banana-skin guide to policing - New Zealand Police Association

News/viewsIN BRIEFRecognition for GageCanine hero Gage, the policedog shot dead during a calloutin Christchurch in 2010, wasposthumously awarded theprestigious PDSA Gold Medallast month. The medal isinternationally regarded as theanimal equivalent of the GeorgeCross and is awarded by Britishcharity People’s Dispensary forSick Animals for gallantry anddevotion to duty for savinghuman life. During a fracas withan armed offender, Gage leaptto the defence of his handlerBruce Lamb, who had justbeen shot in the face, and tookthe second bullet in the back,thereby saving Senior ConstableLamb from further harm.Arctic Star medalPolice Association member JimLester, a former policeman whoretired in 1981, was recentlyawarded the Arctic Star, aretrospective campaign medalissued this year for serviceabove the Arctic Circle bymembers of the British ArmedForces and Merchant Navy. MrLester, 91, received the medalto acknowledge the time hespent during World War II as aMerchant Navy crew memberinvolved in running vital supplytrips along a treacherous routebetween North America, Britainand Russia. Mr Lester, wholives in Geraldine, received hismedal in the mail. He told theGeraldine News that though hewas grateful for the recognition,it had come a bit late for most.“It’s taken so long, it’s got abit of moss on it. And it’s a bitsad in a way because a lot whoshould have got it are nowdead.”Senior shopliftersJapan is experiencing ageriatric crime wave. Offencescommitted by Japan’s elderlyhave reportedly doubled in thepast decade, and shopliftersare now more likely to be over65 than juveniles aged 14 to19. With a dwindling numberof young people to care forthem, more elderly are turningto crime, according to theNippon Life Insurance ResearchInstitute, which said criminaloffences by those 65 or olderreached 48,544 in 2012, withshoplifting accounting for 59 percent of that. businessweek.comKiwi cops denied AussieMore New Zealand police officers are hightailing it across the ditch,chasing the sunshine and better pay deals offered by Australianpolice forces. Most reports coming back through the grapevine areglowingly positive, but there’s a storm cloud in the background thatthreatens to eventually rain on the parade of anyone who settled inAustralia after 2001.What the Aussie policeforce recruiters haven’t beenadvertising to Kiwi cops isthat even though, as a policeofficer, you may lay your lifeon the line to help its residents,you may never be able tosecure Australian permanentresidency for yourself or yourchildren. And without that,you and they are not entitled tobenefits that most people takefor granted, including the rightto vote, access to social securitypayments and eligibilityfor student loans, transportsubsidies and disability services.The restrictions cameinto force after the HowardGovernment decided Kiwiswere clogging up its welfaresystem. It had tried to get NewZealand to agree to reimbursethe cost of all social securitypayments made to Kiwis inAustralia (A$1 billion), eventhough, at that time, figuresshowed that New Zealanderwere paying around A$2.5billion in tax.When New Zealand,naturally enough, refused tofoot the bill, the Aussies camedown hard. They wiped out theprevious Trans-Tasman TravelAgreement of 1973, underwhich Aussies and Kiwis couldtravel and live in each other’scountries without a visa.The clampdown was alsoattributed to the fear of“backdoor migration” toAustralia by nationals fromother countries who had gainedNew Zealand citizenship.Senior Constable Jeremy Addison, a former Porirua communityconstable, was recruited by the New South Wales state in 2010,but Jeremy and his family are still “temporary” residents. If heloses his job, he will receive no unemployment benefit. If one ofhis children develops a disability, the state will not help out. Norcan they receive a student loan. Jeremy says he loves his job anddoesn’t regret leaving New Zealand, but he and his wife, Rebecca,worry about the children. Unless they gain “in-need” skills, bothwill remain temporary residents forever. Rebecca works part-timeas a copywriter but is hoping to retrain in an “in-need” occupation,allowing the family to gain permanent residency.New Zealand citizens are stillwelcome to live and work inAustralia indefinitely, but nowthey fall under the ominouslynamed “non-protected”Special Visa Category (SVC),which severely restricts theirentitlements. They can applyfor permanent residence if theyare under 45 and with relevantskills defined in a SkilledOccupation list, which does notinclude police officersIn January, The New ZealandHerald highlighted the issueand said the restrictions meantNew Zealanders in Australiawould effectively remain “guestworkers” forever, paying full taxbut with few rights.And that’s starting to gratewith hard-working people likepolice officers.The wife of a New Zealandpolice officer working inNew South Wales vented herfrustration on the OzKiwiwebsite recently, saying she wasconcerned about the vulnerableposition that the non-protectedSVC status put her family in.Although she didn’t believeNew Zealand citizens shouldhave automatic rights to all202 SEPTEMBER 2013POLICE NEWS – THE VOICE OF POLICE