NZ Police – Isn’t ex MP Rodney Hide ignoring the two Elephant’s in the room?

Back in 2005 a young man was quietly convicted and sentenced in a central Otago court for traffic offences he had not committed. Not only had he not committed the offences he’d been accused of, but police all the way up to the local area commander knew full well that he had not committed the offences they had willfully and falsely accused him of.

It took many years of hard work and determination for that young mans innocence to be returned to him. The police all the while continued to hide the criminal offending of local police officers until such time as the victims supporters had managed tp obtain witness’s and the much-needed irrefutable evidence of corruption, corruption that Police National Headquarters could no longer spin their way out of.

Around a month ago the wife of the justice campaig.ner, Steve Potter, who lead the charge to prove the corruption in that case mysteriously disappeared without trace, nor it would seem any concern surrounding her disappearance shown by the New Zealand police hierarchy. In fact police, only a matter of days after her mysterious disappearance, made the very strange public admission that Marjorie Potter may never be found, not quite sure who it is in the New Zealand Police that has the gift of clairvoyance

A little over 7 months ago history repeated itself. Not only had the New Zealand police pursued another false allegation they had again done so even when it had been brought to their attention, well before the trial, that the evidence pointed to the accused being innocent and the police’s “victim” being wholly culpable. The difference in this case however being that even if the police hierarchy were not prepared to admit their role in another attempted malicious prosecution, the judge, on the facts before him, saw straight through the police’s bullshit investigation, their so-called expert witness’s testimony and months of corrupt behaviour.

As judges in New Zealand often seem inclined, the judge however failed to call the police behaviour for what it really was, pure and simple corruption. Not only was the inference of a police bias available on the facts, the obvious corruption might also have been proven beyond reasonable doubt had the right questions been asked.

There is no other word for it. Even ex right-wing Kiwi Politician Rodney Hide managed to bring himself to admit the police’s behaviour was “shameful”. Rodney as was to be expected, stopped short of actually admitting to the existence of the elephant standing before him as he penned his half-arsed opinion piece, quite why it was that he missed the elephant we can only imagine, suffice to say that Kiwi politicians are always loathed to use the word corruption.

Rodney also missed a second elephant, a beast named perjury.

Now the circumstances in this case are almost identical to the circumstances in the aforementioned Otago case, a simple case of police corruption wherein the investigating officer colluded with other police, including the offender, who was also a police officer to exculpate the true offender by falsely accusing the victim.

Both accidents involved a right hand turn, crossing the path of oncoming traffic. In fact it was the unobstructed view of one of those oncoming vehicles, completely credible evidence supporting Andersons version of events, which the police all too conveniently ignored, which when combined with the evidence of another two witness, greatly assisted  judge Winter with his determination:

[6] …….I accept the evidence of Ms Mead that she became concerned at his tailgating which she colourfully described as Mr Hansen travelling “right up her arse”………

[9]  In particular, I accept the evidence of Mr Rihea. He was travelling East bound on Sandstone Road and as he got to the crown of the hill sitting in his elevated seat, this experienced truck driver had a panoramic view of the events as they unfolded very close to him, he corroborates the defendants statement to police……….

Source: CRI-2014-092-001291, 28th October 2014

Hide also seems to miss another important issue, that being the matter of costs, the victim despite the police conspiracy against him still being required to foot the bill for 25% of the legal costs he had incurred. Now quite why it was that the judge arrived at this decision given the other findings of fact is unknown, perhaps he was limited in his scope by precedent and or the requirements of certain rules. That possibility is likely given the judges reported closing remarks:

“Mr Anderson should never have been put to a defence of this charge,” the judge said.

He ordered police to pay 75 per cent of costs and said Anderson’s employer should pursue police in civil court for losses they suffered.

Source: Stuff.co.nz

What is however clear is that the victim and or his employer now have a clear and unassailable right to issue legal proceedings against the New Zealand police in the civil jurisdiction. LF suspects that the aggrieved parties could well be successful in obtaining a punitive damages award in the circumstances.

What is also more than clear with this case is that the New Zealand police clearly have no intention of changing their corrupt and often criminal conduct as an institution.

Just as the Bazley Commission and the recommendations that inquiry handed down in March 2007 has brought about little if any change in the way the New Zealand police continue to handle rape allegations and other sexual offending, this case too further supports the argument that little has changed at Police National Headquarters in the lengths that police officers, both rank and file and senior management, are prepared sink to conceal their own wrong doing and criminal offending, including if need be the commission of additional criminal offences, namely perjury and knowingly making out false allegations with the premeditated intention of obtaining wrongful convictions.

LF have long been calling for a Royal commission into police corruption, an option that whilst long overdue has not even been considered by New Zealand’s political élite, including we might add Rodney Hide when he sat in parliament voting down any such attempt to rein the police in.

Rodney Hide opined:

Police procedure shameful

Rodney Hide

5:00 AM Sunday May 17, 2015
Graham Hohepa Anderson was doing everything right, earning a dollar and paying his tax.

Suddenly Mark Hansen’s Ford Falcon was upon him. Car and truck collided, the Ford spun, cartwheeled and crunched against a lamp post. It was clear to all what had happened.

But Hansen was an off-duty police officer. The police decided the accident was not his fault but the truck driver’s. They charged Anderson with careless use causing injury. That’s an automatic loss of licence, and thereby job, and potentially prison.

Anderson pays his taxes expecting the police to protect him. Instead, they came after him.

Anderson’s lawyer telephoned, wrote and met police to highlight the inadequacies of their case. But all to no avail. The police pressed on. They were resolute. The off-duty police officer racing to work wasn’t at fault. The truck driver was. Criminally so.

Judge Winter found the “police acted negligently in bringing and continuing this prosecution”.

And he observed that “the fact that the ‘victim’ was an off-duty police officer provides a regrettable but available perception that the investigation and prosecution was tarnished with bias”. Indeed.

Police bosses are now investigating. The investigation needs to look higher up.

Who made the decision to proceed with the prosecution? Who double-checked the investigation given that a police officer was involved? But, more especially, who is responsible for police culture enabling such an apparent abuse of police power and authority?

The Commissioner of Police should be fronting. He is not. Their own investigation is his excuse not to explain or defend. We are fortunate to have had a good lawyer and a wise judge. I can’t say the same about the police leadership.

Source: New Zealand Herald on Sunday

The original press report by Amy Mass of the Herald on Sunday also makes for interesting reading, not just in the facts presented but in the outrageous claims made in the article, as if it where Mass and the paper itself that had somehow been responsible for the IPCA complaint, when the truth of the matter is that any lawyer worth their salt would have pursued the option given the judges findings in open court:

Police ‘acted negligently’ say judge

Amy Maas

Herald on Sunday investigation prompts police watchdog’s inquiry.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority has launched an investigation into the “negligent” prosecution of a truck driver.

Last week, the Herald on Sunday revealed that police were ordered to pay tens of thousands of dollars to truck driver Graham Hohepa Anderson after he was blamed for a crash an off-duty cop caused.

Judge Gerard Winter dismissed careless driving charges saying the police “acted negligently” in prosecuting Anderson.

The judge also criticised the investigation and prosecution saying there was a perception it was “tarnished with bias”, court documents show.

Now the IPCA has launched an investigation.

“The authority has asked police for further information on this incident and will consider its position once this information is received,” a spokewoman said.

The charges against Anderson stemmed from a crash in October 2013. Anderson was carrying material in his truck to and from a construction site in Sandstone Rd, Whitford.

Off-duty officer Mark Hansen then “zoomed” past him accelerating to “110km/h if not slightly faster”.

Hansen, who was in an “impatient mood”, crossed the centre yellow line to pass the truck then clipped it as he tried to veer back on to the left side of the road.

When approached by the Herald on Sunday this week, Hansen refused to comment.

Police are already carrying out an in-house inquiry.

A police spokeswoman said the case had not been referred to the IPCA as it did not meet the criteria – but police had reviewed that decision after public interest sparked by the Herald on Sunday article.

The man who took the police case, Sergeant Mile Tusevljak, is now at the centre of the employment investigation.

Tusevljak served as an expert witness for the prosecution but the judge accused him of “particularly poor and unreasonable conduct” after failing to conduct basic investigations at the crash scene.

A spokeswoman for Counties Manukau Police said the investigation would “examine the actions of those employees involved in the crash investigation, prosecution decisions, supervisor actions for both the crash and prosecution actions, the investigation processes and practices”.

Police hope to complete the review by mid-next month, but in the meantime the company Anderson worked for is pursuing a civil action against police to recover costs.

Judge Winter, who ordered police to pay 75 per cent of Anderson’s $50,000 legal bills, urged the civil action. The company, Tebo, was left out of pocket after the truck was damaged in the crash and police impounded it for three weeks.

Source: The Herald on Sunday

Amy Maas fails to draw on the available history in her report. She fails to raise the possibility of the existence of a systemic problem within the police force. After all  the case of Neil Fords perjury is not a one off random incident, the fact is there have long been allegations that Neil Ford alone took the fall for a police conspiracy that went much higher in the Otago area command police hierarchy.

There are many more examples of exactly the same behaviour, police prosecuting the victims of police offending, the case of Sergeant Ronald Greatorex’s false prosecution of Russell Byfeield immediately comes to mind, a case also reported on by Amy Maas. In fact just a matter of weeks before Judge Winters delivered his scathing decision the IPCA had released it’s decision in yet another case of false prosecution by the New Zealand police;

Investigation into police officers

9th October 2014

Four police officers, including a Canterbury area commander, and a former police constable, are under criminal investigation for their part in presenting false evidence.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) has today released its findings into an incident three years ago in which Timaru man Troy Reuben was tasered and pepper-sprayed in front of his partner and children by two officers investigating a report of domestic violence.

The report has found that two constables gave evidence about the case which they knew to be wrong, with the approval of at least two senior officers and the police prosecutor.

The two constables had accused Troy Reuben of throwing a shower door at them and using his child as a shield, but the case was thrown out of court after the judge found their evidence was contradicted by taser camera footage.
Today’s report reveals the police prosecutor was told to go ahead with the case by a Timaru senior sergeant and the Mid-South Canterbury Area Commander Inspector Dave Gaskin.
Chair of the authority Judge Sir David Carruthers said the officers used excessive force.

The report has also criticised the police prosecutor for failing in his duty to ensure the evidence presented in court was correct.
An internal investigation questioned the decision but a subsequent inquiry by a Timaru senior sergeant cleared staff.
Assistant commissioner Allan Boreham said police accept the findings and have apologised to Mr Reuben and his family.

He said criminal and employment investigations are underway into the conduct of all staff involved in the incident and subsequent prosecution, including the two constables, the police prosecutor and the area commander.

Mr Boreham said the police would not be taking action against the officers involved until the criminal and employment investigations were complete.
“I am convinced that there isn’t any risks at the moment for those staff, so we’ve got those staff, those staff are currently working, they’ll be aware of the investigation and once we know the outcome of the investigation then we can make judgement.”

Mr Boreham said the public could be confident the investigations will be thorough.
Detective Inspector Greg Murton is leading the criminal inquiry, reporting directly to acting Detective Superintendent Paul Berry at Police National Headquarters.

Reuben wants an apology
Troy Reuben’s lawyer says his client wants an apology and help for his traumatised children.
Mr Reuben’s lawyer, Jay Lovely, said his client wants counselling for his children, who saw their father being tasered and pepper-sprayed.
His son, who was 10 at the time, needed treatment for pepper-spray.
Police said they had apologised to Mr Rueben but his lawyer said he wanted an apology from each of the four officers who were at his house that day.

Source: Radio New Zealand

Amy Maas also fails to refer to the judges comments on the evidence of Sergeant Mile Tusevljak as contradicted by the defenses expert witness, Mr Marks, who in LF’s view, when combined with the evidence of the eye witnesses is likely wholly responsible for the police’s malicious case having spectacularly collapsed, the judge certainly also thought that to be the case.

“Beyond this negligence the fact that the “victim” was an off-duty police officer provides a regrettable but available perception that the investigation about the incident and prosecution of Mr Anderson was tarnished with bias.”

Allegations of police bias were also supported by police “unreasonably discounting” evidence of an on-coming truck driver who had a “grand stand view” of the accident but whose evidence was in favour of Anderson, the judge said.

Source: Stuff.co.nz

The fact is that the Herald on Sunday had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with a decision to refer the matter to IPCA. The judge made clear his views on the issue of costs, as was reported in by Fairfax this month also, not the New Zealand Herald;

“Mr Anderson should never have been put to a defence of this charge,” the judge said.

He ordered police to pay 75 per cent of costs and said Anderson’s employer should pursue police in civil court for losses they suffered.

Source: Stuff.co.nz

The decision to make a complaint would have been made the minute the judges written decision had been handed down in late October 2014, given the circumstances, certainly by the defence and in the event of the police corruption becoming public by police themselves.

The fact is that in any event the IPCA would have required a complaint from at least one party to the events and prosecution in the first instance before even being able to act. The more likely scenario is that the IPCA had received a complaint, or where at least aware of the police behaviour in this case and had been dragging their heels.

This deliberate and belligerent attitude on the part of the IPCA is not at all an uncomon occurrence since corrupt ex-cop Pieter Roozendaal was appointed to head up IPCA investigations in 2008 (see; Ex police thug heads New Zealand’s IPCA complaints investigation Unit). Ex detective inspector Pieter Roozendaal himself was caught up in the now infamous “have you had your beating yet” police corruption scandal in 2005, whilst incidentally also stationed at Manukau area command.

Whats more the fact that Amy Maas reports that the police officer responsible for the carriage of the investigation and prosecution, one Sergeant Mile Tusevljak, is now the subject of a so-called internal police employment investigation is indicative of the fact that the New Zealand Herald have also failed to declare their hand in what would now seem to be the police intention to coverup any wrong doing, thus mitigatee any police culpability and resultant liability.

The so-called internal employment investigation ruse is the most common vehicle currently employed by New Zealand police to circumvent a proper criminal investigation, where warranted and shut down media reports on any events surrounding those coverup investigations, always somewhat euphemistically citing confidentiality under such circumstances. This ruse has been employed in almost every notable case of police corruption or wrong doing over the past 5 – 7 years.

The fact is that Sergeant Mile Tusevljak is more than likely guilty of perjury, albeit now extremely hard to prove to the criminal standard given the manner in which Tuselvek’s unqaulified highly subjective evidence was allowed to be given.

The manner in which Mile Tusevljak’s evidence was handled was also very likely a deliberate ploy by police to avoid a later prosecution, no doubt having learnt from the prosecution of Sergeant Neil Ford in 2011 for perjury. The judge seemingly surprised at some of the admissions made by Sergeant Tusevljac during cross examination by defense and under the judges own direction whilst Tusevljac was on oath.

For a police crash investigator of purportedly 22 years experience to claim ignorance of the code of conduct for expert witnesses and handle the investigation in the manner he did is certainly questionable, in our view highly improbable, a conclusion we suspect that Winter DCJ may have also reached (see para 32), punishing the police accordingly – . The full judgement of District Court Judge Winter can be read here;

New Zealand Police v Grahame Hohepa Anderson [CRI-2014-092-001291, 28th October 2014]

The fact that this case remained hidden from public view for seven months, especially given its extraordinary similarities to the 2005 Police v Shane Cribb case is an indictment on New Zealand’s media and the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) itself.

To be honest, with that extraordinary delay Amy Maas and the New Zealand Herald on Sunday have little if anything to bloody well crow about, this case should have made headlines in October 2014, not seven months later. The fact is that Kiwi journos are always among the latecomers to any injustice party, preferring to jump the wagon once its rolling.

There is an additional aspect to this case which is arguably even more serious. That of the motive behind the polices malevolent prosecution. Just what was their intention? Sure the obvious conclusions can be drawn, that they had every intention of obtaining a conviction against an innocent man, but why they wanted to is another question in itself. There is of course the more than obvious likely agenda of saving face, both for the police as a body and the real culprit, a serving police officer who had allegedly been seriously injured.

There are however indications of yet another imperative at work driving the police’s behaviour. There seems to have been a lot of emphasis placed on the serious injuries sustained by police officer Mark Hansen. The police prosecutor certainly appeared to make that point when ever he had the opportunity. The judge too raises the issue of the injuries sustained by officer Hansen, but seemingly only to put pay to any ambiguity that may have been raised at some later point (see paragraphs 33 and 47 of the judgement).

“My rejection of the prosecution expert evidence when taken in combination with the findings of fact I have made from the prosecution witnesses inevitably lead me to the conclusion that the prosecution had not excluded the reasonable possibility that Mr Anderson was not careless, but rather Mr Hansen’s carelessness caused the incident and his injuries” – Winter DCJ

In fact the matter of Hansen’s injuries seem to have taken centre stage during the trial, almost in an otherwise undeserving way. With this in mind one could be forgiven for drawing the inference that the prosecution may have had a lot to do with entitlements born of Hansens injuries, be those entitlements perhaps via an insurance policy or his police pension following the inflicting of such injuries as alleged, more especially the pecuniary entitlements or benefits such injuries might have reason to attack should it be proved the injuries had been inflicted through the capability of someone other than the insured.

Simply put was it the police prosecutors intention to assist Hansen in making a false claim on his police pension fund or another insurer perhaps? It would seem to us a completely valid suspicion to hold in the circumstances

The police prosecution made a lot of noise around the fact that Hansen was on his way to work to start a shift, they also focused on the injuries Hansen had sustained, clearly all for the benefit of the record had the police succeeded in their malicious prosecution, which in turn would also undoubtedly have assisted with any claim Hansen then went on to make against his insurance or pension fund entitlements – in short a guilty verdict against Mr Anderson would undoubtedly have assisted Officer Hansen greatly. This fact also seems to have occurred to Judge Winter, as at para [47] of his judgement Winter DCJ seems at pains to provide clarity on the issue of culpability for Hansen’s injuries:

[47] I am satisfied that Mr Anderson took a careful and lawful approach to his right hand turn. I find that he did not suddenly, unreasonably and carelessly cut across Mr Hansens path causing the injuries he suffered. I make it clear that this is not an account of Mr Hansens contribution to the cause of his injury. I fined that as Mt Anderson did not use his truck carelessly his actions were not a materially significant or substantial cause of [Mr Hansens*] injury.

Source: CRI-2014-092-001291, 28th October 2014

*Note: At para [47] of Winter’s judgement the name of the defendant, Anderson, is incorrectly placed where that of Hansen should be.

There is no doubting the fact that this prosecution was a complete abuse of process and of the powers invested in the New Zealand police, although it does not rank amongst the first of such cases, rather just one more among the many.

The police’s motives however do need to be scrutinised very carefully in this case, including any financial windfall that may have been more readily available had police succeeded in obtaining a conviction against Anderson and culpability for Hansen’s injuries thus wrongly attributed to Anderson.

There is another very interesting aspect to the Herald on Sunday’s articles and it has nothing whatsoever to do with the efforts or content provided by either Amy Maas or Rodney Hide. Rather it’s to be found in the comments left by readers.

Rodney Hide’s article for example, in our estimation, attracted unprecedented anti police sentiment and an extraordinary array of extremely astute observations, all making the point that the police’s behaviour had gone well beyond the euphemism Hide employs, “shameful” being but one, when in reality what had occurred was nothing short of criminal.

So far as we here at LF could see there was little doubt in the minds of most readers that the New Zealand police had again been caught acting corruptly.

Rodney Hide, in particular, is singled out, deservedly so, accused of actively trivialising the police’s behaviour – behaviour that would, in any other jurisdiction, undoubtedly be seen as constituting serious corruption and attract a great deal of media attention and suitable public scorn.

So when will New Zealand’s elected representatives start looking after those they are paid to serve? When will New Zealand as a nation grow up and come of age? A process that includes acknowledging and dealing with police corruption as and when it occurs. Some among the New Zealand public are clearly concerned that it may in fact never happen;

Comments as they appeared under Rodney Hide’s opinion piece in the Herald on Sunday paint a very grim picture of the true public perception of New Zealand’s thick blue line;

Whats with the noble crusade lately Rodney after years of supporting right wing neo totalitarianism. If Graham Anderson never had the wherewithal and an honest judge doing the right thing he’d be just another statistic in the slammer with a bleak future ahead of him.Beneath that granite like exterior people might start getting the idea you have a conscious after all. – Grahame – 09:39 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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“The investigation needs to look higher up.
Who made the decision to proceed with the prosecution? Who double-checked the investigation given that a police officer was involved? But, more especially, who is responsible for police culture enabling such an apparent abuse of police power and authority?” Yes, something is starting to stink in the land of the long white Cloud. – Plain tuckered out – 09:39 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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To put it bluntly it’s straight out police corruption. And if the Police say it is not, it just goes to show what sort of Police are still working in this job and should not be there, no wonder the public have no respect for them, don’t get me wrong there are bad apples there and they need to be gone.
At least this time We have had a Judge make the correct call and i applaud him – Richard Hewitt – 09:40 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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The new Graham McCready has emerged!! – Peter – 09:40 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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For once I agree with you Rodney. It is time that the police themselves were investigated from the top down. This is not the first time that things go awry, nor will it be the last. The one who eventually pays is the victim. – Greek – Bay of Plenty – 09:40 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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A relevant topic today.
When people are wrongly targeted and charged they find themselves unwittingly in the position of having to defend themselves from very much better resourced opponents such as the police.Despite being innocent the truck driver’s life is turned upside down. The years waiting for this issue to be correctly sorted out are a travesty of justice.
How does the police hierarchy sleep at night knowing that injustices like this are being perpetrated on innocent people to protect their colleagues.We all know we could be set up at any time if it’s serves their purposes.
This isn’t a new problem. My dad got set up for not dipping his headlights when following on Auckland’s new motorway back in the 60s. He was in court for about 2 minutes as the judge could see right through the police case.However just this flimsy case getting as far as court was the damaging part. Once dad regained his sense of humour he became a great deal more suspicious and less inclined to trust the police.They do themselves no favours by continuing to hide their misdemeanors like naughty little boys. – joybell – 09:41 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Agreed, this sort of police behaviour is reprehensible, and I have had a friend experience a similar thing. This is abuse of power Rodney, so perhaps you may now understand why some of us are sceptical of too many GCSB powers.The police are a closed shop at times, petrified of criticism, and close ranks far too easily. This is sad, because in other ways they are a good police force, so they are just seriously undermining their own credibility with the public, in effect making their own life much harder. Where is the leadership from the top? They should be showing no tolerance for this.However what about the police complaints authority? Shouldn’t they be empowered to look into this, at least they are independent. Or does it show inadequacies with this authority? – Gandalf – St Heliers – 09:42 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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It all just adds to the perception that if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time then look out if the Police decide you are guilty. Regardless of the facts. – Tiare Taporo III – New Zealand – 09:42 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Police are getting worse and worse. – La petite mort – 09:42 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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The total rubbish standard of police in NZ and their behaviour and revolting culture needs to change quickly by way of a total clean out. – exnzerinuk – England – 09:42 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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This is extremely worrying! Are the NZ Police becoming more like there American counterparts where being a policeman justifies special treatment by the police. In the US the police appear to consider their role allows them to “be above the law”.This incident and others, plus the police revenue gathering via speed camera’s (with negligible tolerance for error) is turning the police into a group that appears to exploit the public, rather than protecting them. We need to focus on re-educating the police to “serve the public”, not themselves. Changes are needed within the police hierarchy. – NAJ – Houhora – 09:43 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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This is a frightening scenario and reinforces that human nature is to protect those within the tribe (in this case the Police) and to hell with outsiders (the public). I cant believe what actually happened here. Everytime I read a fresh article on this case I shake my head. God forbid you should every get into a situation where it is you versus the Police.I would say you are pretty much screwed regardless if you are in the right. If we cant rely on the Police to do the right thing who can we trust? Certainly not Politicians and local bureaucrats but then we have always known that. As an aside we all know the Police have a policy of revenue gathering via issuing of speeding tickets.It is so obvious yet the upper ranks deny deny deny. Did I read correctly on the front page of the Herald this morning that the Police issue nationally on average 86,000 speeding tickets per month? That works out to be 118 tickets per hour of every day of every week of every month. From April to June 2014 the Waitemata police issued more than 194,000 speed tickets, the highest number in the country at more than 16,000 a month.Wow. – lukaduka – Auckland Central – 09:46 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Utterly disgraceful conduct from the police who happily fine a motorist for inadvertently exceeding the speed limit by a few kph. There needs to be some accountability over this and those who pursued this case must be dismissed from the police force. We need to have complete confidence in the integrity that should be present in the police force but is sadly lacking in this situation.economist – 09:46 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Unfortunately these cases are far to common.There seems to be a common thread here with the police causing injury and damage to innocent people and then blaming them.In recent cases that have come to public attention the judiciary have been quick to side with the police regardless of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, fortunately in this case there was so much evidence against the police the judge would have had a hard job of it.It does however seem that the “IPCA” is only now getting involved because of media attention, again this is becoming all to common in this country that the only way to get justice against police corruption is get the media involved. – dellae – 09:47 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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That police officer is wearing a NSW origin shirt. He clearly cannot be trusted.
Reason Able – Auckland Region – 09:47 AM Sunday, 17 May 20154LikeReplyReport
Finally, talking about something relevant. I knew you had it in you Rodney!! – Lying press – Mozambique – 09:48 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Similar case down Queenstown way which took years to figure out. – dee – Nelson – 09:48 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Have to agree with you on this one Rodney.The police keep on saying that they have ‘cleaned up their sick culture’, or words to that effect, and then another incident like this happens.And, what do we always get from Commissioner Bush and his senior staff? Weasle words. Excuses. Bluff and bluster.Come on Mr Bush, you can do better than this! – Peter Archer – New Zealand – 09:48 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Precisely why NZ needs a truly independent Police Complaints Authority, and an Independent Commission against Corruption. – Fox and Badger – New Zealand – 09:48 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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What are you complaining about? This is exactly the police force you want! Rich people don’t see this side of the police, only poor people do. I guarantee there will be people in these comments saying, “we’ll, he must have done something wrong”
Until people realise that police are human, have egos, make mistakes, and lie, then poor people will continue to be treated like this. As for graham, he obviously isn’t as important or rich as he needs to be to protect himself from the police. – Pacman – Hamilton – 09:48 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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How goes the investigation into you? You’ve had an epiphany. You’ve realised that the system you helped set up is unfair to the powerless individual. How about railing against the way the rich exploit the poor? – John Northcott – 09:49 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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The police minister should resign over this, – and the PM as well. This National government is riddled with this kind of entitled behaviour and it has permeated the entire civil service.Its why we have no housing cisis in Auckland, no traffic problems and no end to Auckland rates increases. – concerned – New Zealand – 09:49 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Is it any wonder why Winston Peters bill to name pedophiles & remove super injunctions if the victim requested was so loudly howled down by the National party for 6 reasons.The police are just following the same ethos to protect co-workers in the chain.
Likewise the Roast busters failed to get to court despite public admissions of criminal activity, even our PonyTail Prime Ministers gets a case dismissed in court because the evidence was lacking, despite him admitting in on the News and saying sorry.We are only the least corrupt country in the world, it bountifully exists to protect the team.The investigating officer in this should be demoted for dereliction of duty. – TheOwl – Auckland Central – 09:49 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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The judge in this case called the police investigation ‘negligent’- From where I am it looks like something much more malicious. There was a time when the police force were a part of the community, a help to the needy, upholders of the law, a terror to the ungodly, feared and respected by the public at large.Perhaps the politician who thought that enjoining the Police and the traffic officers was a good idea: After all, the public had never regarded Traffic Officers as anything better than professional pick nits: Putting them in to police uniforms would give them more clout.All these years later, what has resulted? The culture of the police has completely changed, and the public perception of the police has changed too. And not for the better. – PAYE Schmuk – New Zealand – 09:50 AM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Jeez Rodney you keep saying things I agree with!! – Denis – New Zealand – 12:44 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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No police corruption in NZ…………..Yeah Right! – Gregg – 12:44 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Once again the leadership falls short.
It is about time that the position of police commissioner was no longer a political appointment.
The commissioner is hamstrung by having to appease his patron the PM.
As they monitor these sites I guess somewhere there is a black mark against those of us who have such opinions. – Doto54 – 12:44 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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I , long ago lost faith in the police and the justice system, this also includes the council wardens, the lot of them are just revenue collectors. Do not get me wrong, I don’t condone speeding, But really, is 65 on a quiet road speeding? and those parking wardens giving out tickets to mothers picking up kids from school, overstaying their parking for a few moments, simple, easy money. Yet we are all aware of the thieves, rapists, and drug distributers that never get the police attention they deserve. – Bev – Glen Eden – 12:44 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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There are good cops and bad cops, but NZ is lucky in that the former outnumber the latter by a very large margin.“… police culture enabling such an apparent abuse of police power and authority…”This statement, Rodney, is unadulterated bollocks and pure spin. The word “apparent” doesn’t save you from having posted inflammatory spin. – Chris M – 12:44 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Although your very first sentence implies it, nothing actually suggests that the truck driver WASN’T at fault.You seem more concerned about the process than who actually was to blame for a potentially fatal car accident. – YouKNOWItsTheTruth – New Zealand – 12:44 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Why just target the leadership? It all started with a ‘police officer’.The Police always were and are the biggest ‘gang’ in the country, legally. They’re a group of revenue gathering ‘bully boys’ who are often very economical with the truth. It’s inevitable. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.There are undoubtedly good ones just as there are undoubtedly bad ones – each individual placed differently on a continuum. The problem is, their task is not to protect people – it’s to implement the law, good or bad, while keeping themselves as safe as possible.If someone spends their life implementing this, at will, in a system which is inherently antagonistic to the public in favour of their own interests, then ultimately and inevitably they will sometimes but repeatedly go too far. That is police culture – in a society in which the law is not only so extensive and detailed that there is no-one who can claim never to have broken it. It’s ‘normal’ for them to stop ordinary people doing nothing apparently wrong to catch and punish them for something. Everyone is fair game in police minds.Is it surprising some go a little further or that their leaders protect them? – Anne – Glen Eden – 12:45 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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And we are still waiting for Scott Watson to get justice but little chance in this country. – BS – New Zealand – 12:45 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Well done for featuring this, Mr Hide. This potentially ruinous, shameful and arguably abuse of power-esque prosecution of an innocent man deserves way more scrutiny. Since your article was written, the Independent Police Complaints Authority has announced that it will investigate but if usual practices are any guide, they will take an eternity before reaching any views.If the Police Commissioner would front on this, all you’ll get is sadly vacuous statements about how our police’s trust rating is the envy of the world and more nonsense along those lines. Just like the op-ed piece in reply to comments by Dr Brian Edwards in this paper about the police. In other words, the police will attempt to just shout down critics via appeals to public opinion.As a lawyer I know that no legitimate “expert” who purports to give expert opinion evidence in court should EVER do so without having read the expert witness code of conduct (the Sergeant here admitted to this). He should be fired along with his superiors who have allowed him to give evidence in such circumstances. To be frank, lots of people involved should be fired.Don’t hold your breath. – ddnz – New Zealand – 12:45 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Time and time again Police “investigation” techniques and procedures are shown as flawed when and IF they get made public….how many cases of an inadequate lawyer or lack of media attention are going through the system?The Police force has long had a deep and ingrained case of “institutionalised corruption”…even ex staff face this if they ever disagree with Head Office.In this day and age why cant the heads of the Police see and realise that if they have things to hide, they probably need to change their ways…….An open and honest Police Force is not a big ask….one would have thought.I’ve always said, if the Police in this country think you did something, despite being innocent, you are stuffed. The level of proof to disprove them once they “have their man” is way beyond reasonable.They need a complete ground up rebuild. – mad kiwi – New Zealand – 12:45 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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The NZ police are a law unto themselves, protecting each other as staunchly as gang members and paying little heed to the laws they are sworn to uphold. Revenue-gathering with uncalibrated hand-held speed cameras, doing unsignalled U-turns just over the brow of a hill on a rural road to turn around to nab a speedster and getting fatally T-boned by an unsuspecting motorcyclist. The list goes on.And they pursue the lower drink-drive limits with zeal, even though the drivers in the new in-between zone (between .25 and .4 % BAC) are not impaired enough to lay a criminal charge or inconvenience with a driving suspension but, yippee ka-ching, they can be squeezed for some money, in the best style of the stand-over extortioner. – Jonman – 12:49 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Since this new Commissioner has been appointed we are hearing more and more of these stories. Who is this clown and why was he appointed if he doesn’t want to do his job. You would expect with the massive Salary he is on he would want to stay, but his incompetence says otherwise. – Wolfman – Christchurch – 12:50 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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The police should be paying 100% of Anderson’s $50,000 legal bills, not just 75%. They should also be pursued for any loss of income that he and the company he works for have suffered. – Who_Cares – Porirua – 12:50 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Fair comment Rodney. NZ is believed to be low in corruption and that may be true compared with some countries, but NZ police have long been loose with the truth when they really want someone convicted. Courts generally support the state’s enforcement thugs and Mr Anderson’s case in unusual in having a judge prepared to speak up about police dishonesty. Men are much more likely than women to be targeted by police dishonesty, reflecting general sexism against men. – Fair Go – Tauranga – 12:51 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Which is why I take responsibility for protecting my family. The Police, whilst providing valuable community service, are just part of the furniture of NZ to me.
If you once told me that in this country, police will collude and lie in court/ produce false ‘evidence’ etc., I would’ve laughed and said “not here, this is NZ”. Until it happened to me.
There are some really great, trustworthy cops out there. There are also snakes, barely one rung above the criminals they are paid to catch. – The Garbologist – New Zealand – 12:51 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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I like what you have written Rodney , well done mate ……….. – Kevin Stent – 01:02 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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joybell
“A relevant topic today. When people are wrongly targeted and charged they find themselves unwittingly in the position of having to defend themselves from very much better resourced opponents such as the police. Despite being innocent the truck driver’s life is turned upside down. The years waiting for this issue to be correctly sorted out are a travesty of justice. How does the police hierarchy sleep at night knowing that injustices like this are being perpetrated on innocent people to protect their colleagues. We all know we could be set up at any time if it’s serves their purposes. This isn’t a new problem. My dad got set up for not dipping his headlights when following on Auckland’s new motorway back in the 60s. He was in court for about 2 minutes as the judge could see right through the police case. However just this flimsy case getting as far as court was the damaging part. Once dad regained his sense of humour he became a great deal more suspicious and less inclined to trust the police. They do themselves no favours by continuing to hide their misdemeanors like naughty little boys.”“Despite being innocent the truck driver’s life is turned upside down”.Hang on; are we sure of this? The link in the above story suggests that the off-duty police officer was to blame, but this is only one version of events.As I understand this situation, there is a problem with the way the police handled the case, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the person they attempted to prosecute is innocent.The same happened with Kim Dotcom and the police raids in the Urewera raids. The police stuffed up their prosecutions; but that doesn’t mean those arrested were innocent little angels. – YouKNOWItsTheTruth – New Zealand – 01:02 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Well, you’ll never get a more popular topic than knocking our police will you Rodney?
I have no doubt corruption is rife in most police forces around the world, but our own “boys in blue” would be the best on the planet.
Maybe the occasional thank-you would be in order, rather than constant criticism and fault-finding.
I know plenty of battered wives who would like to thank them for protecting them against the real bullies in our society. – Casey – New Zealand – 01:02 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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lukaduka
“This is a frightening scenario and reinforces that human nature is to protect those within the tribe (in this case the Police) and to hell with outsiders (the public). I cant believe what actually happened here. Everytime I read a fresh article on this case I shake my head. God forbid you should every get into a situation where it is you versus the Police. I would say you are pretty much screwed regardless if you are in the right. If we cant rely on the Police to do the right thing who can we trust? Certainly not Politicians and local bureaucrats but then we have always known that. As an aside we all know the Police have a policy of revenue gathering via issuing of speeding tickets. It is so obvious yet the upper ranks deny deny deny. Did I read correctly on the front page of the Herald this morning that the Police issue nationally on average 86,000 speeding tickets per month? That works out to be 118 tickets per hour of every day of every week of every month. From April to June 2014 the Waitemata police issued more than 194,000 speed tickets, the highest number in the country at more than 16,000 a month.Wow.”Policing has, like everything else, become an ‘industry’ with all of the worst characteristics of that word, including the total commodification and exploitation of the ‘resource’; the resource they are exploiting being the public. – Peter Archer – New Zealand – 03:01 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Casey
“Well, you’ll never get a more popular topic than knocking our police will you Rodney? I have no doubt corruption is rife in most police forces around the world, but our own “boys in blue” would be the best on the planet. Maybe the occasional thank-you would be in order, rather than constant criticism and fault-finding. I know plenty of battered wives who would like to thank them for protecting them against the real bullies in our society.”“Well, you’ll never get a more popular topic than knocking our police will you Rodney?”It has nothing top do with knocking the police……it is all about holding them to account, particularly those at the very top of the tree. – Doto54 – 03:01 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Anne
“Why just target the leadership? It all started with a ‘police officer’. The Police always were and are the biggest ‘gang’ in the country, legally. They’re a group of revenue gathering ‘bully boys’ who are often very economical with the truth. It’s inevitable. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. There are undoubtedly good ones just as there are undoubtedly bad ones – each individual placed differently on a continuum. The problem is, their task is not to protect people – it’s to implement the law, good or bad, while keeping themselves as safe as possible. If someone spends their life implementing this, at will, in a system which is inherently antagonistic to the public in favour of their own interests, then ultimately and inevitably they will sometimes but repeatedly go too far. That is police culture – in a society in which the law is not only so extensive and detailed that there is no-one who can claim never to have broken it. It’s ‘normal’ for them to stop ordinary people doing nothing apparently wrong to catch and punish them for something. Everyone is fair game in police minds. Is it surprising some go a little further or that their leaders protect them?”Wrong, Anne.
The #1 task of the police IS to protect the public, and they do it at considerable personal risk to themselves.
Have you forgotten all those policemen killed in the line of duty?
If it wasn’t for the introduction of stab-proof vests, there would have been a lot more.
Its enough that our police have to fight the legions of bad guys out there.
Do they have to have the average citizen attacking them also? – Casey – New Zealand – 03:01 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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I had the experience once, altho I didn’t take it to court, a much lesser affair. Just being told I’d failed to stop a stop sign, when in fact I believe I did. Didn’t turn the engine off, ha ha. I did see the car coming & thought – correctly – that I had time to turn. I was so “innocent” that I didn’t even appreciate the siren was for me!One of “those” cops – arrogant type. Reckoned I’d failed to stop “& he had witnesses with him”. Said he’d had to slow down! Golly gee! I’d be a zillionaire if I got $150 (fine) every time someone had done that – quite legitimately – to me!I actually think he thought (originally) I was hot young chick – I have long fair hair. Asked me ?s about being out at that time of day – what a pity, I wasn’t a poor solo but an old age pensioner! There was a Chch cop who went in for that sort of thing – blackmailing into sex – I did ring the hotline about whether this was an episode in his career but it wasn’t “provable”.I paid up, couldn’t be fagged with the hassle of a court case or the cost of a lawyer. – durrrga – New Zealand – 03:01 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Peter
“The article seems plausible, but I would like to hear the other side. Past writings by you seem to show that you hate the police that much, that what you write is suspect”As a victim a few years ago of lying by the police following an incident in Dunedin and then discovering that they look after their own I can absolutely vouch that some in the NZ Police Force are c******.The IPCA investigated my complaint – actually, to be more accurate, the Dunedin police did on behalf of the IPCA – and found that while it appeared the facts stacked up they couldn’t be proved beyond reasonable doubt. I know the police lied and and that is what matters to me.They look after their own and very few have been reported over the years as having the guts and honesty to stand up to internal corruption. Never trust a cop is my rule of thumb now. – Wise Guy – Pakuranga – 03:01 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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About a year ago, as a poor pensioner defending myself on a traffic matter, I had the prosecuting sergeant tell me with a rye smile on his face,“Never let the truth get in the way of a conviction.”And then he and the judge demonstrated what he meant.We get the country we deserve. – Bruce – 03:01 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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YouKNOWItsTheTruth
“Although your very first sentence implies it, nothing actually suggests that the truck driver WASN’T at fault. You seem more concerned about the process than who actually was to blame for a potentially fatal car accident.”Don’t trust the judge then You? That seems to be your stance whenever the verdict doesn’t please you.
I take if you were driving in your stated perfectly legitimate manner on every occasion, you’ll agree the cop was right if you happened to run up his chuff when he suddenly did something wrong? He might charge you with driving too close. As the authority in the matter, naturally you’d bow to his official opinion? – durrrga – New Zealand – 03:02 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Chris M
“There are good cops and bad cops, but NZ is lucky in that the former outnumber the latter by a very large margin. “… police culture enabling such an apparent abuse of police power and authority…” This statement, Rodney, is unadulterated bollocks and pure spin. The word “apparent” doesn’t save you from having posted inflammatory spin.”Sorry Chris, I agree with Rodney . There is no argument that there are good and bad cops but the problem is the intransigence of the Police administrators in the face of evidence of wrong-doing. The Police prosecutors seem to have a magic wand called The Attorney Generals Guidelines for Prosecution which does whatever they want and has never been challenged by review because it is discretionary. They, in their wisdom decide who is credible and who is not.No records are disclosable, under section 16(1) of the Criminal Disclosure Act 2008, so that you cannot challenge any false info that may be lurking there. It is extremely difficult for a citizen to challenge the resources of a state run outfit that is so narrowly accountable. The IPCA is so poorly resourced that it is a joke for anything that is not driven by major Public Outrage.I support a total review of the Police system and increase the power and funding of the IPCA and get rid of Police presence within the IPCA.
For disclosure, I am 60 years old, own my own business and have no Criminal convictions. – winegrower – Motueka – 03:02 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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If you want to get away with many crimes – including shooting a bystander on the motorway – join the NZ police. This is an example of police arrogance – regarding themselves as ‘above’ the law.
Here lies. – New Zealand – 03:02 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015LikeReplyReport
Get used to it. Corruption in all its tawdry forms is growing in NZ. – mesozoic – Auckland Central – 03:02 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Casey
“Well, you’ll never get a more popular topic than knocking our police will you Rodney? I have no doubt corruption is rife in most police forces around the world, but our own “boys in blue” would be the best on the planet. Maybe the occasional thank-you would be in order, rather than constant criticism and fault-finding. I know plenty of battered wives who would like to thank them for protecting them against the real bullies in our society.”Your suggestion to thank the police for the great work they do but turn a blind eye to the corruption within their ranks is just head-in-the-sand stuff. I am sure if you ever become a victim to their lies and fabricated “evidence” your tune will change very quickly. Don’t for one moment think it can’t happen to you, because it can and we’re all potential victims when it comes to police corruption. Unlike you I am speaking from experience, not blinkered theory. – Wise Guy – Pakuranga – 03:02 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Casey
“Well, you’ll never get a more popular topic than knocking our police will you Rodney? I have no doubt corruption is rife in most police forces around the world, but our own “boys in blue” would be the best on the planet. Maybe the occasional thank-you would be in order, rather than constant criticism and fault-finding. I know plenty of battered wives who would like to thank them for protecting them against the real bullies in our society.”No one is saying there aren’t any decent cops, Casey.
What they are saying is that there are (a) some lawbreakers who blame others (b) some rogues.& more importantly, that they “close shop” to protect these guys.
The only reason the cops now protect women against battering partners is that the police authority now takes a different view of it – since John Banks’ time when it was a “private matter” until death eventuated (slight exaggeration, maybe). Then there was the Louise Nicholas case & some intent to change.So they could take a different view of their own behaviour on traffic issues as well. Not a big ask.
Or we could have independent oversight. Preferably both. – durrrga – New Zealand – 03:02 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Financial penalties for Police involved is the only thing that will stop the rot. – John Maxwell – 03:02 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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YouKNOWItsTheTruth
“Although your very first sentence implies it, nothing actually suggests that the truck driver WASN’T at fault. You seem more concerned about the process than who actually was to blame for a potentially fatal car accident.”Err, do you actually understand that the driver has been acquitted by the District Court Judge and if you actually read his judgments, the Judge has found that the driver was actually not guilty not just on the legal standard but factually innocent.And don’t trivialise the issues by claiming this is just “process”. You have a police officer who played being some neutral expert (with attendant duties to the court under the Code of Ethics) without actually understanding what that is. This was a prosecution which was rushed to court and without regard to numerous reasonable entreaties from the defence that the police confront the numerous deficiencies in its case.To the Herald: I very much question whether a reply that misses so much of the salient facts should be published.
ddnz – New Zealand – 03:03 PM Sunday, 17 May 20153LikeReplyReport
“That’s an automatic loss of licence, and thereby job” Uh no. People don’t need a licence to get a job. In fact, employers in non-driving industries are more likely to hire an employee without a licence. People with cars are just irresponsible. – Awesome One – 03:03 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Chris M
“There are good cops and bad cops, but NZ is lucky in that the former outnumber the latter by a very large margin. “… police culture enabling such an apparent abuse of police power and authority…” This statement, Rodney, is unadulterated bollocks and pure spin. The word “apparent” doesn’t save you from having posted inflammatory spin.”There are good cops and bad cops. The cop in this case has been exposed as a bad cop in court and should instantly loose his job, no pay, no investigation. The only investigation should be to expose the other corrupt criminal police officers that allowed it to happen. Has Mark Hansen now been charged? He should have been. – Regan – 03:04 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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In America by now the F.B.I. would be investigating. At least I hope so. Not so sure in era of swat teams and Homeland Security. In U.K. the top ranks of law enforcement are from another class and so their judgments are more justice focused than team loyalty.The look of the miscreant cop with his boozy shirt and scruffy face reminds me of Juvenal “quis custodiebit custodes”. Who will guard the guardians ? – lloyd g – China – 03:30 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Useful and timely: shows again essential underworld nature of this country’s police, their blind omerta code, their laziness, ignorance and, in case after case after case, moral stench. The saccharin efforts of their evasive chiefs to blind the public to the realities of their performance, if they deceive few, are frankly insulting. Their standards are only what may be expected from the nature of conduct modelled by the prime minister for this and other state agencies: monkey see, monkey do.Thanks to the Herald for courage in exposing so many cases of what the ordinary person can only see as repeated outright police malefaction. – JohnV – 03:30 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Who believes or respects our police any more. Remove all the traffic safety signs and make people think again. It’s working in Sweden. – Kiwi Adventure – West Auckland – 03:38 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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No-one in the police is ever responsible for anything, no-one is ever fined, or fired just occasionally stood down for a short time, and given a slap in the wrist with a wet bus ticket (and even this is invisible to the public). You should know this by now. Repeat after me, “the police never make mistakes” 5000 times. – shaman – New Zealand – 03:39 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Anne
“Why just target the leadership? It all started with a ‘police officer’. The Police always were and are the biggest ‘gang’ in the country, legally. They’re a group of revenue gathering ‘bully boys’ who are often very economical with the truth. It’s inevitable. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. There are undoubtedly good ones just as there are undoubtedly bad ones – each individual placed differently on a continuum. The problem is, their task is not to protect people – it’s to implement the law, good or bad, while keeping themselves as safe as possible. If someone spends their life implementing this, at will, in a system which is inherently antagonistic to the public in favour of their own interests, then ultimately and inevitably they will sometimes but repeatedly go too far. That is police culture – in a society in which the law is not only so extensive and detailed that there is no-one who can claim never to have broken it. It’s ‘normal’ for them to stop ordinary people doing nothing apparently wrong to catch and punish them for something. Everyone is fair game in police minds. Is it surprising some go a little further or that their leaders protect them?”Casey
“Wrong, Anne. The #1 task of the police IS to protect the public, and they do it at considerable personal risk to themselves. Have you forgotten all those policemen killed in the line of duty? If it wasn’t for the introduction of stab-proof vests, there would have been a lot more. Its enough that our police have to fight the legions of bad guys out there. Do they have to have the average citizen attacking them also?”What is your basis for your claims Casey?. My definition of the police ‘task’ comes from a Court judge – where does yours come from, other than irrational emotion?To the Police, everyone is a ‘bad guy’ – just committing different types of crimes and/or haven’t been caught yet. And they’re helped to know this by the certainty that they can’t even trust their own, bearing in mind also that they’re no more intelligent than the rest of the population and sometimes much less.I’m sure there are some deluded into believing they ‘protect the public’. There are a lot more who aren’t and have no problem with corruption in power because that’s the reality. – Anne – Glen Eden – 03:42 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015

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Gandalf
“Agreed, this sort of police behaviour is reprehensible, and I have had a friend experience a similar thing. This is abuse of power Rodney, so perhaps you may now understand why some of us are sceptical of too many GCSB powers. The police are a closed shop at times, petrified of criticism, and close ranks far too easily. This is sad, because in other ways they are a good police force, so they are just seriously undermining their own credibility with the public, in effect making their own life much harder. Where is the leadership from the top? They should be showing no tolerance for this. However what about the police complaints authority? Shouldn’t they be empowered to look into this, at least they are independent. Or does it show inadequacies with this authority?”“This is abuse of power Rodney, so perhaps you may now understand why some of us are sceptical of too many GCSB powers. “
Bang on. – La petite mort – 03:42 PM Sunday, 17 May 2015