time to lower the BAC limit - New Zealand Police Association

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceAttacks highlight the need for added protectionBy Deb Stringer, Communications AssistantA recent attack on two police officers in Mangere continues tohighlight the need for added protection for police.Sergeant Vernon Woolf was one of the officers called to thescene where two constables were set upon by a pack of up to15 youths armed with large pieces of wood.The highly intoxicated youths were seeking revenge on thetwo officers after being told to leave a park.No regard for the lawConstable Andrew Warne said the incident had begun afterhe and Constable Sesilani Osa had come across the youthsin Rushmore Reserve. After discovering the youths wereintoxicated, the two officers identified themselves as policeofficers and asked them to leave the park.“We were in plainclothes but we made sure we identifiedourselves, so they definitely knew who we were,” Mr Warnesaid.“The group were definitely not happyabout leaving, however, did eventuallyleave the park.”After the incident, Mr Warne calledMr Woolf and his partner to the scene,as a precautionary step.Round twoMinutes after Mr Woolf and hispartner were called to the scene, thepack of youths started rushing towards the officers with piecesof wood, which had nails protruding from them.“We didn’t have any time to think, we just had to act. Luckily,none of us were seriously injured, considering there were fourof us and about15 of them, ” Mr Warne said.“We managed to restrain a couple of them but it wasn’t thepepper spray that managed to subdue them, as it took quite awhile for this to take effect,” he said. It was only the officers’own efforts that allowed an arrest to be effected.“It’s times like these when you really could do with access to aTaser or firearm, as you really don’t know how the situation isgoing to go,” he added.No respectMr Woolf said part of the problem these days was that peoplejust did not show the same respect for Police as they once did.“Back in the day, the uniform used to be enough of a deterrent,but these days that’s just not the case,” he said.Mr Warne said that there was a propensity for offenders tolaunch into attacks on police officers in order to show theirpeers that they were unafraid of the law.“Sadly for some it seems like it is something to aspire to,” hesaid.More commonplaceIn recent months, Mr Warne and Mr Woolf have both foundthemselves attending more incidents where this attitude wasprevalent.“We didn’t have any time to think,we just had to act. Luckily, noneof us were seriously injured,considering there were four of usand about 15 of them.”“It’s becoming more and more common, so a move towardsmaking Tasers and firearms more accessible is definitelysomething which I support,” Mr Warne said.“Having that extra protection there when we need it wouldprovide us with a welcome element of safety, especially as Ican’t see these types of incidents simmering down anytimesoon,” Mr Woolf said.Tough workMr Woolf and Mr Warne both work on Section 4 in Otahuhu,a division that has seen its fair share of casualties within thepast few months. Police News understands that several Section4 officers have been injured in incidents in the last six months.The worst incident came when Constable Jeremy Snow wasextremely lucky to survive after being shot four times whenon a routine patrol late last year.Mr Snow is understood to still be receiving medical treatmentfor the serious injuries he sustained. Despite his keenness toreturn to duty on Section 4 it is notknown when he will be able to do so.However, assaults on police are notconfined to Otahuhu as is evidencedby the fact that last month, threeyoung, unarmed constables bravelydisarmed an Auckland bar patron,who appeared to be affected by drugs,during a routine licensing check. Theman, who had brandished a pistol,was allegedly found with $10,000and a large amount of P after beingsubdued by the officers in an ensuing struggle.- Constable Andrew Warne.Big increasesThe number of assaults on police has jumped more than25% in the last 10 years. The number of serious assaults hasincreased from 216 in 1999 to 412 last year – a jump of 90.7%.These latest incidents follow a spate of attacks on police, oneof which left a constable unconscious after being viciouslyattacked while attending a domestic incident in Ngaruawahia.The officer attended the incident alone because two colleaguesfrom Huntly were attending a domestic incident in Te Kauwhata.The officer was waiting for a dog handler to arrive when hewas set upon after going to the aid of a woman who was beingattacked. He struck his head on the kerb and was left bleedingand unconscious after being knocked to the ground. A womanin the group then called police on the officer’s patrol car radio.Growing trendPolice Association President Greg O’Connor said theseincidents highlighted a growing trend amongst offenders whohad “no fear of the consequences in confronting police”.“Now we’ve got a generation of youths growing up that thinkthe police can’t touch them. We’re seeing more and morepeople refusing to stop when driving when requested to doso and it’s that same attitude that is seeing people attackingpolice officers,” he said.Cabinet is soon to consider a proposal by Justice MinisterSimon Power to increase the penalties for serious attacks onpolice.116June 2010