Police on-side

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 656, 1 October 1996, Page 4

Police on-side

• Regarding your last week s court report of a man protesting about police lies etc: There is well-documented evidence of police making untrue statements that certainly pervert the course of justice. My own experiences pro ve that by the time a case comes before a judge, police lies and/or inefficiencies have made the reaching of a just decision by the judge all but impossible. One of the problems we have with police out in the country is their over-bearing, sneering, intimidating attitude. A lady friend of mine rang the police to report a theft from her property. The police' s response was to suggest she should investigate the crime herself and report back to the police. The officer involved actually stated "you' 11 be sorry you contacted us before we're through". Of course, if a high-profile citizen had complained there' s no doubt that a more servile response would have been given. Some police officers in this area have been barely able to write legibly or even spell simple words. When help from some of these officers is requested they reply with threats of heavy-handed actions against all parties regardless of innocence. It doesn't do much for the rule of law when citizens are too intimidated to request aid from police. Police claims of understaffing may have some validity. However, understaffing doesn' t j ustify a yobbo in uniform strutting around intimidating people and ignoring the fact that he is the servant of the public, not their master. Another repulsive side of police behaviour in this area is that information is leaked to police mates, which is hardly conducive to upholding the law. If police in our area are unable to effectively carry out their duties then perhaps their organisation (gang) should be done away with and our community could hire a security force on contract to uphold the law of the land. I sincerely believe this would cost less than the present fiasco and the public would be shown the respect due to the people who, after all, carry the tab for law and order.

James

Creedmore

Senior Sergeant Ross Bielby from the Ohakune Police replies: "Because of the nature of police work we are often the victims of false allegations and distorted information. Indeed, the police are not infallible and we are accountable for our actions. Where there is a valid complaint about the police there are correct procedures to follow. Complaints are overseen by the Police Complaints Authority who are an independent body from the police.