Claim Taser Use Reveals Racism Is "Nonsense"
"Hone Harawira's claims that Police Taser use reveals racism are simple nonsense," Police Association Vice-President Stuart Mills said today.
"The reported observation that Maori are involved in violent crime at a rate that is disproportionately high doesn't demonstrate racism - it demonstrates a grasp of the facts. The Ministry of Justice's annual report Conviction and Sentencing of Offenders in New Zealand shows that, in 2005, 47% of convicted violent offenders were Maori."
"Males are responsible for 88% of violent crime convictions. Is it sexist to point that out?"
"The disproportionate over-representation of Maori has been a sad fact of New Zealand's criminal justice statistics for a very long time. It is unfortunate, but no surprise that Maori have been similarly over-represented as subjects of Taser deployment, given that Taser use is restricted to serious circumstances such as those involving violence. To accuse a senior police officer of racism for pointing to that fact is shameful," Mr Mills said.
