IF THE CAP FITS… - New Zealand Police Association

The Voice of PoliceVOLUME 40 • NUMBER 7 • AUGUST 2007IF THE CAP FITS…Graduates bringlife experienceto the frontline■ SAFETY FOOTWEAR APPROVED FOR FRONTLINE STAFF■ ENGAGEMENT SURVEY IMPORTANT FOR CIB MEMBERS■ CODE OF CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINARY PROCESSES PROPOSED

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceThe Voice of PoliceVOLUME 40 •NUMBER 7 • AUGUST UST 200707148THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WORKING160GUNS ‘N’ HOSES SUCCESSNZ Police Association Police News is the magazine of theNew Zealand Police Association and incorporates the NewZealand Police Journal fi rst published in 1937.Editor: Steve PlowmanAugust 2007, Vol. 40, No.7ISSN 1175-9445Deadline for next issue Thursday, August 16, 2007.Published by the New Zealand Police AssociationP.O. Box 12344, Willbank House, 57 Willis Street, Wellington.Phone: (04) 496 6800, Facsmile: (04) 471 1309Email: editor@policeassn.org.nzWebsite: www.policeassn.org.nzPrinted by City Print Communications, Wgtn.Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of theAssociation.COPYRIGHT: NZPA Police News must not be reproduced inpart or as a whole without the formal consent of the copyrightholder - the New Zealand Police Association.ContentsFrom the President 147KiwiSaver – what you do if you want to join 147Engagement survey important for CIB members 147Safety footwear approved for frontline staff 148Babies behind bars – incarcerated Mums 149PSS returns on track but Association advises caution 150Maori Party not supporting Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Bill 150Whiteout – a different view of the Erebus disaster 151Horst Maczuga earns Bill Murray award 152NZ’s criminal justice system – “ a disregard of reality” 153/4161RIGHT ON TARGET• Front page: IF THE CAP FITS: New constables GrainneScott from Christchurch and Peter Furjes (Auckland) arenow bolstering the thin blue line after graduating recentlyfrom the Royal New Zealand Police College in Wing 239.Constable Scott, 32, graduated top of her Wing. She hadwanted to be a police officer since she was a child but missedout on the eye test originally before eye surgery providedher with a way to pursue her dream. She formerly workedas a non-sworn staffer in a Police Communications Centre.She has been posted back to Christchurch. She is also aNZ Lacrosse rep (see the Sports News section for details).Constable Furjes, 41, a former naval marine technician,who has served in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Asia andthe Pacific, has returned to his hometown of Levin to serveas a police officer.- Photo courtesy of City Life (Porirua).Book celebrates 25 years of training at the RNZPC 154Copper’s crossword 154Police Association supports party pill ban 155Holiday home availability chart 155Code of Conduct and new disciplinary processes proposed 156/7Association supports families of slain Timor Leste officers 157Criminal Justice Reform Bill moves forward 158Austin Police opt for BMWs over Harleys 158Keen on wine 159View from the bottom 159Sports News 160/5Letters to the Editor 165/7Association supports proposedban on party pills – p155146August 2007

New Zealand Police Association“When people say they want to see morecops, they are actually saying they wantto feel safer.”Hmmm. Another apparent P-related murderin the Bay of Plenty. I’m sure I’ve heard aboutsome others up there too. A couple of bodiesunder a bridge springs to mind.But it’s okay – apparently they don’t have adrug or gang problem up there because theydon’t have a drug squad or dedicated gangpolicing unit.Hard questions need to be asked. Is it no drugand gang problem, or is it no ability to pullstaff off community policing to set up drugand organised crime squads?For too long we’ve been told that “communityengagement” is the be-all and end-all ofeffective policing.Let’s ask the community what they think.Sure, they’ll tell you they want to see morecops. But not waiting outside the pub theydrive home from. Outside some other pub,maybe. The one the drunks come from.Community policing. Let’s shoot the sacredcow. Ask the right questions and, as everycop knows, you start to get the right answers.When people say they want to see more cops,they are actually saying they want to feelsafer.If they really understood how crims work,they would want the gangs and bullies to bethe ones feeling too scared and intimidated toroam the streets.We know this because we’re part of thecommunity too. That’s why we sign up,to protect the society that we want ourgrandparents and kids to be able to enjoy.It’s pretty clear from the papers recently thatpolice are going to get criticised whatever wedo. We’ll never please everyone. So why don’twe just do what we as cops and citizens of thiscountry instinctively know is right. Let’s havesome more “criminal engagement.”Let’s make sure it’s the criminals who see morecops. Let them know that we know who theyare. Get into their faces. Turn up the heaton the gangs, bullies and P dealers. Hit themwhere it hurts. Get the legislation through sothat we can start stripping their assets. Getsome co-ordinated national leadership to targetthese guys. Hold a Commission of Inquiryinto the criminals to. And stop pretendingthat the best thing we can do to combat thedrug problem we apparently “don’t have”,is more “community engagement”. Fear ofgetting caught is the greatest crime preventionmeasure, so let’s instil that fear in the organisedcriminals in this country.KiwiSaver – whatyou do if youwant to joinThere are two ways of joining KiwiSaver. Youcan join by contacting a KiwiSaver providerdirect and completing the necessary formsor alternatively, you can contact your localdistrict Police Human Resource office andask for a KiwiSaver employee informationpack (KS 3). In this pack is a KiwiSaverdeduction form (KS 2) for you to completeand return to the district Police HR office.This form authorises the deduction andcommencement of contributions. Currently,those contributions are additional to yourexisting superannuation contributions. Nodecision has been made yet as to whetherKiwiSaver would be integrated into theexisting Police superannuation environment- i.e. the Government Superannuation Fund(GSF), Police Superannuation Scheme (PSS)and the State Sector Retirement SavingsScheme (SSRSS).Upon joining KiwiSaver through Police,the Inland Revenue Department (IRD)will allocate your contributions to one ofthe six KiwiSaver default providers. Yourcontributions will be held by the IRD for thefirst three months. If you don’t choose analternative scheme within this period thenthe IRD will forward your contributions tothe allocated KiwiSaver provider.For up to date information on KiwiSaver goto www.kiwisaver.govt.nzEngagement survey important for CIB membersBy Tracy HallDuring last year’s wage round, the CIB was the focus of somediscussion and while CIB allowances were increased it was realisedthere was a need to look at the broader factors affecting the CIB.NZ Police Association and NZ Police agreed to implement anengagement survey of all Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB)staff.To this end, an employee engagement survey was put out totender and the Gallup Organisation were the successful tenderers.Such surveys seek to measure the health of an organisation withregard to retention in specific workgroups, thereby providing aclear picture of what areas are in need of development.CIB involvementThe survey, which will be conducted over a two-week period inmid-August, will be sent to every member of the CIB via Email.President of the Police Association, Greg O’Connor said: “Westrongly encourage CIB members to complete this survey, as itwill provide local accountability and ensure changes are madeat the workgroup level. It will help identify where management’sfocus should be and provide an ongoing measure of the impact ofany programs introduced as a result.”Confidentiality assuredEach employee will be given a randomly generated and confidentialsurvey access code to ensure the accurate collection and reportingof data. Gallup adheres to strict rules of confidentiality for surveyreporting and administration. No one within NZ Police, includingthe CIB, will have access to any of the codes or information thatidentifies employees individually.Individual responses will be included with all other resultsand reports will be compiled at workgroup, business unit andorganisation-wide levels. Data from groups smaller than four arerolled up to the next level in the organisation.At the end of the survey period, Gallup will produce a scorecardreport for each group and focus on measuring engagement, withlocal as well as national accountability.August 2007147

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceSafety footwear approvedfor frontline police staffBy Amanda Craig, Association Industrial OfficerAgreement has been reached between the Police Association and thePolice on the issue of new safety footwear to frontline officers.The project had its genesis four years ago when Constable Doug Peach,the Association’s health and safety representative in North Shore-Waitakere, saw a need for safety footwear because of the hazards he wasexposed to while working on Auckland’s roads.This need was further highlighted when staff were injured and footwearruined because of involvement in operational incidents.Health sand safety issueLike a good cop, Doug investigated. He found there was a health andsafety issue for frontline cops. Police are obligated under the Health andSafety in Employment Act, to provide health and safety clothing andequipment for their employees.Doug brought the issue to the North Shore-Waitakere Health and SafetyCommittee and when they couldn’t deal with it, he referred the issue tothe Association’s National Office.Doug then worked with me to put together a proposal for Police toprovide safety footwear for frontline staff.In response, Police eventually set up a working party (which includedDoug Peach and myself) to assess whether safety footwear was reallyneeded. The working party surveyed staff about their work activitiesand the nature of their working environment. The survey received agood response. Thanks to all of you who took the time to complete it.A clear picture of the hazards was obtained and it showed that safetyfootwear was needed.Association pushThe Association then continued to push for safety footwear to beapproved for frontline staff and Police have now decided that safetyfootwear will be issued to frontliners.But don’t order your boots yet!From here, there is still some work to be done. What the Associationpushed for, and what the Police have approved, is safety footwear. Thismeans that the footwear will have to meet the relevant safety standardand other specific criteria (e.g. non-slip soles). Having to meet thesecriteria will ensure that the footwear is suitable for the Police workingenvironment. Police will then tender for a supplier.There is likely to be a range of footwear available to cater for differenttypes of feet and footwear preferences (e.g. some people like to wearshoes and others boots).When?So, when will frontline staff actually be able to look down and see Policeissued footwear on their feet? As Rachel Hunter once said: “It won’thappen overnight but it will happen.” The Association will now pushfor safety footwear to be issued in a timely manner.• Constable Doug Peach, the Association’s North Shore-Waitakerehealth and safety rep, who realised there was a need for safetyfootwear for frontline staff.• A typical boot as worn by frontline officers. Note the polish - mustbe a Senior Sergeant!• “THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WORKING”: Bootsas used by AOS/STG members.• A typical set of boots as worn by Armed Offenders’ Squad orSpecial Tactics Group members. These ones have obviously seen abit of service.148 August 2007

New Zealand Police AssociationBabies behind bars:Bill seeks to allow children to stay withincarcerated mothers for first two yearsBy Steve Plowman, Editor, Police NewsA private members’ bill being consideredby Parliament’s Law and Order SelectCommittee seeks to change the law so thatmothers in prison are allowed to have theirbabies with them until the child reaches theage of two.Green Party MP, Sue Bradford has sponsoredthe Corrections (Mothers with Babies)Amendment Bill.The Police Association has given its tacitsupport to the Bill, agreeing with theintention and noting that in many casesyoung children may be better off with theirmother in a prison environment, than inthe often-dysfunctional family, from whichtheir mother was removed.While noting the intention of the Bill wasto benefit the child (and the young agethe Bill proposes to cover) the Associationdid caution the need to ensure it couldnot be used as a future tool for criminalsto “beat the system” (by way of providingan opportunity for an easier incarceration)or adversely influence their childrenby exposing them to negative criminalinfluence in their developmental years.“Horror stories”During its first reading, Ms Bradford recentlyexplained to Parliament that her Bill wastriggered by ‘horror stories’ of childrenbeing separated from their mothers. Shewas shocked as a mother of five children,that access to children was used as a ‘tool ofprison management’. She heard of a recentcase where a mother was told even beforeher baby was born, that she was not able tokeep it, though no explanation was givenfor this. The Bill would allow babies to staywith their mothers for two years by default,and create a situation where breast-feedingwas encouraged. Currently, mothers canhave their babies with them until the childis six months of age, subject to CorrectionsDepartment consent.Ms Bradford said that when she had soughtfigures from Corrections a year ago, shehad been informed there were 13 pregnantwomen in prison. Ms Bradford said that thenumbers were very low, which meant thatit would not cost a huge amount of moneyto provide for these women. The majority ofthe women were Maori. Maori have a higherbirth rate than non-Maori.Ms Bradford told the committee that it was“vital” to keep babies with their mothersand, given the fact that 75% of braindevelopment occurred in the first two yearsof a child’s life, it was an imperative thatthe law be changed to allow for mothersto be with their children in those formativeyears. She said it was a “critical aspect of acontinuity of care”.National’s Law and Order spokesman,Simon Power, asked Ms Bradford whetherthe Bill was fundamentally about the needsof the mother or child or both.Children’s needs paramountMs Bradford said that it was about bothmother and child, but she felt the needsof the baby were paramount. She said sherealised that across the political spectrumthere were different philosophies withregard to prison. Although parties might notshare views on philosophies of correction,she felt it was vital to support babies to havea relationship with their mother. WorldHealth Organisation evidence showed thatbreastfeeding was important especially inthe first six months, and up to two years.This developed an intimacy and connectionwith the mother, which was vital in a child’ssocialisation and development.In other jurisdictions, babies were ableto stay with their parents for up to sixyears, including in countries as diverseas Australia and Malaysia. Sweden, onthe other hand, does not allow babiesto be with their mothers at all during themother’s incarceration, Swedish legislatorshave taken the view that prison is no placefor babies.NZ First MP, Ron Mark, asked if therewas any evidence from studies which saidanything about the impact of babies beingin prison, particularly in regards to how itaffected them later in life and particularlywhether they fell into criminal activity and/or anti-social behaviour.ResearchMs Bradford responded that she was notaware of such research, but she suggestedthat Corrections might have some. Therewas clear evidence, however, that havinga baby in prison, reduced recidivism ratesamong mothers, she said.Ms Bradford said that she had settled ona term of two years as a “compromise” toensure parliamentary support but she wouldwelcome any suggestion of extending theperiod to three years or more.Labour MP, Jill Pettis, expressed concernsabout mothers in prison who had abusedtheir children and what protections thechildren would have under the Bill. MsBradford said that under Section 5.2, theChief Executive of each prison would havediscretion concerning the best interests ofthe baby. Ms Bradford conceded that somesituations would clearly be unsafe and themother would not be allowed to keep herbaby in those circumstances.Human rights considerationsThe Human Rights Commission hassupported the Bill, saying that it stronglysupports a mother’s right to breastfeed herbaby and that the Bill is “consistent withand supported by these principles and thehuman rights considerations that underliethem.”According to a report produced in 2004,the United Kingdom has the highest rateof female imprisonment in the EuropeanUnion and the steepest rate of increase.The report estimated that 32,000 childrenper year (aged under-16) are separated fromtheir mother due to her imprisonment –2,880 of these children are under-18 monthsof age. Only 114 of the children under 18months old could be accommodated withtheir mother in prison by 2005. Twothirdsof the women in prison in the UKare mothers with children under 16 yearsof age.Numbers smallJust like New Zealand, the number ofwomen remanded in custody or receivingcustodial sentences in England and Wales isincreasing. Women represent just 6% of theNew Zealand prison population.The UK has a century-long history ofallowing mothers to keep their babies withthem in prison, but no formal arrangementswere made until the early 1980’s. Thereare five mother and baby units in the UK.France introduced mother and baby units in1979 and Belgium followed suit in 1990.Mother and child ‘self-care’ units are partof the New Zealand prison system andare run under strict conditions, includingthe mother remaining drug free. The rulesare set to ensure that the child’s safety isparamount at all times.National Party spokesperson, KatherineRich, speaking in support of the Bill, toldParliament that feedback suggested theunits were “underutilised and lacking inresources”.August 2007149

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PolicePSS returns on track butwhat’s around the corner?Current returns for all of the Police Superannuation Scheme (PSS)funds (stable, balanced and growth) are high with the growth fundin particular, recording stellar returns approaching 18% after tax.This largely reflects strong international sharemarket performances andis obviously great news for members. However, the Police Associationcautions members not to start chasing returns by leaping into higherriskprofile funds within PSS, thinking that the golden run will continue.Members need to be aware of some fundamentals of investment.Past performance no barometerGood past performance doesn’t mean good future performance. If itdid then we would all be professional investors and retiring in ourforties! Investments and the markets are not that simple or predictable.A classic case in point is the NZ dollar, which has recently been rising,much to the chagrin of manufacturers and exporters.Don’t take on an investment risk profile that is beyond your rangeof tolerance. For example, the growth fund is likely to experiencenegative returns for 25 or more years out of each 100. The problem iswe don’t know which years or even whether they will be consecutiveyears. It wasn’t long ago that we had three consecutive years of flator negative returns peaking at close to minus 10%.Within every investment year there will be days and months whenthe various funds, even the stable fund, retreat in value, even withregular fortnightly contributions rolling in.Conservatism with age?We are told that the younger we are the more time we have to ridethe highs and absorb the lows of a growth type investment profile.We are also told that as we get older we tend to gravitate towardsstable type investments as we lose our tolerance for rollercoasters. Webecome conservative and more reluctant to place our accumulatedwealth at risk. These are broad generalisations. We all have differenttimeframes, expectations and tolerances. We all need to thinkcarefully about our choice of fund/s and once we have a strategy,stick to it.• Afghan-based Senior Sergeant Brett (“Famous”) Amas, whois part of Operation Highland, the NZ Police deploymentin Bamyan, got a very pleasant surprise recently when NZDefence Force chefs baked him a birthday cake to mark hisspecial day.PSS members should visit the scheme’s website www.pss.superfacts.co.nz as part of their continued education on superannuationmatters. The scheme produces a quarterly newsletter, which, alongwith other documents and articles located in the library section ofthe site, contains a goldmine of interesting and relevant material.Maori Party expresses grave concernsabout Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) BillBy Steve Plowman, Editor, Police NewsDr Pita Sharples, co-leader of the Maori Partyexplained to Parliament recently why theMaori Party is not supporting the CriminalProceeds (Recovery) Bill.He said the Maori Party had concerns aboutlegislation, which “introduces a new nonconvictionbased regime which will operateindependently of any criminal proceedings”.Dr Sharples said he was “apprehensive” aboutthe Bill in that it did not contain adequateprotections for the innocent – or instructionand direction given to the Police, in orderto give confidence that such powers will beoperated fairly and without prejudice.Dr Sharples contended that when Policehave been given discretionary power, it wasnot used as intended and often that impactedupon Maori.Natural justice“For this Bill, the onus now becomes thatyou are automatically guilty until you proveyourself innocent,” Dr Sharples said.He said that the Maori Party had “majorquestions” around such a precedent beingestablished’.“We are not convinced that there are adequateprotections in the Bill for the innocent; norindeed, that the racist context of policingfrom time to time which several reports haveidentified, has been sufficiently addressed,”Dr Sharples said.“Our predominant concern is how we can besure that justice will be seen to be done; andwe do not believe that this Bill is consistentwith the principles of human rights andnatural justice that so many New Zealandersdeem so important,” Dr Sharples added.Opinions belie the factsBut Dr Sharples’ opinions belie the facts. Onefactor that Police must bear in mind whentrying to prevent crime is to take into accountcrime trends. A crime trend that continuesto frustrate the criminal justice sector is thatMaori, who make up approximately 14%of the population, are reponsible for morethan 65% of all crime. In Auckland, Maorimake up 30% of offenders, yet only 9% ofthe population. Forty-nine percent (49%) ofthe prison population is Maori.Similar arguments to those of Dr Sharpleswere raised by opponents of the Tasertrial, saying that a large percentage of thosebeing tasered were either Maori or PacificIslanders. Deputy Commissioner Rob Poperightly pointed out that Police responded toincidents, not ethnicity.Placing ‘racist’ labels upon police officersbecause a particular group in society is morelikely to have committed a crime than anyother is merely a smokescreen. The real issueis that Maori are over-represented in manynegative statistics and the causes need to beaddressed in a constructive way, somethingthat Police Commissioner Howard Broadhas committed to doing by getting Policealongside Maori communities.Commitment to professionalismA 1998 report to the New Zealand Police andthe Ministry of Maori Development (Te PuniKokiri), by Gabrielle Maxwell and CatherineSmith (Institute of Criminology, VictoriaUniversity of Wellington) found “evidence ofstrongly and widely held beliefs among thePolice in equity in treatment regardless ofethnicity and a commitment to professionalpolicing”.The report also found that Police wereadopting a constructive approach to engagingwith Maori.150August 2007

New Zealand Police AssociationRecent issues of Police News have recorded the tremendous work by Police staff involved in Operation Overdue– the body recovery program, which took place following the crash of an Air NZ flight into the side of Mt Erebusin November 1979, resulting in the death of all 257 people on board. Police staff and others who undertook thatgruelling work were recently presented with the New Zealand Special Service Medal (Erebus) in recognitionof their outstanding service. The ‘white-out’ conditions were a factor in the crash. In this article British PolarMedal winner and experienced Antarctic worker, Gary Lewis, an ex-CIB specialist (TSU), offers an alternativeview on the crash, with particular emphasis on the term ‘white-out’.A different view on the Erebus disasterSome articles on the Erebus disaster have displayed a lack ofappreciation on what a “whiteout” is.To appreciate whiteout conditions, it helps tofirst have some insight into the structure of icecrystals, especially those in suspension.Ice crystals at temperate latitudes areoften rhombic or elongated and can triggeravalanches when they all fall over togetherand almost become a lubricant for snow slabsabove them.Avalanches don’t occur in Antarctica, becausethe crystals there are more spherical in shape.This, coupled with low humidity, causesthe snow to make a loud shrieking soundwhen walked across, as the crystals arecompressed.PolarizationThe shape also causes light reflected offminiscule crystals in suspension, to bepolarized in different planes and directions sothat Polaroid sunglasses become ineffective.It also confuses visual perception of depth andfield for the observer, which in turn can affectbalance when standing or walking.In a ground whiteout, you can see nothingbut whiteness around you, yet you can lookvertically upwards and see a clear blue skyoverhead. You can throw a matchbox onto theground a few metres away and then ask yourmate: “What is that building over there?”If you walk towards the “building” and youwill stumble as if walking on a slope withoutknowing it, when you are in fact, walkingacross a level surface.Rope fences for safetyField parties will often erect rope fencesaround their camps to avoid getting lost ina ground whiteout, or a Herbie (jargon for ahowling wind and blowing snow whiteout).In the decade of the IGY (the 1957International Geophysical Year), a helicopterleft an icebreaker in beautifully clearweather on a reconnaissance mission andnever returned. During the flight, the pilotreported: “Clear and clear” (radio jargon forclear surface definition and clear horizon) –effectively perfect flying conditions.A second helicopter was dispatched on asearch and rescue mission and also reported“clear and clear” then shortly after that,reported wreckage hanging in the sky ahead.The second helicopter returned safely.This tragic incident might well have beencaused by whiteout illusion, with the “clearhorizon” actually being the dividing linebetween seawater and the bottom of thevertical face of the ice shelf. The top ofthe ice shelf, a hundred or so feet above,being blended into the sky by whiteout, wastherefore invisible because it would haveresembled cloud in the far distance.‘Wreckage in the sky’That being the case, the chopper would haveembedded itself into the ice face at cruisingspeed, and would certainly have taken on theappearance of wreckage hanging in the sky.So, if you are flying a DC10 under VFR (visualflight rules), with a huge volcano supposed tobe visible on your left, but you can’t actuallysee it, then that should worry the hell out ofyou.It is akin to walking across a known crevassefield not roped up, when you can’t see thesnow bridges. If you do that you will fallthrough to your death.Flags on bamboo poles are stuck in thesnow in long lines for miles and miles so thathelicopters and field parties can follow themsafely back to McMurdo in the knowledge thatthey have been laid over safe terrain for thatpurpose.Just a few years ago, a helicopter pilot electedto take an alternative route in dodgy whiteoutconditions, ignoring the flags and crashingwith loss of life including two Kiwis.Chopper crashThe chopper reportedly “hit something” ona slope, flopped onto the ground, and beganto slide downhill gathering speed, and fallingover the piedmont ice face, a drop of up toa hundred feet. It landed head up on its tailon the hard sea ice below. The only survivorswere the pilot and first officer, being at the topof the heap as it were.Ironically, these vertical piedmont faces arethe same ice features that got the Icebreakerhelicopter, and fooled the DC10 ground-altimeterbecause the old ice, unlike young sea-ice, iselectromagnetically invisible, being salt-free.During one of my last involvements withAntarctica, a twin-engined Huey chopper with12 passengers on board was cruising aboveflat piedmont ice. The pilot was observing theground without realising there was a groundwhiteout. He was simultaneously monitoringaltitude using the ground altimeter.Electromagnetic transparencyThe pilot had overlooked the electromagnetictransparency of the old ice and the factthat the altimeter was sounding off therock beneath it. He thought he was flying at100 feet altitude, but was in fact at groundlevel. The chopper contacted the terrain at130 knots and slid to a standstill with onlymoderate damage, and no casualties. Thepassengers and crew were saved by theupturns on the skids, and smooth ice!A haunting mystery, is the huge black Nunatuk(black rock) called Beaufort Island that sticksup out of the whiteness on the flight path intoMcMurdo. Like the Rock of Gibraltar, you justcan’t miss it if you’re in an aeroplane withwindows.It is staggering to Antarctic veterans, that filmtaken by passengers show images of BeaufortAugust 2007151

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceIsland on the wrong side of the DC10. Yet thoseon the flight deck seem to have failed to see it.Mount ErebusHad the flight crew seen what passengershad seen and photographed, they would havetaken immediate evasive action, because ifyou are looking at this Nunatuk sticking upon the right hand side of the aircraft, you areheading straight into Mt Erebus.This is perhaps the biggest mystery of allbecause this huge edifice sticks up out of thewhiteness like a lone beacon. Thus drawingyour attention to it in a most compellingmanner. Moreover, it has a very distinctiveshape, ensuring that no veteran traveler toAntarctica could ever miss it.Could it be then, that NZ901 was flying “clearand clear” but contrary to VFR, the crew wereconcentrating their attention only to the leftside, and making assumptions about familiarobstacles being “whited out in the distance” or“obscured by cloud”?Alpine and Antarctic travelers never makeassumptions about crevasses. Makingassumptions about whiteouts is equallydangerous, as history attests.Doing it from an aeroplane would beunfathomable!Horst Maczuga awarded Bill Murray Awardfor tireless work on behalf of membersHorst Maczuga has been awarded the PoliceAssociation’s prestigious Bill Murray Awardfor his service to members over a lengthyperiod.Horst, who started work as an instructor atthe Royal NZ Police College in March 1985,quickly gained a reputation and thousandsof members of Police have enjoyed coursesrun by Horst in the interim.As soon as membership of the Associationwas open to non-sworn staff in 1992, Horstjoined up.Not only did he become one of the first nonswornmembers of the Police Associationbut he also joined the local committee whenthe rules were changed to allow the PoliceCollege to have their own one. Previously,College staff had been represented byPorirua/Kapiti Mana.ReplacementIn 2000, when Moira Brown moved toGisborne, she nominated Horst as herreplacement to chair the meetings of theCollege committee. Horst has held theposition of committee chairperson sincethen.Being a non-sworn member in a large Policeworksite dominated by sworn membershas never been an issue for Horst. Hevery quickly established a reputation asan excellent chairperson and developedinto one of the leading chairpersons in thecountry.Horst was a born marketer. He got theAssociation message out at the Collegevia posters, which featured the names ofcommittee members. He also encouraged,persuaded and cajoled staff into joiningthe committee and ensured representationacross the whole College, including the ICTwork areas. This meant that each area hadits own voice at committee level, therebyensuring intervention by the Associationwhere required.Wing representationHorst also introduced memberrepresentation to each wing and ensuredthey elected their own Police Associationcommittee member, meaning the newrecruits were part of the debate aroundpolicing issues.He saw the role of chairperson as one ofinvolvement, participation and inclusionand he regularly attended WellingtonRegional meetings and also took timeto attend the Association’s reps’ trainingseminars.Horst also brought a unique ‘flavour’ toAGM’s – his food themed meeting seeingHorst rolling out American apple pie andhot dogs.His ability to keep a confidence, set highstandards and to regularly encourageothers has endeared him to many members.Many felt he would be well placed as adelegate, representing the College at PoliceAssociation national meetings but Horstencouraged others to take on this role whilehe beavered away at grassroots level as acommittee chairperson.Range of skillsHorst’s advocacy skills, willingness to backthe underdog, good humour and strongsense of justice have combined to resolveissues and, on occasion, save members’jobs.Whilst Horst was never afraid to challengesenior Police personnel on an issue onbehalf of members. He also possessed finejudgement in knowing which issues neededreferral to National Office staff, a FieldOfficer or the Regional Director.Association President, Greg O’Connor, saidthat Horst’s award was to mark the work ofan “exemplary chairperson and Associationstalwart who had toiled long and hard tobenefit members on a wide range of issues.”He said the commitment shown by HorstMaczuga “epitomised” the values, whichBill Murray originally espoused and thePolice Association stand for.• Horst Maczuga, who received the BillMurray Award for his service to PoliceAssociation members.Have you moved recently?If you have moved or perhaps are aboutto, please let us know so we can updateyour records.You can do this by:• writing to us at PO Box 12344;• calling us on free phone0800 500 122;• faxing us on (04) 496 6819; or• Emailing us at;membership@policeassn.org.nzYou need to let us know yourmembership number, new address andif you’re a serving member - your newstation.152August 2007

New Zealand Police AssociationAfter a visit to this country, well-known author Theodore Dalrymple was quite taken with New Zealand for a varietyof reasons. Writing in the New English Review on his return home to England about his New Zealand experience,Dalrymple reflected that he saw what he termed “a disregard of reality” in the New Zealand criminal justicesystem. Here is what he wrote:Dalrymple lambasts NZ’s criminal justicesystem as “a disregard of reality”You probably think of New Zealand as an empty land of beautifullandscapes: and so it is. It is tolerably prosperous, it is egalitarianin ethos, it is uncrowded, even its fauna and flora are gentle. Ithas no native carnivores and no snakes. Its climate is temperateand in places among the most pleasant in the world. It should bepeaceful.And so it once was. In 1950, when it wasone of the wealthiest countries in the world,it had almost no crime whatever, or at leastan irreducible minimum of crime. Now it hasone of the highest crime rates in the westernworld, including crimes of violence. It is verypuzzling.While I was in New Zealand, I learned oftwo cases that seemed emblematic of theMailerian developments in the New Zealandcriminal justice system. The first concerned aman with 102 convictions, many for violenceincluding rape. (I should point out that 102convictions mean many more offences, sincethe conviction rate is never 100% of theoffending rate, and is sometimes only 5-10%of it).Eligibility for paroleThis man nevertheless became eligible forparole. As conditions of parole, the boardtold him he must not drink, smoke cannabisor frequent certain places. The man told theboard that he would abide by none of theseconditions, but he was released on paroleanyway. Within a short time, he had killedthree people and so maimed a fourth that shewill never recover.The second case was of a man with manyprevious convictions, some for violence, whoabducted and murdered a young woman,aged 24. He was imprisoned and applied forbail. Three times he was turned down, but afourth judge granted him bail. He was sent tolive at a certain address where he befriendedhis neighbours, who did not know that hewas accused of murder. Eight months later,while babysitting their children, he killed oneof them.Perhaps the most extraordinary twist ofthis terrible tale is that the parents of themurdered child then had another baby, whichthe social services then removed from themon the grounds that they had previouslyentrusted a child to the care of a murdererand were therefore irresponsible parents. Thestate blames its citizens for the mistakes - ifthat is what they are - that it makes.Wilful incompetence?What lies behind this terrible, wilfulincompetence? I suppose some people mightsay that anecdotes mean nothing; that it isstatistics we have to look at, and the majorityof people sent out on parole, or on bail formurder, do not kill again. The questionswe should be asking are what proportion ofpeople who say in advance that they have nointention of abiding by parole conditions goon to commit serious crimes if granted paroleanyway, and what proportion of accusedmurderers granted bail kill again while on bail.In the light of these questions, the decisionstaken in the two cases I have cited mightappear slightly less absurd.This is dust in our eyes, however. Thepresumption must be against someone whohas been convicted of 102 previous offences,many of them violent, or someone who hasbeen convicted of many previous offencesand is suspected on the strongest possiblegrounds of having killed. It is morally frivolousto suggest otherwise.Moral frivolityIn other words, the moral frivolity of the NewZealand criminal justice system could not havebeen more plainly demonstrated than in thesetwo cases. (On the day before my departurefrom the country, a young man, also with along record, who attacked an old woman inher eighties and fractured her facial bonesin two places, having first given her whathe called ‘a king hit’ - that is to say a singlepunch that felled her - was sentenced to ayear’s imprisonment, which, with remission,will mean he will be at liberty in less than sixmonths.) The question arises: Where does thismoral frivolity come from?The judges in New Zealand are not entirely toblame, since they have to sentence accordingto guidelines laid down for them. They cannotimpose any sentence that they happen tothink is just. But they do not protest againstguidelines that are patently absurd. Nor wasthere any reason why the fourth judge shouldhave granted bail in the first case I described.Therefore, the judges cannot absolvethemselves entirely of responsibility.Generosity of spirittakes precedenceLying behind the frivolity of the New Zealandcriminal justice system (which also infects theBritish system) is a willingness to ignore, oran unwillingness to take seriously, the mostobvious prognostic signs, or even to takeconsiderations of justice into account…thejudges and others in New Zealand ignored themost obvious considerations in their dealingswith the criminals before them. Their ownreputation for generosity of spirit and lack ofvengefulness was more important to themthan protection of the public.Lying in a layer of the mind, yet deeper thanthis desire for approbation, is the balefulinfluence of Rousseau’s idea that Man isor would be good but for the influence ofsociety upon him. If this is the case, then themurderers in the cases I have cited were asAugust 2007153

PoliceNewsThe Voice of Policemuch victims as their victims, and the society,which has thus victimised them, has no moralright to treat them harshly. Rather, it mustreform, indeed perfect, itself. Until it does so,it ought to expect cases of the kind I havedescribed.Criminal backgroundsThere is no doubt, of course, that mostcriminals come from a very bad background(though it does not follow, thank God,that everybody from a bad background isa criminal, else we should none of us besafe in our beds). Of course, where the badbackground itself comes from is anotherquestion, and much disputed. I think in largepart it comes from the intellectual and moralzeitgeist that intellectuals have created. Butthe undoubted fact cited above has confusedus utterly, and caused us to confute twoquestions. First, how do we prevent peoplefrom becoming criminals in the first place?Second, how do we prevent those who havebecome recidivist criminals from committingfurther crimes? The two questions havedifferent answers, and there is not a singleanswer to them both. When, however, wemistake the first question for the second,and vice versa, we end up making the NewZealand criminal justice system’s mistakes,over and over again.One thing is evident, however: thosewho make the mistakes do not pay theprice for them. They feel the warmth ofgenerosity without feeling the cool current ofresponsibility.Book celebrates 25 years oftraining at Police CollegeTitle: “Celebrating 25 Years of Police Training at Porirua: The RoyalNew Zealand Police College 1981 to 2006.”Cost: $33.50 (incl GST and postage).Reviewed by: Sherwood Young.In 1981 Police training began at Porirua.This was the fifth location for Policetraining since 1886, following Buckle andRintoul Streets in Wellington, Lyttelton andTrentham.To mark the 25th anniversary of this newvenue, renamed the Royal New ZealandPolice College in 1986, the College hasproduced a 94-page well-illustrated historyof training there, principally compiled byEmma Inwood, with input from severalothers.However, those who joined the Police inmuch earlier years will also appreciate theinformation about the recruit and cadetwing patrons, the various commandantsand staff members and the many activitiesand personal recollections associated withthe College.Anniversary sectionThere is also a section, which details theactivities and participants at the 25thanniversary weekend last year.The College should be congratulated forproducing this account so soon after theevents. If such events are not recordedearly, memories quickly dim and thosewho made such significant contributions toPolice training become just names to thosewho follow in the service.The book is available at a cost of $33.50(including GST and postage). If you wishto purchase a copy please write a chequeout to: “The Royal NZ Police College” andsend it to:Emma InwoodRNZPCPrivate Bag 50906PoriruaIf you wish to know more about the book,Emma can be contacted on (04) 238 3116or by Email: emma.inwood@police.govt.nz1 2 3 4 5 6Clues:Across:1. Throws away (6)4. Embroiders work, or stamp on paperperhaps (6)8. Type of order able to be obtained (3-8)10. Visual (7)11. Adam’s apple of his eye? (3)12. Well known celebrity trait (4)13. Able to predict the future maybe (1.1.1)14. Type of facial inflammation (4)17. Worked to buy a vase? (3)18. Clutch Cargo mate who plays cricket (7)19. Place to attact young people (5,6)20. One of Marconi’s inventions (6)21. Fact document completed by nearly allhouseholds (6)Down:1. A great trait to have (5,2,6)2. Required for some kidnappings (6,5)3. Hung on walls with no writing (6)5. Folder found in the Phillipines (6)6. Utter stupidity (13)7. Works with shoes (11)9. Voters belong to them (11)15. Under another name (6)16. Addition to a document (6)78 910 1112 13 1415 1617 18July answers:Across:3. Vandalised8. Node9. Zero in on10. Agenda13. Asset14. Flagged15. Ore16. Lullaby17. Strip21. Uneven22. Convicts23. Etas24. CollisionDown:1. Incapable2. Adversely4. Anzac5. Durable6. Dial7. Stop11. Aggravate12. Adeptness14. Fry15. Objects18. Gusto19. Solo20. Oval1920 21154August 2007

Police Association supportsproposed ban on party pillsThe NZ Police Association has welcomed Cabinet’s moveto ban the sale of party pills.Associate Minister of Health, Jim Anderton, announcedrecently that the Cabinet had agreed to his recommendationto ban BZP and related party pills.Police Association President, Greg O’Connor, said theAssociation fully supported the proposed ban despite thefact that it might make more work for police officers.“Let’s face it, it’s a joke having some legal drugs andsome illegal drugs. Children need to grow up with thementality that all mind-altering drugs should be avoidedlike the plague. Legal party pills give the message to young,impressionable children that taking drugs is acceptable.In fact, legal party pills, rather than being a replacementfor harder drugs as the manufacturers always claim, are agateway to the use of hard drugs for many people,” he said.PenaltiesSupplying, manufacturing or exporting party pills would bepunishable by a maximum of eight years’ jail, and those caught inpossession of the pills could face three months’ jail and/or a $500fine when the ban is enforced by legislation later this year.Officials have also been instructed to continue work currently under• Jim Anderton,AssociateMinister ofHealth, haslong advocatedthe banning ofparty pills.New Zealand Police Associationway with the Law Commission, which would requiremanufacturers to prove that these types of psychoactivesubstances are safe before allowing them to be sold.Cabinet has also approved a review of the Misuse of DrugsAct. It is expected to be complete by December of nextyear.Expert advice heeded“The research, analysis of submissions, advice fromexperts and agencies such as Police, Justice, Customs andHealth all added up, in my view, to a ban and I took thatrecommendation to my Cabinet colleagues. The ExpertAdvisory Committee on Drugs, which has the statutorytask of assessing drugs under the Misuse of DrugsAct and making recommendations to me as Minister,recommended that BZP and related substances shouldbe classified as Class C1. Cabinet was mindful that these productshave been legally available for some years and, while wanting tostop both their manufacture and sale as a matter of urgency, did notwish to immediately criminalise those who may still have some ofthese substances in their possession for personal use. Those found inpossession of a Class C1 drug are normally liable to a maximum ofthree months imprisonment and/or up to a $500 fine,” Mr Andertonsaid.August September OctoberPAIHIA............................................ 6-7,13-16, 19-23,26-31 ................................2-6,18-21................................................................3, 14-18,22-25STANMORE BAY ............................. 6-9,12-17,19-31 ...........................................1-22,24,26-28,30....................................................4,6-30AUCKLAND .................................... 19,21-22,27-28,30 ........................................2-4,6,9,11,13, .........................................................8-9,11,16,18,23WHANGAMATA ............................... 6-9,11-24,27-30 ...........................................2-6,9-13,16-21,27 ..................................................6-11,14-18,22-25, 28-31,MT MAUNGANUI ............................ 6-9,12,20-23 .................................................2-4,9-13,15-20, ......................................................2,5-7,14-19,22-25, 28-31OHOPE ........................................... 6-23,26-31 ....................................................1-21,28 ...................................................................5-10,14-18,23-31ROTORUA ...................................... 7-9,12,15-17, 20-23,26-29 ...........................2-5,9-14,16-21,30 ..................................................7-11,15,17-18,22-25,28-31TAUPO ........................................... 9,13-16,19,21-23 ..........................................4-7, 10-13,18-19,26 ...............................................1,7-9,14-19,22-25,28-31TURANGI ........................................ 8,14,20,23 .....................................................Fully Booked ............................................................10-11,16-18,23-25,28-31NAPIER .......................................... 6-7,20-23 ......................................................6,9-10,17-20,..........................................................7-11,14-17,23-24,28-31PARAPARAUMU .............................. 6-9,12-16,19-22,27-30 .................................3-4,9-12,16-21, ......................................................7-10,16-18,22,28-31GREYTOWN .................................... 6-9,12-18,21-24,26-30 .................................2-6,9-13,16-20,25,30 .............................................7-11,14-18,22-25,28-31WELLINGTON ................................. 7,27 ...............................................................2-4,9-13,17.............................................................3-4,7-11,14-17,24-25NELSON ......................................... 6,13-15,19-21,26-31 ....................................1-4,9-13,16-21 .......................................................7,21-28HANMER SPRINGS ......................... 16, .................................................................6,17,20,...................................................................8,16,28-29CHRISTCHURCH ............................. 6,8-9,12,15-16,23-24,27-28, 30 ...................2-3,12-13,18-19 .....................................................3,8,10,15-17,22-23,29-31TEKAPO ......................................... 23, .................................................................20............................................................................8-10,16-17,22-25,28-31WANAKA ........................................ Fully Booked ..................................................9,13,17-18,20-23,...................................................4,8-11,14-18,22-24,28-31CROMWELL ................................... 19-23,............................................................16-17 ......................................................................6-11,14-18,22-25,28-31QUEENSTOWN ............................... Fully Booked ..................................................4,16-17, ..................................................................18,25,28-30TE ANAU ........................................ 6-10,12-31 ....................................................1-13,17-20..............................................................5-18,22-31DUNEDIN ....................................... 6-7,12-16,19-23,28-19, ................................3-6,13,18-19,..........................................................9-10,14-18,24-25,28-31To make a booking - Call one of our Customer Services representatives on 0800-500-122 or Ext 44442 or log on at www.policeassn.org.nz and use your Member IDand Login to make your own bookingAugust 2007155

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceNew disciplinary processes andCode of Conduct proposedBy Liz Gooch, Association Legal OfficerGiven the unique position of Police as bothprosecutor and employer, Police have usedthe criminal justice system and lengthyinternal investigations (under the currentPolice Regulations) to deal with disciplinarymatters.This process has proved time consumingand cumbersome, not to mention expensive.It is not conducive to producing timely andequitable outcomes or to maintaining anongoing good employment relationshipbetween an employee, his or her supervisor orPolice in general.Over the last nine months the PoliceAssociation has been working with Police tochange this by:• Designing a system that reflects theneed to recognise both criminal andemployment disciplinary processes;• Developing a Code of Conduct that willcover all members of Police, both swornand non-sworn; and• Ensuring the necessary Regulations,promulgated under the Police Act, areconsistent with that system and the Codeof Conduct.Code of ConductOne of the recommendations arising from theCommission of Inquiry was the introduction ofa Code of Conduct for all members of Police –sworn and non-sworn.The collective agreements negotiated andratified in the second half of 2006 includea specific provision for working with Police“for managing the development andimplementation of a Code of Conduct thatwould enable more flexible management ofemployment-related issues. The processwould separate employment and criminalmatters and provide agreed processes thatenable those issues to be resolved in anappropriate manner”.A variable level Code of Conduct hasgoverned non-sworn members for severalyears. Sworn members have been governedby a combination of Regulations, GeneralInstructions, and custom, practice and generalemployment law.To fulfil the obligation outlined in the collectiveagreement above, both a Code of Conduct andnew Police Regulations are required.PrinciplesThe Police Association has been working withPolice to finalise the draft Code of Conduct. Itis based on principles of:• Honesty and integrity;• Loyalty, good faith and professionalism;• Fairness and impartiality;• Respect for people and property; and• Confidentiality.There is nothing in the Code of Conduct thatshould come as a surprise. The conductexpected from members of Police is higher thanthat expected from Joe Public and rightly so.The Code will outline the Commissioner’sobligations as employer, and obligations ofmembers as the employee. A breach of theCode is likely to result in disciplinary action.The Code will provide some examples ofbehaviour, which would be in breach of theCode where explanations are not acceptedfollowing a full inquiry, and are therefore likelyto constitute either misconduct or seriousmisconduct.The processFrom the Police Association’s perspective,the first priority was to design a disciplinaryprocess that separates criminal issues fromemployment ones. A diagram of the agreedprocess is on page 157 of this issue.Under this process, the first decision made iswhether or not the matter is criminal. If it is,the criminal investigation and process must becompleted, before any further consideration ofemployment consequences is undertaken.Where there is an allegation of criminaloffending, and charges are laid, they willproceed to trial in the usual way. Wherethere is a conviction for an offence that hasa maximum penalty of three years or moreimprisonment, it is likely dismissal will follow.If a member is found not guilty, followinghearing or appeal, there will then be a seconddecision made as to whether the allegedconduct is considered a breach of the Codeof Conduct. It may be either misconduct orserious misconduct. Alternatively, where thereis alleged conduct in breach of the Code butwith no criminal issues, a decision will also bemade as to whether the conduct may be eithermisconduct or serious misconduct.Degrees of misconductIf the matter is considered to be misconduct,rather than serious misconduct, anemployment disciplinary/performancemanagement process will apply, similar tothat used in the private sector. For non-swornmembers of Police this would range fromcounselling to performance improvementand warnings, through to possible dismissal.Ultimately, a member may be dismissedthrough this process, without a ‘tribunaltype’ hearing, but not without having alreadyreceived a formal warning.If the matter is considered to be potentiallyserious misconduct, a ‘tribunal type’ hearingwill be held before any further action can betaken. This implies that the alleged conductis dismissible. The new ‘tribunal’ or ‘inquiry’will be less formal than the current Tribunalprocess. It is anticipated that it will beinquisitorial rather than adversarial and willrun along similar lines to the EmploymentRelations Authority.It’s envisaged there’ll be up to five panel ortribunal members, from which one will beappointed to conduct any inquiry/hearinginto the allegation. The Commissioner willappoint all panel members, after consultationwith the Police Association and other serviceorganisations. Where the allegations areupheld, a recommendation may be made, butthe Commissioner as the employer, makesany final decision as to penalty or sanction.Where a member wishes to challenge anydecision made as to penalty or outcome, theyhave recourse to the Employment RelationsAuthority and/or Employment Court.The Police Association is satisfied the agreedprocess is fair, being more in line with theemployment processes and outcomes faced inthe private sector. Every opportunity is givenfor the member to contribute to the processand be represented.A change to the Regulations will be required.The Police Association has been working withPolice to prepare draft instructions for newPolice Regulations that are consistent with thisprocess. In principle, this is largely complete.156 August 2007

The Parliamentary Counsel Office will dealwith the finer details over coming months.Schedule for implementationThe Code of Conduct, the new Regulations,and the new disciplinary processes, are due tobe in place by the end of this year.Overall, the Police Association is satisfied thatthe work to date represents a model that isfair and equitable to members. It separatesminor issues from those that are more serious,allowing minor matters to be dealt with quicklyand generally in a constructive manner. It alsobuilds in sufficient safeguards for membersfacing criminal or serious misconductallegations, which may ultimately be jobNew Zealand Police Associationthreatening. We believe the new process willbetter equip Police and our members to dealwith matters fairly and reasonably.What needed to change, and will changeunder the new Code and regulations, isthe increased recognition of the employer/employee relationship and the good faithobligations that places on both parties.Association makes Timor donation• The NZ Police Association donated $5000 to the families ofeight Timor Leste police officers shot dead in Dili after riotingin May last year. After the shooting, all police officers in Dilifled the city. The Timor Leste Government then asked NZ andAustralian Police and their respective Defence forces to assistin re-establishing control. The United Nations PeacekeepingForce returned to Timor shortly afterward. Pictured at thepresentation of the cheque are: (Front left to right) RuthNuttall, New Zealand Ambassador to Timor Leste, Ceciliada Foncesa (Timor rep), Meredith Budge (Advisor, Women’sResource Centre, Alola Foundation), Domingas MesquitaGonzaga (Timor rep) and Eddie Lyttle, a Police Associationrepresentative from Tauranga:August 2007157

PoliceNewsThe Voice of PoliceCriminal Justice ReformBill moves forwardThe Justice and Electoral Committee hadrecommended that the Criminal JusticeReform Bill be passed with amendments.The decision was a majority one.The Criminal Justice Reform Bill introducesa range of measures to reform the criminaljustice system. Part 1 of the Bill proposesthe establishment of a Sentencing Council,which would be responsible for issuingsentencing and parole guidelines. Part 2 ofthe Bill proposes amendments to criminaljustice Acts, including the Bail Act 2000, theSentencing Act 2002, the Parole Act 2002,and the Prisoners’ and Victims’ Claims Act2005.It includes provisions for the introduction ofan explicit hierarchy of sentences and ordersand three new non-custodial sentences. Thecommittee’s report dealt with these specificissues:• Sentencing Council (Membership ofCouncil and appointment of members;Parliamentary scrutiny of guidelines; andrequests for consideration of issues);• Amendments to the Sentencing Act2002 (combination of sentences; specialconditions; epidemic managementnotice; community work when hoursof community work are not counted;provisions for community detention; andcurfew);• Home detention (interpretation; specialconditions; substitution of home detentionfor imprisonment; judicial monitoring;other amendments to sentences of homedetention; and electronic monitoringequipment);• Warrant of commitment;• Parole Act 2002 (confidentiality orders;entitlement to release on parole; policeadvised of offenders’ release from prison;recall to prison from parole; extendedsupervision orders; and Parole Board tosummon witnesses); and• Amendments to Prisoners’ and Victims’Claims Act 2005.The full report back including the NewZealand National Party’s minority view canbe found at: http://www.parliament.nz/NR/rdonlyres/E5748651-E847-42CD-915E-4F722D832ADD/56065/DBSCH_SCR_3779_5018.pdfAustin Police opt for BMWs over HarleysThe distinctive Harley-Davidson mufflerrumble that has followed law-breakingmotorists in Austin, Texas for decades willsoon be replaced with the quieter Germanengineeredhum of BMWs.The American-Statesman recently reportedthat a few years ago the Austin PoliceDepartment decided it needed anti-lockbrakes on its motorcycles to improve officersafety. But because Harley-Davidson didn’toffer the option at the time, officials lookedelsewhere.This year, the department will replace itsremaining 21 Harleys with BMWs that haveanti-lock brakes, completing a transition ofits 72-motorcycle fleet that began in 2002.Better brakesOfficers say the new bikes have bettermaneuvering capability and, perhaps moresignificantly, a brake system especiallydesigned to prevent skidding.“When you slam on the brakes on theHarley-Davidson, there’s a tendency for thebrakes to lock up, and then you have nochoice but try to steer where you’re goingto crash,” Sergeant Ruben Fuentes toldthe newspaper. Fuentes, who owns twoHarleys, says that there is a certain nostalgiaabout riding the American bikes.Last year an officer had to have his legamputated after crashing his Harley.Accidents have been reduced since theBMWs were purchased. Of 15 motorcyclecrashes in 2005, only three involved officersriding a BMW. Last year there were sixcollisions, two of which involved BMWs.More costlyThe new bikes cost US $18,939 (NZ $27,802)each – between US $1,000 (NZ $1,469) and US$2,000 (NZ $2,936) more than the base priceof a Harley-Davidson.The city sells the old motorcycles on eBay,usually for between $US8,000 ($NZ11,746)and $US10,000 ($NZ$14,682).Austin police officers first started usingHarley-Davidsons in the 1930s, and thedepartment has interchanged its motorcyclefleet between Harleys, Kawasakis andHondas in the interim.The Harley was first used as a policemotorcycle in Detroit in 1908.New Zealand Police use BMW 1200s forroad policing and have done so for manyyears. Prior to that, under a tender called forAPEC, Honda supplied bikes but after APECa subsequent tender went for BMWs andthey have remained the Police preferencesince. Road policing officers say the bikesare very good for safety and handling.“A successful person is one whocan lay a foundation with bricksthat others throw at him or her.”David Brinkley, US newsman.“Peace by persuasion has apleasant sound, but I think weshould not be able to work it. Weshould have to tame the humanrace first, and history seems toshow that that cannot be done.”- Mark Twain, author.“If you want to build a ship, don’therd people together to collectwood and don’t assign them tasksand work, but rather teach themto long for the endless immensityof the sea.”Antoine de Saint-Exupery(author and aviator).Winter skiingholiday home ballotA ballot will take place for the holiday homesfrom 5 July until 2 October 2008 for theholiday home units at Queenstown, Cromwell,Wanaka, Tekapo and Turangi due to heavydemand during the winter ski season.But don’t panic – it’s next year!Entries will be limited to one per member.Ballots are for seven nights.Further information on the ballot will bepublished in upcoming issues of Police News.Christmas holidayhome ballotA ballot will take place for the holiday homesover Christmas-New Year, due to the hugedemand for the homes during this period.Every sworn and non-sworn member of theWelfare Fund will be sent an Email to his or herPolice Email address. The Email will contain alink to apply on-line.The ballot runs from 29 December 2007 until1 February 2008. Entries are limited to one permember. Ballots are for seven nights and applyto all holiday home units.All entries must be received no later that 13August 2007 and winners of the ballot will benotified by the end of that week. If you requireany further information please contact theMember Services Centre on 0800 500 122or extn 44446.158August 2007

New Zealand Police AssociationThis column is written by a frontlinepolice officer. It does not representthe views or policies of the PoliceAssociation.by Ricky CollinsHardy WinesHardy Wines of Australia have been in thewinemaking business for over 150 years.Thomas Hardy, the founder of Hardy Wines setout to create quality wines that represented greatvalue for money. Fast-forward to today, and thatstill stands true as the principal ambition of theHardy Company.Hardy’s range of wines is extensive. They work with many varieties andhave a number of labels at various price points. I thought it would beworthwhile trying a selection of their wines at the lower end of the pricescale. I paid no more than $10 for any of the wines I’ve reviewed below,and from what I found I think the Hardy ambition of quality and value formoney is definitely being achieved.Hardys Riesling (non-vintage) RRP $6 to $9This fresh and appealing wine was actually the pick of this selection forme. It has a lovely lifted aromatic bouquet, fresh citrus flavours, and goodlength with a slightly creamy mouth feel but enough acid to carry it on thefinish. The balance in this medium style Riesling is what blew me away fora wine of this price. It’s not complicated, but extremely well made.Hardys Nottage Hill Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2006 RRP $9 to $12Australians have been buying up plenty of Marlborough Sauvignon Blancin recent times but they do produce Sauvignon Blanc themselves, oftenblended with Semillon. This is a fresh and vibrant wine with a blend ofcapsicum, citrus and tropical fruit flavours. It differs to New ZealandSauvignon Blanc in that it has a soft and clean palate compared to theraw herbaceousness of a Marlborough Savvy. It’s a very enjoyable foodfriendlywine.Hardys Nottage Hill Shiraz 2005 RRP $9 to $12If you’re looking for an inexpensive medium bodied red wine that has wideappeal then give this wine a go. It displays clean berry fruit, spice, blackpepper and chocolate characteristics, with soft tannins on the finish. I’vetried a number of $20-plus examples of Shiraz that don’t deliver as muchbody and flavour as this wine.Hardys Nottage Hill Cabernet Shiraz 2003 RRP $9 to $12The blending of Cabernet and Shiraz is quite common in Australia. TheFrench would turn their nose up at it, but it definitely works with Australianfruit. This wine has a bit of age on it, so it has a certain rustic appeal.The blackcurrant characteristics of Cabernet are there, along with a hintof mint, while the Shiraz adds a touch of spice to the mix. The tanninshave begun to soften out but there is enough acid there to hold the winetogether for a year or two more. It’s another wine that will excel whenmatched with food.The thick blue lineNow I know my A, B, C’s next time won’t you come recruit with me! What a loadof codswallop! Gotta say the Dark Lord from HR could have done a whole lotbetter with our public response though. Look how many high flyers we have in ourorganisation. Some of ‘em have more degrees than a Ther-mum-ometa (PurpleRonnie rules!). More on that later…And how about the actual thin blue-line? Our newbies are still doing the varsitypaper thing aren’t they? Not like us oldies who did all those units month in andmonth out for a couple of years. Me thinks the media has been a bit speculativeon this one. Though we need to be sure that those examples they got their handson stop happening as no one wins (especially the public) with a crash test dummydressed in blue!And I also know that you have to have a few clues and be able to read andunderstand the English language quite well to sign the new ‘Code of Conduct’ thatour aspiring new additions are being asked to sign on their arrival at our schoolof knowledge.Speaking of thickNow I’m sure the bully can’t be right on this one but one of me trusted informersswears (and she’s in a position to know) that there are non-sworn staff attachedto certain northern CVIU teams that have been issued with stab-proof vests aheadof frontline sworn staff up and down the country.Now I’ve already had my say on this matter but if this is happening then wereally do have a thicky or two within our ranks. Surely, it can’t be true I cried!Unfortunately, this red and black boy has the sinking feeling that it just might beand I am currently unable to confirm or deny whether said staff have got gearthat fits!Don’t get me wrong, as I’m all for all our staff being kept safe but our wholebusiness is all about priorities in a world that’s far from pretty in some spots.Shining lightAt least there is a shining light in the distance and it’s beaming down from thosevested with the future leadership of our thin (or thick) blue-line. I am reliablyinformed that our top table has seen fit to ‘rank’ our commissioned officers into(I’m told) three categories that will define one’s future within the organisation.I’m told this is great if you are in the Premier Division but if you aren’t then it’s a bitlike West Brom winning the F.A. Cup. Yeah right! Plus, I’m not sure what happensif you are in the relegation zone of the bottom division. Do you go back to playingamateur footy and say farewell to the pros?The big oil, of course, is that no one told any of the team (especially those in thelower leagues), which has put the cat amongst the proverbial to say the least! Allsounds a bit subjective rather than objective to me. We have, of course, seen thistype of ‘old boy’ networking in the past and it isn’t a pretty sight.An aberrationOh yes and a wee slip up for the AB’s in Oz (you can never underestimate anOcker) but have faith team, she’ll be rightcome spring.Use of 0800 Ten Nine phone lineAssociation representatives maintain this telephone line (0800 8366 463)on a 24-hour basis.It is to be used ONLY for matters that cannot be deferred, such as Policeshootings, fatal pursuits or deaths in custody.Important and immediate industrial and legal advice can then be arrangedthrough the Association networks.Please do not phone this line for non-urgent matters.August 2007159

POLICE COUNCIL OF SPORTTo contact the Police Council of Sport, call Alison Murray at the RNZPC. Ph: (04) 238-3139Boxing:Guns ‘n’ Hoses event a tremendous successIn October 2005 Masterton Youth Aid officer, Dave Drummond, put 16 of hispeers up against each other in the boxing ring in front of about 150 friendsand family of Police.Recently, the event was revived and this time 1800 people turned up to watchthe eight bouts at Masterton’s Genesis Energy Recreation Centre Stadium.The boxing tournament pitted police officers against firefighters in the eventwhich was billed as the “Guns ‘n’ Hoses” tournament. It raised almost$20,000 for charity.Charities benefitWhile the Police came off second best, losing five bouts to three, the twonominated charities - Police Blue Light and the Oncology Department atWairarapa Hospital - were the real winners.Event organiser Dave “Don King” Drummond, a former NZ Golden GlovesChampion himself, said he was overwhelmed by the positive response fromthe community.“Local businesses and many people from all different areas of the communitywere so quick to get on board, to offer their support and make it work. Wereally wanted the emphasis to be not just on raising money for charity, butmaking it a community event.”Corporate supportTicket prices were kept low for this reason. There were 15 corporate tables,which were snapped up soon after they went on sale, and Dave said he couldhave sold double the number of tables for double the price.As for the boxing itself, those who put themselves forward trained for threemonths leading up to the bout.The oldest was Masterton firefighter Mike Cornford, at 52 years of age. Hewon his bout and, according to Dave, loved every minute of it.“What makes for a great evening is evenly matched fights, and that’s whatwe had”, Drummond said.Positive community feedbackA local secondary school band played after the boxing and there were foodand bar facilities available throughout the night. Letters of thanks came infrom many people, and Police have had plenty of positive feedback about theevent during the course of their duties.Wairarapa Area Commander, Inspector JJ Johnson, was one of the judges atthe event. Mr Johnson said he couldn’t have asked for more from his staff,not just in the ring but in organising the event for the community.“To see the cross section of people there, all enjoying the entertainmenttogether, was tremendous and great for the strengthening the relationshipbetween Police and the public.”Next event in two yearsDave says the next Guns ‘n’ Hoses event is bound to be bigger and betteragain, and will be held early in 2009.For the record, the brave few who put their bodies on the line on this occasion,were Andy “Silkman” Caudwell (Masterton GBD), Aidan “The Big Easy” Ellims(Martinborough), David “Massacre” Mason (Masterton CIB), Mike “Wildman”Wakefield (Masterton GDB), Luke “The Rat” Rattenbury (Masterton GDB),Scott “The Fish Whisperer” Cooper (Lower Hutt CIB), Shane “Slugger” Nolan(Masterton Traffic Section), Rob “Hitman” Hutton (Masterton Traffic Section).• LEFT: Martinborough Constable Aidan “The Big Easy” Ellims (inblue) trades blows with firefighter Graham Hill.• ABOVE: Masterton GDB Constable Andy “Silkman” Caudwellslips a punch from Swanny Nicho. Keeping a close eye on theaction is referee Tom Dunn, a former NZ middleweight championand a son of the late Dick Dunn, widely regarded in boxing circlesas New Zealand’s best boxing coach.- Photos courtesy of Piers Fuller/The Wairarapa News.Visit www.policeassn.org.nz for updated contact details for the Police Council of Sport management committee,District Sports Officers and the latest schedule of events.160 August 2007

Pistol shooting:Schlebusch right on target atnational pistol championshipsNew Zealand Police AssociationThe Police Pistol Nationals took place for thesecond year running on the 23rd June at theAuckland Pistol Club.A heavy weather warning was in force at the timeand prevented some active duty members fromattending the competition. Heavy showers causedmatch organisers to pause the contest throughoutthe day. Despite the weather occasionallyintervening, shooters enjoyed the competition.Overall match winner was Johann Schlebusch ofAuckland Motorways. The Police Council of Sportsponsored the event.Minimum number of roundsThe match required a minimum of 94 rounds tocomplete although some required more rounds.Steel plate targets are required to fall to score andsometimes the first shot will not put them downdue to shot placement and the bullet’s power.The Police Pistol Nationals are a level one,production class, IPSC pistol shoot. IPSC (ip-sic)style shooting is a popular international eventinvolving a combination of speed, accuracy andpower. It features at the World Police and FireGames (next held in Vancouver Canada, 2009)and the Australia and New Zealand Police andEmergency Services Games (next held in CoffsHarbour, NSW, 2008).Variety of shooting stylesA typical stage involves drawing from the holsterand engaging multiple targets while moving.Reloading is often required while on the moveand props such as doors and windows have tobe negotiated while completing the course. Somestages may be shot from just one standing positionwhile others may require running, kneeling, goingprone, or all of these combined. The variety ofshooting styles required makes the event suitablefor shooters of all ages and levels of ability.Glock, Sportways, Serious Shooters, TacticalSolutions, Reloaders Supplies, and Uvex glasseskindly supplied prizes.A firearms license is required to shoot pistolsunder suitable supervision. See your local ArmsOfficer to apply. For more information ontaking up pistol shooting as a sport Emailcyrus.robinson@police.govt.nz• Marian (Jak) Polyblank of Tokoroa leansout to get to some hard-to-reach targets.- Photo courtesy of Cyrus Robinson.• Johann Schlebusch, the overall winner of the competition, shoots over a table top to engageconcealed targets.- Photo courtesy of Cyrus Robinson.“Racial set-aside” alleged against Austin Police DepartmentA veteran Austin (Texas) Police commanderhas sued the city manager and formerPolice Chief, and the incoming Police Chief,alleging he was denied a promotion becausehe is white, according to an article in TheAmerican Statesman.Commander Harold Piatt claims in thelawsuit that he was the victim of a yearlongPolice department practice of “racialset-asides” for positions for Assistant Chiefof Police. Piatt, said that despite being themost qualified person for the job he waspassed over and the position was given to aHispanic officer.Piatt claims the former Police Chief tolda group of commanders in a January2006 meeting that he would “exercise hisprerogative to maintain the racial balance”among Assistant Police Chiefs.The lawsuit also claims that Austin CityCouncil members weigh in on the AssistantChief appointments, which is in violation ofthe city charter.We remember…Who passed away…CHAUVAL Rae Vivien 7-Jun-07 Member Onehunga, AkldANTILL William Robert 26-Jun-07 Retired member Papatoetoe, AkldTAYLOR Betty Doris 28-Jun-07 Widow of member DunedinMAYO Rayna Lillian 2-Jul-07 Widow of retired member GisborneTAARE Elle Maree 7-Jul-07 Daughter of member Palmerston NorthCLEWS James 9-Jul-07 Retired member NapierBELL Brian Hamilton 15-Jul-07 Retired member InvercargillTHOMAS Ronald Lloyd John 20-Jul-07 Retired member AucklandAugust 2007161

PoliceNews162August 2007The Voice of PoliceNZ Police rugby team thrashAustralian counterparts 77-0By James WhittakerThe New Zealand Police rugby team will playagainst the All Blacks as a part of the All Blackspre-World Cup build-up.The NZ Police versus All Blacks game is set totake place in Christchurch as this issue was goingto press.The invitation to play the All Blacks came fromAll Black assistant coach, Steve Hansen, who wason hand to see the NZ Police team trounce theirAustralian counterparts by 77-0 in Melbourne lastmonth on the eve of the All Black-Wallabies test.Unfortunately, the All Blacks could not make ita Kiwi double for the weekend, going down 20-15 to the Wallabies despite leading 15-6 at halftime.Warm-up game cancelledPoor weather leading up to the match had led tothe cancellation of the NZ Police’s warm-up gamedue to flooding of the ground. With little time toprepare and no opportunity to get a practice gameunder their belts, the NZ Police team took the badluck with a grain of salt, hit things full throttle andthrashed the Australian side 77-0.As the score suggests, the New Zealand teamdominated from the outset. According to secondfive-eighth Nathan Couch: “It was one of thosegames where everything we tried seemed tocome off, passes stuck and we just kept runningin tries.” Couch said that Australia were effectivelydenied the ball and, as a result, were left chasingthe New Zealand Police side for the whole game.Challenge never eventuatedNZ Police were anticipating a fairly robust challengefrom their trans-Tasman rivals but it nevereventuated. Naturally, Team Manager, LandonPearce, was thrilled with his side’s performance:“It was great to watch...the Aussies’ only chance toscore was with a drop kick...and they missed.”The team was the first official, national Policeside to play against an Australian side in abouta decade and its’s hoped that the match willbecome a regular event. There is also a possibilityof a Police Rugby World Cup being held in NewZealand in 2011.• Five members of the NZ Police rugby team, which thrashed the Australian Police team 77-0in Melbourne last month. - Photo: Courtesy Jason Oxenham, Suburban Newspapers LtdFirst pistol biathlon in March 2008Run, shoot, run, shoot, run.That’s the name of the game in a rather uniqueevent – a pistol biathlon.The event featured at the World Police and FireGames in Adelaide earlier this year. Competitorsrun 1.6 km cross-country and then shoot 12shots from a standing position at a target placed25 metres away. This sequence then repeats.Your final score is based on time. Less accurateshooting adds seconds to your overall time.The pistol biathlon can be thought of as thesummer sports equivalent to Winter OlympicsBiathlon, which involves cross-country skiing andrifle shooting. It combines the classic catch-22 ofan endurance sport with a precision component.Run too hard and you risk losing points in theshooting section. Spend too much time in theshooting section for accuracy’s sake and thenyou are falling behind on the run.The pistol-shooting component of the eventinvolves basic skills that will be already familiar tomany police officers, however a firearms licenseis required to shoot handguns on pistol ranges inNew Zealand. Approach your firearms officer toapply for a licence.Contact cyrus.robinson@police.govt.nz toregister your interest in attending the first NZPolice pistol biathlon to be held in March 2008and to receive a copy of the rules. The event willbe held in Auckland and is open to sworn andnon-sworn staff and their families.Body building:Willie Walkergrabs twosilver medalsWillie Walker, who hasbeen competing in thesport of body buildingfor seven years withconsiderable success,is focusing on capturinggold in the WorldPolice and Fire Gamesin British Columbia,Canada in two yearstime.Walker has alreadycompeted in over50 championshipsin New Zealand andAustralia and recentlywon a silver medalat the World Policeand Fire Games inAdelaide, Australia.Willie was the sole NZ• Willie Walkercompeting at theWorld Police andFire Games heldin Adelaide earlierthis year.Police representativein the body building section. The Games attracted8,000 athletes from 60 countries competing in 70different sporting codes.Huge eventThe Games is the third biggest gathering ofathletes in the world behind the Olympics andWorld Cup events.Willie followed his top effort at the World Policeand Fire Games with another silver medal atthe Australasian Body Building Championshipsin Sydney in late April. Willie was part of a NZFederation of Body Building team of 12 and thegold medalist was a teammate from the Bay ofPlenty.Willie’s dedication to his sport sees him rising at4.30 a.m. to start training and often he does notget to bed until 11 pm. Body building is not onlyabout good training it demands good nutritionin order to build well defined muscle groups.Body builders often eat up to eight meals aday and Willie is no exception. He averages sixcompetitions a year. Self-trained, Willie began hisbody building career after a dare from a friend andsays he has “enjoyed every minute of it since”.National the focusWillie currently has his sights firmly set on theNational Body Building Champs in October andhe will use the Central North Island Champs inTauranga in late September as a build-up to whathe hopes will be a national title.Anyone interested in participating at the BritishColombia Games 2009 should initially contactlocal members that have attended previous WPFGames or they can contact Willie. Willie recentlytransfered from Hastings to the Eastern Waikatoand is the area’s executive member for the NewZealand Federation of Body Building (NZFBB).Any police personel interested in eithercompeting or being involved in the sport cancontact Willie via the Police Email system orby ringing the Thames Police station.

New Zealand Police AssociationMajor and Scottmake nationalLacrosse teamOver Queen’s Birthday weekend in June;Rebecca Major (Henderson) and Grainne Scott(Christchurch) represented New Zealand playingLacrosse in Melbourne, Australia.The pair played six games in four days, eachgame lasting just under and hour.Although facing some exceptionally toughcompetition, the New Zealand women’s teamplayed excellent Lacrosse and had several veryclose games. They were unlucky to finish sixth,going down in extra time in the final game to astrong US college side.Believed to be the “fastest game on two feet”,Lacrosse requires and rewards co-ordination,intelligence and agility. It is an exceptionallyexciting and fun sport to both play and watch.HistoryLacrosse has somewhat macabre and ritualfoundations. Native North Americans, who usedthe sport as a way of settling tribal disputes,developed it in the 15th century. It also served asa method of preparing young braves for combat.Games would last several days and be played onpitches spanning several miles with between 100to 1,000 men involved. Players were often gravelyinjured or killed, as the focus of early games wasto injure the opponent whilst moving towards thegoal.Today, Lacrosse is a team sport with 10-12players per team. The object is to score goalsusing a netted stick (the crosse) to pass, scoop,catch and shoot a hard rubber ball into the net.The goalkeeper, who wears protective equipmentand uses a modified stick, guards the net. Thegoal net measures 1.8m x 1.8m.Auckland baseThe main hub of the game is in Auckland and itsenvirons. However, clubs are developing rapidly inChristchurch, Wellington and Palmerston North.The World Championship is currently held byAustralia, who defeated the US in the finals,amassing the greatest winning margin in WorldCup history. The New Zealand women’s team iscurrently preparing for the World Cup, which isdue to be held in Prague, in the Czech Republicin 2009.Lots of sport andmore next monthWith lots of winter sporting events on,Police News has been inundated withresults and advertising of pending eventsfrom tournament organisers. Due to spacelimitations, it has not been possible toinclude some of these results in this editionbut rest assured they will be covered in theSeptember edition. – Editor.• Rebecca Major (left) and Grainne Scott who represented New Zealand at Lacrosse.New Zealand Police AssociationMountain Bike & Road Cycling Champs29/30 October 2007, NelsonEntries close: 19th October 2007Monday 29th OctoberTimings: Hill cimb0900 hours - registration - Lions Playground, Bisley Walk, Tahunanui Beach.0930 hours - hill climb starts.Course description:3.35km climb from the beach to awesome views over Nelson and Tasman Bay. Heightgain 165m, smooth tar-seal roads. Will run a category for MTB’s (no slick tyres allowed) ifsufficient numbers.Timings: Road race - 3 stage tour.1200 - 1230 hours - registration - Upper Moutere Hall.1245 hours - race briefing.1300 hours - race starts.Course description:Stage 1: 15.50km flat valley ride, finishing at Queen Victoria Street, Motueka.Stage 2: 42.00km slight incline throughout with a good climb to finish the stage at the topof Neudorf Hill.Stage 3: 8.5km mainly downhill (open grade to travel 23km).Distances: Open - 80.5km; Recreational - 65.5kmPrize-giving and finger food will commence at the completion of the race at the UpperMoutere Hall. (including spot prizes).Tuesday 30th OctoberTimings: Cross-country:0900 - 0930 hours - registration.0945 hours – race briefing.1000 hours – race start.Course Description:(Subject to logging restrictions). The race will start with a 2.5km gradually increasing climbon 4WD road. At the top on the first lap only all competitors will be sent up a short steepfirebreak (most people will walk it), from then it is single track that zigzags back down thevalley. Able to be ridden by all levels with enough roots, rocks and ruts to keep you onyour toes. Average time for three laps at a recent race was 1hr 35mins. Some photos areavailable on the Nelson Mountain Bike web site. Look under short rides, Tuckers Trails.Timings : Downhillers:1230 - 1300 hours - Registration1300 hours - 2 practice and 2 timed runs start.Course description:The favoured course for the downhill may be subject to logging requirements. We willadvise entrants as soon as possible.Cross-country: Open - 3 laps; Recreational – 2 lapsPrizegiving for the day will be held at the Nelson Police Station at the conclusion of thedownhill event.Contact Wade Jennings or Rob Hambrook via Lotus Notes for any further information.August 2007163

PoliceNewsThe Voice of Police• Nigel Henstock – styling on the longboard on his way to victory inthe event.Record numbers enjoy Police surf champsThe New Zealand Police Association Surf Champswere held in Gisborne during mid-March. The firstday of competition provided clean, one-metrewaves and sunny skies for a record 73 entrants,who travelled from as far afield as Dunedin andKaikohe.Thanks to the good weather, organisers wereable to run ten hours of surfing heats, whittling alldivisions down to the quarter-finals.The next day was in direct contrast though withugly, small onshore waves. The forecast was forimproving conditions and by 11.00 a.m. surferswere able to regroup and enjoy the surf thrownup by an offshore wind, which gradually improvedthe swell.EntertainmentThe “on ya guts” division provided entertainmentfor all with Heidi Giles (Raglan) claiming superior“cockroach” skills over Gisborne’s Paul Cleaver.Chris Allan from Taranaki took out the novicedivision and Scott Pitkethley the over 40’s. Thewomen’s division was closely fought with GinaSamson scoring a narrow victory from Lucy Parksin the final. The longboard final proved a highlycompetitiveall Gisborne affair with Nigel Henstocktaking the honours. Jason Hutchings was crownedthe new open champion after displaying fine wavesense. Jason’s local knowledge certainly aidedhis cause.The organisers and competitors were veryappreciative of the support of the Police Associationand Police Council of Sport. Congratulations to themajor spot prize winners, Campbell McEvedy whowalked away with an $800 short board and GinaSamson who picked up a $1,200.00 longboard.Interest in the competition was high this year,which bodes well for a possible increase incompetitor numbers next year.Results were:On ya guts: 1. Heidi Giles, 2. Paul Cleaver, 3.Dedrie Hemingway.Novice: 1. Chris Allen, 2. Ross Brown, 3.Tony Brownrigg.Over 40’s: 1. Scott Pitkethley, 2. Graeme Smaill,3. Ropata Proffit.Women: 1. Gina Samson, 2. Lucy Parks, 3.Whiti Timutimu.• The various winners of the divisions after their success at thesurfing champs.Longboard:Open:Tournament commences 6pm Friday 5 th OctoberEntry Fee: $120.00 per team of 4 or $30.00 per individualFormat: Provincial Teams Event – American ScoringGreat Prizes to be Won !!!Teams to consist of at LEAST 1 Member of NZ PoliceOther players must be registered Squash PlayersEntry includes: Dinner & Entertainment on Saturday NightTheme Night: Fancy Hat Party & Tall TalesFor an Official Electronic Entry Form please Email…geoffrey.duff@police.govt.nzAll other enquiries to Tournament DirectorsChris Wright (04) 564 6203 or 021 221 5759Bryan Knox (04) 566 6659 or 021 241 5322Ray Leevey (04) 977 3667 or 0274 796 0161. Nigel Henstock, 2. KevinCroskery, 3. Scott Pitkethley.1. Jason Hutchings, 2. RoystonBetteridge, 3. Campbell McEvedy.164August 2007

New Zealand Police AssociationWrite 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 goodreason for anonymity. The editor reserves the right to edit, abridge or decline letters without explanation. Email to: editor@policeassn.org.nz orwrite it to the Editor at PO Box 12344, Wellington. Letters under 400 words are preferred.Plaudits for having thecourage to speak outI write as a concerned ex-member to roundlyapplaud Senior Sergeant Iain Saunders forhaving the courage to stand up and be countedwith his obviously hard-hitting ‘Police RecruitStandards’ report. But I’m appalled that thePolice administration only released the reportafter being forced to do so by The DominionPost, via an Official Information Act request.The published details, extracted from thisreport, only confirm what I and many otherex-members are hearing from increasinglydisgruntled current members. The majorityof the public still supports the Police on mostlaw and order issues but they are becomingincreasingly alarmed by the regular stories inthe mass media about the endless deficienciesthat appear to now bedevil the current Policeorganisation.The continued lack of transparency and theapparent inability of an obviously besiegedPolice administration to come clean andadmit to the politicians and the public of NewZealand (and their own staff) the true state ofNew Zealand policing will only further alienatean increasingly disillusioned public (and theirown workforce).It is not disloyal to make constructivecomment and to speak out on importantpolicing issues, including falling standards,blurred statistics, and officer safety issues. Infact, I would argue that it is a demonstration ofloyalty, professionalism and personal integrityto do so. It is only through honesty andtransparency that perceived deficiencies will beaddressed and rectified. A timely Mea Culpa,and a disarmingly honest response will gainfar greater public support than the continueddenials of the obvious, and the regular weakprevarication that is no longer believed by along suffering and cynical public.It is very encouraging to learn that membersare not readily accepting a decline in standardsand are responding to such important issuesby courageously recording their genuineconcerns. I’m sure that Iain has taken a lotof flack over his report but I personally seeit as a ray of hope in a very murky winter ofdiscontent. I hope that others will take Iain’slead and stand up and be counted over suchimportant policing issues.As a postscript, if any of you have any lingeringdoubts about the real potential for a long-termnegative impact on the New Zealand Policeby the relaxing of recruiting standards, andby failing to carry out robust and timely duediligence investigations of prospective policeapplicants, I suggest that you take the time toread the section on Police corruption in Miamiin the late 1980’s contained in Paul Eddy’sexcellent book Cocaine Wars.Dave Haslett(Christchurch)SRBA and safetyI am writing in my capacity as the stab resistantbody armour (SRBA) project’s businessowner and on behalf of the project’s steeringcommittee in response to the letters from CarlChristensen and Ryan Mitchell in the PoliceNews recently. They raise important concernson the issue of SRBA.The steering committee acknowledges thatthere have been problems with the sizes ofvests, which had to be lengthened to enablethe duty belt to be attached to it rather thanworn around the hips.The steering committee was an integral part ofthis decision, which was made because someSki Champs at Ruapehufrom 11-13 SeptemberThe New Zealand Police Association Ski Champs will be held at Mount Ruapehu between Tuesday11th and Thursday the 13th of September this year.This event is essentially a low-key competition with the emphasis based on meeting others andhaving a good time. Skiers and snowboarders of all abilities are welcome with separate divisions forbeginners, intermediate and open grades.Racers will enjoy a relaxed training day and later be given two runs each over a slalom and Super Gcourse. A New Zealand Police Ski Team, which will compete at the Canadian Police Ski Champs inSilverstar, British Columbia in January 2008, will be selected after this event.Budget accommodation is available at the Police Ski Club Lodge in Raetihi. Those interested inparticipating or requiring further information and an entry form please contact either John Dauntonor Scott Pitkethely via Lotus Notes or John on extension 78080 or Scott on 69023.staff had experienced lower back problems asa result of wearing the duty belt on the hips.Neither the steering committee nor the supplierappreciated the effect this would have on overallsizings. The impact of the lengthening was notsufficiently appreciated or taken into accountwhen measuring first took place.I can assure Mr Christensen that contraryto his view that ‘senior officers are pattingthemselves on the back’, I am acutely aware ofthe frustration that members are experiencingbecause of the delay. However, we are not(continued on next page)NI Lawn BowlsChamps inTaupo in NovThe Police Association-sponsored North IslandLawn Bowls Championships will be held in Taupoon Wednesday 7 November and Thursday 8November.It is the first time the champs have been held inTaupo and the event, which will be limited to 16teams of four players, will be played under the“Classic” format.Teams of four must consist of at least two currentor retired, sworn or non-sworn members of Police(male or female) who are affiliated to a bowlingclub.Entries are on a first-in-first-served basis as thereare only two greens available for the tournament.Be sure and book your accommodation early. Toregister, or for more information contact: AndrewCampbell (07) 377-9336; extn 74336 or AllanGibson (07) 377-9330 (extn 74330) or byEmailing either Andy or Allan via Lotus Notes.NationalSnowboardingChamps atCardronaThe 2007 NZ Police Association and Council ofSport Snowboarding Nationals are to be held atCardrona Alpine Resort, Queenstown from 19-21September 2007.The competition will consist of Halfpipe, Boardercrossand Giant Slalom.Anyone interested in competing should contactGreg Murton on Police extension 36725, orvia Email: Gregory.Murton@police.govt.nz forfurther details.August 2007165

PoliceNewsThe Voice of Policeprepared to sacrifice quality or staff safety forthe sake of expediency.Throughout this process we have consultedregularly with the Police Association and willcontinue to do so until the project is complete.The roll-out of SRBA is continuing throughoutthe country. A shipment of 1500 vests isexpected in October. We expect all staff, whoare to be issued with SRBA, to have their vestsby December.Tony McLeod(National Manager: Operations, PNHQ)Time the departmentpulled up its trousersI write in response to recent comments in themedia by politicians regarding the Police’s lackof foresight when the SRBA was issued. Moreparticularly around comments about howSRBA worked with the current shirts. Let’s setthe facts straight. The department has not actedhastily, in fact they have done the very opposite.They have known (although some of them willdeny it) that our uniform issue trousers are anOccupational Safety and Health (OSH) hazard,in that when they are exposed to fire they meltand stick to the poor unfortunate wearingthem. From what I understand, managementhas been looking at a new uniform for the lastfour years, at least. Come on guys, it doesn’ttake that long. You only need to look acrossthe ditch to see that the cotton cargo pantsissued by our Australian counterparts are bothpractical and functional.Why does management insist on trialing newequipment with non-frontline staff? I knowthat they have trialed the cargo pants withStaff Safety Tactical Training (SSTT), so whynot the frontline? Many people I’ve spokenwith whilst walking the beat in Christchurch,agree that cargo pants are more appropriatefor the work we now do. While it’s nice tohave a pretty uniform for parades etc, it isn’tthat practical.Whilst on the issue of uniform and equipmenttopic - I was watching the TV tonight andsaw that MAF have issued their staff with theHiatt (rigid) speed cuffs. I attended a meetingof SSTT and Team Policing Unit (TPU)supervisors in 2001 and the issue of thesehandcuffs was raised. Inspector Hinds advisedus that they were being looked at, as theywere easier to use than the current issue andmore practical, as they have a larger diameter.Yet, the excuse for not issuing them was thatan Australian state’s Police had purchasedan unknown brand of hinged cuff and werehaving problems with them. The Hiatt speedcuff has been used in the UK and Europefor almost 20 years now. So can someone atPNHQ explain why MAF are issued with themand we are not?At the same meeting, I was asked by one of thepurchasing staff why some of my colleaguesand I had replaced issue equipment withequipment we purchased ourselves. Myanswer was simple and honest: “When thedepartment stops buying cheap and nasty crapI’ll stop replacing it with something better.”Afterall, each of us has only 1* (one asterisk/1ass to risk). All I ask is for the departmentto get the decent equipment out quickly towhere it’s needed and if you need to knowwhat’s needed then talk to the frontline, notthe office dwellers.Jim Currie(Christchurch)Recruitment and retentionEarlier this year, I resigned after 10 years as asworn officer (five years frontline, four and ahalf years SOCO, six months STU). No greatmilestone I’ll grant you. However, probablylonger than what is now “the average” lengthof service.Prior to joining, whilst serving and sinceleaving, I have often heard recruitment orretention of staff touted as a major issue forPolice.Most recently this has been, unfortunately,via the media, specifically regarding theintellectual ability of recruits and the supposedlowered entry standards.While there is always going to be attrition, itstrikes me that if the job conditions, fundingissues and management ability were better,there might be more good cops still in thejob. Most that I know of have exited becauseof internal matters rather than the stresses ofcatching crooks.I know there are a huge array of issues, otherthan those mentioned above, that leavesofficers dissatisfied in their work. However,doesn’t it follow that if less people leave, therewill be less demand for replacements?Police management and the Minister shouldbe addressing the issues that lead staff to exitthe job. This might well lead to relieving therecruitment headache a little.And what happened to exit interviews? Priorto acceptance of my resignation, I wasn’t evenasked so much as why I was leaving or if therewas anything that could be done to retain myexperience. This is apparently “the norm”.Perhaps they were happy to let a fully trainedand SOCO-qualified constable walk into theblue yonder.Jeff Welch(Nelson)Policing and having a familyI joined the Police in November 2003 and hadaspirations of reaching the rank of detectiveand hopefully taking promotion. After aplanned pregnancy, I commenced maternityleave. Our little girl is now eight months oldand for the past two months I have been tryingto return to a frontline position on flexibleemployment options (FEO).For a myriad of reasons presented to me, thisso far has proven to be too difficult for thepowers that be to execute. It was for this reasonthat I read with great interest the articles in theJune edition of the Police News about the roleof women within the Police.On a day-to-day basis, as a female officer, Ihave no complaints. My gripe lies with being,and I quote Lianne Dalziel, “relegated to thebackbenches” because that is exactly whatthe Police tried to do to me when I said I wasready to return.I have been in the Police for just over threeyears: nine months on maternity leave, 10months between two desk jobs, which has leftme with only around 18 months of frontlineexperience. I believe that the frontline is wherewe need to cut our teeth and consolidate whatwe have been taught at the Police Collegebefore moving on.It seems that management don’t know howto manage someone part-time in a frontlineposition.There will never be an increase in the numberof female officers holding senior rank if theprocesses for us to advance in our career inany position and on a part time basis are notestablished.It’s been made clear to me that a career inthe CIB on a part-time basis is never goingto happen, nor will the position of sectionalsergeant be available to me.While I applaud Mr Broad’s statement ofcommitment to gender roles, differences andbarriers to promotion, this commitment hasyet to reach the level of the decision makers inpolice stations where it makes a difference tosomeone like me.I suggest that the current barriers that existsurrounding FEO and career advancement areaddressed before too much emphasis is placedon recruiting more women into the Police. It’sa safe bet that a number of those women, likeme, will want to have a family. What happenswhen they take maternity leave, come back,then leave again and finally want to return totheir chosen career? How will FEO work forthese women who wish to return to frontlinepositions and advance?I envisioned my career in the Police to belike my father’s, long and very successful. Itsaddens me greatly that this may not be so.Kim Shields(Auckland)Erebus namesIt was with great interest that I read yourarticle about the Erebus crash in the MayIssue of Police News. I joined the Police as anon-sworn member the same month, andremember that day vividly. I was rostered oncomputer training that day between the 1500and 2300hrs. The late Constable Lloyd Smithwas the computer instructor at that time. Itwas during that training that word had filtereddown that Air NZ flight TE901 was ‘missing’.We all left training wondering about theoutcome.Several members of the Henderson Police wererostered to work at the Auckland Mortuary forseveral weeks during Operation Recovery. Tothis day most of them do not talk about it.Many have since left or retired.166August 2007

New Zealand Police AssociationHas there been a list published with the namesof all of the recipients of the Special ServiceMedal? Snippets have been seen on TV newsbulletins with only a couple of names beingmentioned.I think it would have been appropriate for thefull list of recipients to be published with yourarticle in the Police News. Is there any chancethat this list can be published in future?Maureen Gunning(Waitemata)Thanks for your letter Maureen. If you goto the following link: http://medals.nzdf.mil.nz/category/f5/f5clist.html it lists the133 recipients in full. Because of spacelimitations, it was decided not to publishthe names in Police News but to cover thepresentations and some of the stories thathad not been previously told about Erebusas a mark of respect to those who losttheir lives there and as a recognition of thetremendous work of all those involved inOperation Overdue. This has been done overfour issues now, including this one. – EditorSFO responds to concernsIt was disappointing to read your articledenigrating the work of fellow law enforcementcolleagues in the Serious Fraud Office, many ofwhom are ex-police officers, particularly whenthe criticism was largely based on incorrectand misleading information.That we have lost one or two cases over theyears should hardly be surprising to anyonefamiliar with our Court processes. However,not even in these cases has the Serious FraudOffice been found “wanting” as your articlewould suggest. It would have been helpful tohave included the dialogue from the SeriousFraud Office Annual Report that went withthe “Trends in Workloads” graph. Thatwould have revealed that a more sophisticatedapproach to cases is the cause of the ‘falling’trend rather than a diminution of serious andcomplex fraud investigations. It might alsohave helped to have pointed out that delaysin resolving cases were largely attributable todelays in obtaining information via MutualAssistance requests, a matter beyond the controlof the Office.Over the past few years, the Serious Fraud Officehas, quite rightly, been openly supportive of thePolice during some trying times when Policeactivities have come under severe criticism. Ibelieve that the working relationships betweenthe Police and the Serious Fraud Office atvarious levels are excellent.Your members deserve to hear the facts. For therecord, the Serious Fraud Office was one of thefew contributors who did not support a standaloneagency similar to the Asset RecoveryAgency in the United Kingdom. Rather we sawcivil forfeiture as being included as a specialisttask within the Serious Fraud Office and beingoperated in conjunction with the Police. It isinteresting that the United Kingdom now seemsto be adopting an approach similar to thatproposed by us.Perhaps more significantly, the Serious FraudOffice was alone in seeking more appropriatepowers for the Recovery Body. The SeriousFraud Office agrees with the Association that thepowers provided in the current Bill are unlikelyto have much impact on the “top-end criminal”.But search warrants are also unlikely to havemuch impact in relation to obtaining evidenceto justify the forfeiture of assets. The SeriousFraud Office argued for powers comparable tothe existing powers of the Director of the SeriousFraud Office – powers that have proved to beinvaluable in the investigation and unravellingof complex financial arrangements. We have acommon goal – to successfully fight crime. Wewould prefer the Association supported us inour efforts to be given the best powers necessaryto do the job properly. No one is served wellby an entity that is given less than the optimalpowers necessary to do its job.The reality is that the Police and the SeriousFraud Office bring complementary skills to thematter of civil forfeiture. Rather than taking anegative approach to the Serious Fraud Officebeing named as the Recovery Body for civilforfeiture cases, the Association would serve itsmembers better (and the fight against crime)by adopting a more co-operative approach,and by focussing on ensuring that theCriminal Proceeds (Recovery) Bill provides lawenforcement agencies with the tools requiredto successfully undertake this important newinitiative in the fight against crime.D J Bradshaw(Director, Serious Fraud Squad)As the article pointed out, the Association’sposition is one of concern over the possibilityof under-resourcing for the SFO if it isthe Recovery Body, Police staff beingeffectively ‘sidelined’ while doing the bulk ofinvestigations and whether the SFO had thenecessary experience in dealing directly withorganised criminal groups, such as gangs,to be at the helm of the Recovery Body.The Association maintains its position thatthis is a job, which would be best suited toPolice. The SFO’s Trend in Workloads graphshows the number of new prosecutions,new files and new investigations has fallenin recent years. According to the SFO’sAnnual Report of 2006, out of a total of 44cases at the investigation stage, eight werecompleted but did not result in a prosecution,12 resulted in prosecution and 24 remainunder investigation. Fourteen (32%) of thesecases exceeded the SFO’s own – 12-monthcompletion target. These figures suggestthat the SFO has not lost “just one or twocases” in the last few years. The informationin the article was neither “misleading norincorrect”, it conveyed the opinions ofboth the Association and the SFO (via aninterview with yourself). You were givenevery opportunity to comment on the issuesinvolved and took the opportunity to do so.The strong links between the Police and SFOwere acknowledged. – Editor.MOT reunionbeing mootedAre you an ex-Ministry of Transport officer?Expressions of interest for a possible reunionare being called for and if you are interestedyou should contact retired Senior ConstableLes Platt by phoning (03) 314-8153 orEmail to katrinag@macrocom.net.nzUseful Information & ContactsNew Zealand Police Association:For immediate industrial & legal advice(on matters that cannot be deferred such as Policeshootings, fatal pursuits or deaths in custody)ring 0800 TEN NINE (0800 836 6463)– 24 hour/seven days servicePolice Network 44446 Website www.policeassn.org.nzFreephone 0800 500 122 Police Home Loans 0800 800 808Police Health Plan/Police Fire and General Insurance Police Credit Union 0800 429 000Quotes & information 0800 500 122 or (04) 472 9645or Fax (04) 496 6819 Credit Union www.policecu.org.nzPolice Fire and General Insurance claims 0800 110 088 GSF information 0800 654 731All enquiries (04) 496 6800 PSS information 0800 777 243Vice PresidentsStuart Mills (027) 268 9416Chris Cahill (027) 268 9411Field OfficersNorthland 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 and Canterbury Districts: Dave McKirdy (027) 268 9410Southern District Dave Steel (027) 268 9427Regional DirectorsRegion One Steve Hawkins Whangaparoa (027) 268 9419Region Two Mark Leys Papatoetoe (027) 268 9413Region Three Mel Ridley Tauranga (027) 268 9414Region Four Luke Shadbolt Hastings (027) 478 9001Region Five Ron Lek Wellington (027) 268 9417Region Six Craig Prior Sydenham (027) 268 9412Region Seven Tracey Maclennan Invercargill (027) 268 9418August 2007167

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