetired Chief Inspector, DC (Dave) Smith, died suddenly on Friday, 28 August. His funeral at Old St Paul’s in Wellington, a week later, was attended by a large gathering of family, past and current police, members of the Diabetes Foundation and the Victim Support national office. There was a strong representation of police who had been or still are involved in sport.

Dave was a quiet and private man, who suffered years of debilitation from diabetes. Nevertheless, he achieved a great deal. Michael Childs of the Cricket Museum, who spoke at Dave’s funeral, made one of the most cogent observations, saying he’d known Dave for many years but it had not been until he heard the preceding speakers that he’d learned of Dave’s outstanding achievements in and outside the Police. Dave had never told him.

After tributes from Dave’s twin brother Don and son Tony, Acting Commissioner Steve Long canvassed Dave’s time in the Police, then Inspector JJ (John) Johnston, President of the NZ Police Council of Sport gave the council’s eulogy. An abridged version follows:

Foundation member“Dave was a foundation member of the council from its inception in 1961 and went on to become one if its most distinguished officers. He was appointed to the Management Committee in 1975, becoming President in 1985 and Chief Sports Officer (the Commissioner’s representative on the council) and Chairman of the management committee, posts he held for 15 years until his retirement. He was also the NZ representative on the Australia NZ Police Games Federation.

Dave has been judged as one of the five defining characters in the council’s history, up there with founder Gordon Hogg. Dave was awarded life membership in 1991.

In his younger days, Dave was a good cricketer, playing for Wellington Police. He also umpired at external competitions and inter-services fixtures and NZCS levels. He held a life-long interest in rugby, having managed the

NZ Police team and also served as the rugby code co-ordinator.

Dave’s time as President and Chairman was perhaps the most difficult in the council’s history. The 1990s brought two crises. The first was the decision of the Defence Forces to drop Police from their highly valued and hard-fought membership of the NZ Combined Services Sports Council.

along with failing health, he found particularly galling.

That crisis was over council funding. Between 1996 and 2000 Dave and his management committee were severely tested in seeking to persuade the Police administration that sport still had a very important place following the end of NZCS involvement. As he was about to depart, much to the horror of Dave and the council’s 4,000-plus financial members, departmental funding was withdrawn. It was a very sad note for Dave to take with him into retirement. Fortunately, Rob Robinson’s administration listened to the pleas and in 2000 financial support was restored.

Passion for sportDave’s passion was sport in all its forms and he loved watching it and having sportspeople around him, especially at the many international tournaments in Australia and the USA. In this way, he and his wife Sue got to meet hundreds of police sportsmen and women, all of whom held him in great esteem. Happiness for Dave was sitting at 45 degrees in his chair, legs outstretched, arms folded, chin on chest, with a glass of wine and his smokes within easy reach, debating sport, sportspeople, games and performances. His command of facts and figures, names, dates, places and scores was truly amazing.

A book on the history of police sport was published last year, which Dave, as President, had commissioned in 1991 and writer Ray Read remains eternally grateful to Dave for twisting the arms of the management committee over the years, to allow him to see the project through. Without Dave’s determination, there may not have been a book. There are 31 references to him in the index, confirming he was one of the service’s most distinguished and determined Police sports administrators ever.

NZ Police Council of Sport members throughout the country mourn his passing and honour his outstanding contribution to our organisation. And our deepest sympathy goes to Sue and others of Dave’s family.”

- By Joe Franklin.

Police dominationPolice were admitted to the services in 1961 as the poor relation, but over the years came to dominate. As the Police representative on the NZCSSC, Dave fought harder than anyone to stave off our dismissal. He harried the Police administration for support and although of lower rank than his Defence Forces adversaries, he vigorously defended the Police place within NZCS. He and the management committee failed to halt the inevitable and when it was all over, his stinging rebuke to Commodore Palmer of the Defence Forces is a classic and is recorded word-for-word in the recently published book Police in Sport.

A man of quiet disposition, Dave was, nevertheless, stubborn and battled for what he believed in and he believed passionately in Police sport.

As he approached retirement in 1999, he faced the second major crisis which,

• Dave Smith


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Golf champs at TemukaThe New Zealand Police Association South Island Golf Championships will be held at the Temuka Golf Course, Timaru, from the 31 October-2 November, 2004.

Entries are now being taken and will close once the field reaches 120. The cost is $100 for the five rounds of golf plus prizes and dinner. For an entry form or more information contact: Dylan Murray extn 35053 or Mark Sewell extn 35050.

Police Sailing Assoc. AGMThe Police Sailing Association will hold its AGM at the Maritime Rescue Centre, Auckland, on the 28 October at 10.30 a.m. An election of office holders will be held, along with a discussion about proposed events. All enquires to Craig Hughes at the above address or ext 93570.

Shooting champsnow 16 and 18 NovThe 2004, 23rd RNZAF Interbase tournament, in conjunction with the 17th Police Champs and the 12th Joint Services Champs will be contested at Waitemata on 16 and 18 November, 2004.

All interested shooters should note the date change from those previously advertised. The change is due to operational requirements.

All interested shooters please contact Paul Burns at [email protected] (South Island competitors) or Roger Bright on Lotus Notes (North Island competitors). Paul can be also be contacted by phone on: 021 2876 743

NZ Police rugby league team namedThe following players have been selected for the first rugby league test against Great Britain Police at the Royal NZ Police College on Friday, October 8 2004. Coach Gary Allcock believes it to be the strongest side ever assembled by NZ Police, with the majority of players having played professional or representative rugby league.

Congratulations to all those selected.

The team is as follows:Coach: Ken LabanAssistant coach: John LomaxManager: Gary AllcockAssistant manager: Dexter TraillSenior officer: Graham EmeryCouncil of Sport rep: Harry QuinnPlayers:Auckland: Bevan Dick, Junior Fui, Karl Knight, Bryan Laumatia, Solomon Kiri, Taavili Leaunoa, Allan Lio, Tony Tatupu, Robert Toelau, Charlie Waide, Gavin Bailey, Lee Tamatoa.

Wellington: Kane Haerewa, Brendon Mears.

Christchurch: Steve Whiteside, Donavan Aitken.

Dunedin: Donovan Clarke.

Reserves: Anaru Pewhairangi, Morgan De La Rue, Viiga Lima, Brad Dowson, Shaun Ryan, Sione Tangi.

Roger Mattson, Jason Kaulima, Fagaesea Siaki and Wayne Bailey were unavailable for selection.

The NZ Police will play the Great Britain Police team in a three match series on successive Fridays - in Wellington (8 Oct, 3.00 pm at the Royal NZ Police College), in Rotorua (15 Oct, 3.00 pm at the Rotorua International Stadium) and in Auckland (22 Oct at 2.00pm at Ericsson Stadium No.1 - home of the Warriors). Please note the Auckland game starts an hour earlier than the other two tests.

Hamilton CIB reunionHamilton CIB members are invited to a reunion to be held in Hamilton over Labour Weekend (October 23 and 24) 2004. Over 100 registrations have been received, but organisers want more.

The organising committee is urging early registration, especially from out-of-towners, as accommodation has been reserved at the Kingsgate Hotel in Te Rapa.

For registration contact Murray Bardsley at PO Box 4298, Hamilton East, or Pete van de Wetering at Hamilton Central (ext 79477 or via Lotus Notes).

The reunion is open to all past and present CIB members, all support and non-sworn staff and partners, and spouses of deceased members.

Mountain Bike & RoadCycling Championships Entry forms are now available for the New Zealand Police Association & Council of Sport Police Mountain Bike & Road Cycling Championships to be held in Christchurch from the 28-30 October 2004.

Forms are available by Emailing: Alison Murray at [email protected] or the event organisers Gregory Luxton or Gregory Hume via Lotus Notes.

Each road race category is likely to be shortened by one lap from that given on the entry form. Also, should numbers support it, the women’s road race may contain a Veteran class (35+).

Planningfor your life after work.

Are you a member of the GSF or the PSS and nearing retirement?

If so, it is important you understand your choices and the impact these could have on your financial future.

Getting advice on how maximising your Police Superannuation entitlement can benefit you, and your family, both now and in the future, is critical.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation with a Police Financial Planner call 0800 ON BEAT or0800 662 328.


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Letters 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 the right to edit, abridge or decline letters without explanation. Write to: [email protected] or post it to the Editor at PO Box 12344, Wellington. Letters under 400 words are preferred.

Media interest inpolice shootings I find it hard to believe that the media interest in the latest police shooting in Auckland is nowhere near as intense as the previous shooting in Waitara four and a half years ago.

I have noticed, with great interest, that the latest event struggled to make a mention after two nights, and then got only a few minutes of airtime.

I can remember the Waitara shooting occupying a major part of the evening news and The Holmes Show for days, and possibly weeks, after the event. What has happened? Have the Police finally worked out how to manage the media, or is there too much news around now, that police shootings hardly rate a mention?

My sincere thoughts also go to the officer concerned and to his family. I do hope they get the support they so dearly need at this time.

Keith Abbott(Address withheld)

Adequate resourcing is the keyI read Matt King’s letter (September issue, Police News) with interest and wondered if he was sitting at the desk next to mine. I don’t look at the statistics with anything more than a healthy dose of cynicism. All I know is that as a detective I am busier than ever and it’s getting worse.

You want statistics? Here are a few at the basic end. In the nine years I have been in the Police crime has risen on average 3%. That is a 27% increase in crime. I’m not sure at what rate the population has risen but I guess it is 1-3%.

Have Police numbers risen appreciably in that time? I think not. That we get any results at all is a testament to the dedication of our staff. The time has come for governments and administrations to stop relying on our willingness to do the job and catch the bad guy as an alternative to investment in infrastructure and more staff.

Does it not make sense to have a permanent annual process for increasing staff, to allow for these predictable and inevitable increases in population and crime? I am talking a review every year, not knee-jerk election year “flood the streets with cops” promises.

It does get frustrating when you feel that crime is being paid lip service. Recently, I left the station to arrest a serious

paedophile. My offsider and I jumped into our borrowed, eight-year-old car that was just “holden” together. We had to wait for several minutes as brand spanking new car after brand spanking new car left to police the country’s roads.

Please, this is not a dig at the Road Policing or Highway Patrol. On the contrary, the appreciable results in crash and road toll reduction are a shining example of what we can do given a clear goal, a workable plan and adequate resourcing. Let us roll this methodology over into crime. We can make crime the new road toll and get it down too.

I also note, with interest, the safety issues currently in vogue, stab-proof vests and the like. I was recently fortunate enough to go on an exchange through the Rotary programme to the Southern USA. One thing I noted was that, even the very small departments of one or two sheriffs, had better safety equipment than we did. Barriers between front and rear seats were in every single vehicle. Vests were standard. Most departments told the officer to get what they wanted and it was paid for.

Although, one sheriff I spoke to, may have been taking things a bit far. He carried an issue 10mm Glock, his own.357 revolver, a 12-gauge shotgun, an AR15 and a WW2 vintage M3 submachine gun. Maybe he needed to work on his communication skills.

However, in New Zealand, we have to trial and evaluate and talk and trial again. The information is out there. Surely the LAPD or London Metropolitan Police have conducted similar trials. It’s time we stopped stuffing around and got barriers and vests.

Al Symonds(Papakura)

Corrections respondsto ‘a hoary old chestnut’The Police News article headed ‘Pass the prisoner - a hoary old chestnut’ raises genuine concerns held by Police, but it does Police and your Justice sector colleagues a huge disservice by ignoring the facts and seeking to paint the police officers as sole victims and Corrections as the guilty party.

Let’s start with some facts. It is not Corrections “who created the problem in the first place”. Inmate numbers result from complex interplay between a large number of variables including Police clearance rates, Police bail recommendations, judicial decision-making, Government sentencing policies, Parole Board decision making

and of course, the underlying crime rate. None of these is under the control of the Department of Corrections.

It is the Ministry of Justice, not Corrections, that forecasts prison numbers for planning purposes. It takes between 6 to 18 months to build new prison facilities on existing sites; years to build new facilities. In December 2002, the Ministry of Justice forecast the August 2004 prison population at 5992. In fact, 6868 were incarcerated on 30 August; another 100 since. That’s a difference of almost 1000 inmates. This is more than the capacity of our largest prison.

Of that increase, Corrections’ contingency planning has already coped with almost 500 inmates. We have done that by double-bunking, using our operational buffer, and utilising beds usually reserved for situations like these. We have also converted a 60-bed unit for use by women inmates and added an additional 20 beds to match the unprecedented increase in the number of female offenders.

We are managing up to a further 100 in court cells. With additional funding approved by government and subject to union agreement, nearly 200 more are planned. In total that’s nearly 800 more than we were told to plan for. We are very grateful for Police assistance in accommodating the 150-odd additional inmates, for the flexibility often exercised about the MoU maxima, and for the very considerable support we have had nationally and in most regions from the Police.

Can I take this opportunity also to stick up for my own staff? It was with a wry smile that I read the litany of issues reported by some officers and the apparent nervousness experienced by Police in coming in close proximity with inmates. Some of those issues are unique to the present situation. Most represent risks faced, and faced down, by Corrections officers every day. Perhaps one silver lining in the current numerical black cloud may be that your members, indeed the public generally, may come to understand and appreciate the quiet heroics that go on, every day, in every prison around the country. Since August 1989 the prison population has grown from 3768 - that’s an increase of more than 80 percent.

Police officers around the country have played a vital role in responding to the current muster situation. It goes without saying that Corrections greatly appreciates their contribution and recognises the


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additional pressures placed on Police by the increase in inmate numbers. But you are not alone in this. The situation has placed pressure on all Justice sector agencies, and the most effective way to resolve it is by these agencies continuing to work together to develop solutions.

Phil McCarthy(General Manager, Public Prisons Service)

Thanks for your letter Phil. It is heartening to see you sticking up for your staff. Hopefully, that concern will convert itself into providing more Corrections offi cers in future, given that there is an estimated 10% shortfall in staffi ng numbers at present, which, of course is also a contributing factor in respect of the added pressures that prison offi cers face when musters go up so dramatically. The article highlighted the Association’s concerns about the invidious position our members fi nd themselves in, through no fault of their own, due to prison overcrowding. As you so rightly point out, this affected a number of other staff from various agencies - but they have their own representatives to speak on their behalf. The Police Association’s job is to represent the interests of police offi cers and that is exactly what the Police News article was doing.

Professionalisation of policingI read with considerable interest “the professionalisation of policing” (Police News, July) and the claim that it was a natural progression that would benefit both the community and the Police.

The quest for professionalism is multi-faceted and many occupational groups claim to be professionals but the term is much over used and has pretty much lost its original meaning. Professionals used to include a limited range of practitioners in occupations such as law, medicine and accountancy but the terms are now much more widely used and include many other high skill and expert knowledge occupations. However, its more general usage today extends well beyond that and includes a wide assortment of self identified “professionals” such as used car salesmen, real estate agents, cleaners and, yes, even sex workers.

It is completely inadequate to blandly talk about higher education, a unique body of knowledge and a self-regulating code of ethics. If the Police want to be known as professionals they must carefully distinguish themselves from all other professions, both traditional and contemporary. That will require the careful definition of the specialist skills and the unique body of theoretical and applied knowledge, often research-based, that encompasses the practice of policing.

Training and education must reflect that and policing practitioners have to demonstrate not only that they have mastered the existing and evolving body of knowledge and that they are contributing materially to furthering it. It doesn’t end there though, practitioners must then be able to show how the skilful application of that knowledge benefits the community - they have to get “runs on the board” as it were.

For example, there is much rhetoric about scientific policing that is well informed by good intelligence and based on theoretical and applied research drawn from the mostly overseas literature on Crime Science and Criminology. It all seems very rational and highly practical and is likely to have a major impact on volume crime. But it has not progressed far as very few have mastered the unique body of knowledge and none, as far as I am aware, have contributed through replication, experimentation or some other form of applied research to furthering that knowledge. This is the gut of professionalism. From the Police perspective, the pursuit of higher education for its own sake is meaningless! The Police must accept that while they might claim to be professionals as car salesmen might, such status is not awarded lightly and, further it is awarded from without not within.

However, a far more fundamental question is why the police would want to claim professional status in the first place? It is doubtful that it is driven by external demands so the real thrust has to be internal. Probably, its proponents expect that benefits will flow from this - higher status, better conditions, higher wages and greater job mobility. If so, would communities be prepared to pay for that as without doubt there will be additional costs? (For example, new recruits would be seeking higher pay to pay off their student loans that they needed to obtain their degrees.) Possibly, but a likely consequence is increased privatisation of policing services, the use of less skilled and lower paid people for some policing jobs as has already happened in accountancy and law and a lessening of employment of “professionals”.

I agree with the reservations expressed by Commissioner Robinson and Association President, Greg O’Connor. With due respect to Chief Commissioner Nixon and her colleagues this has all the hallmarks of someone’s “good idea” and that is the very antithesis of professionalism. New Zealand Police have a history of being exposed to inadequately reasoned and poorly thought through “good ideas”.

Finally, in closing, I wouldn’t have thought that nursing was a particularly good example to illustrate the difficulties involved in becoming a profession. Nursing is much

more advanced than policing and several tertiary institutions have their own nursing schools with advanced nursing degrees and some, I understand, have Chairs of Nursing. However, I note that in many institutions professional nurses and their medical colleagues are now managed by non-medical “professional” managers. Could this be the fate of a “professionalised police service”?

Don Hamilton(Rotorua)

Oaths that bindThis letter is in response to the discussion document circulated by the Ministry of Justice that proposes a review of oaths in New Zealand.

The oath that is most binding, and that carries the most authority is the Police oath.

The New Zealand Police derive their very authority from this oath, as the oath forms a direct contract with the reigning, and any subsequent, monarch. This contract gives each individual police officer the power to act as an agent in keeping the Queen’s peace.

The authority is original, direct from the Queen; it is not a delegated authority. This has a follow-on effect making the Police apolitical in nature.

The oath itself, although perhaps long, is nevertheless written in plain, unambiguous, language. The oath clearly states what is expected of a police officer during the course of his or her duties. If any change is proposed to the oath, which is purely semantic, then the question arises, why change it?

Any change would need to clearly maintain the line of authority between the monarch and the oath taker. A failure to do so would remove the authority of the Police to act.

Any such change would necessitate a complete revision of the Police Act 1958, as well as numerous other Acts and Statutes that confer specific powers on police officers.

A change that altered, or removed, the reference to the monarch, or indeed any change that stated, for example, “has a duty to uphold the laws of New Zealand/ Aotearoa”, would seriously compromise Police independence from political influence.

There has already been concern, both publicly, and within the Police, over the degree of political interference in operational Police matters.

An oath is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as a “solemn promise, often invoking a divine witness as to the truth of something, or as a commitment to future action”.


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The Police oath is therefore a solemn promise of commitment sworn against a person’s highest belief or value.

In a non-sectarian, non-secular nation such as New Zealand, an affirmation is taken by a small minority of Police officers as an alternative to the oath taken on the Bible.

If the manner of taking the oath was changed to include other religious beliefs, as an alternative to the affirmation, some extreme situations could conceivably arise.

There are few people in New Zealand who would object to an oath being taken on the Koran rather than the Bible. There would, however, be extreme concern amongst the public, should it become known that a police officer took an oath before Urius, a channelled being of light, that is popular amongst many ‘new age’ spiritualists.

Such an event may seem ridiculous to most New Zealanders, but with the proliferation of alternative religions there is a very real possibility of this occurring unless the oath taking was restricted to ‘recognised’ religions. This stance may have Bill of Rights issues that effect it’s implementation.

In summary, there is no need, nor requirement to change the Police oath. Any change could have serious, unforeseen consequences, to the operational effectiveness, and public confidence in the Police.

The current oath is binding and it does not require any change.

Brendan John Stewart(Henderson)

Out on the roadIsn’t it funny, when you think things can’t get any more ludicrous (no link between burglaries and drugs, yeah right!), they take things further?

The latest crazy idea to hit us, that someone has come up with to justify their existence, is that the Police have too many computers.

As a result, we have to get rid of some. About 26 have to go for the Eastern bay, I believe.

How this cuts budgets I don’t know. No doubt, the resale for these will be great; a couple of hundred dollars each, probably. If we can’t find some sucker to buy them no doubt we will find some space for them to gather dust.

“It will encourage you to go out and be proactive” I have heard management say. Right, let’s be proactive. But hang on. How will we complete the extra files? We will be missing some computers. No doubt a bulk order of carbon paper will solve this problem.

Next, they will remove our coffee area so we won’t stay for a cuppa and therefore be

on the road longer. Oops. Too slow, they have done that.

Give that man a pay rise.

“Byte time”(Whakatane)

Children allowed to vote?One of my children, who is now 11 years old, has had a credit union account for the past six years. Each time there is an election of officers she receives her own letter containing a voting paper. Several years ago I rang the credit union to recommend they save the trees and postage by removing children from their mailing list for matters such as elections. The response was that the database software didn’t allow it.

Recently, my daughter again received a voting form from the credit union. Perhaps my letter to this forum will draw a response from the credit union on a matter that is not only a waste of money but also one that appears to allow some members, those with children who hold credit union accounts, the ability to cast multiple votes.

Andrew Collins(Wellington)

Brian Sprowell, Manager of the PFCU replies: A change to Credit Union rules may be required to exclude children from the voting process in the future. The Credit Union Board will consider this matter at its October meeting.

Grading of pursuit driversIn response to Jo Fox’s letter regarding the grading of pursuit drivers (September, Police News).

I have no problem with people voicing their opinion or even venting their spleen, I do however, take issue with views, which appear to be completely uninformed.

Have you taken the time to read Roger Carson’s “Pursuits, the Case for Change.” If you had, you might not have been so quick to criticise? Judging by your letter, I would guess not.

For years, Police have had to survive at best, on very limited driver training at the start of their careers and that was it - period, the rest was learned on the job with no chance of extra training or upskilling.

Ask anyone who has had the unfortunate experience of having a crash during a pursuit or urgent duty drive and at worst, having a driving charge levelled against them because they ended up driving outside their ability.

I know of at least one constable who wished the clock could be turned back, and the innocent person who died could

still be here, and that the rest of us could learn from this mistake.

At last we have the chance to have our driving assessed and the opportunity to upskill.

Sure, some of us may not be flash drivers, and some never will be, so why should those people be putting themselves, shift partners, or the public at risk by getting into a pursuit in the first place?

Surely, if you were sitting in the passenger’s seat during a pursuit, you would like to know the cop driving is actually a good driver and makes good decisions so you will get home after your shift, not be injured/killed or end up giving evidence because of someone else’s death.

How do you rate your chances of gaining a place on the Armed Offenders’ Squad (AOS) if you can’t handle a firearm safely, the Dive Squad if you can’t swim or Search and Rescue (SAR) if you know nothing about mountain safety?

Being in a pursuit or driving fast isn’t a joke or a right, “just cause we can”. When things go wrong people die. The result is final. There are no second takes.

So before you start running things down Jo, how about a little thought as to why this “crazy idea” may be necessary.

Seven people (not all baddies) died as a result of pursuits last year. Remind me again how many innocent people were shot by police officers - none - because we are disciplined and trained in using firearms.

The days of go hard or go home are gone, welcome to the new era.

Grant Pollock(Wellington)

Whangarei’s ‘rookie’I-car teamIn last month’s issue we posed the question as to whether Constable Jeff Gordon and Senior Constable Brian Parker were the longest-serving I-car team in the country and, in the absence of other contenders having come forward it seems they hold this honour - with 56 years service between them.

However, we also posed the question as to where the youngest (in terms of service) I-car team might be and, going on information received so far, it seems that Whangarei’s Section One GDB team of Scott Tyrrell and Carolyn Taylor may be able to claim the shortest-service between them. Tyrrell graduated in November 2002 and Taylor in December 2003.

No stone left unturned - New Zealand Police Association ... and domestic violence, rape, robbery and...

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