President's Column - Arming issue up for debate
“Our Australian colleagues are shaking their heads in disbelief that there is even a discussion on arming over here.”
Arming issue, up for debate
Years ago as a young detective, I worked on the Trades Hall bombing in Wellington. The caretaker, Ernie Abbott, was killed.
There was much discussion about motive at the time, and we decided it clearly wasn’t designed to invoke sympathy for the trade union movement, who occupied the building, because the way to do that would have been to blow up Ernie’s dog instead of him.
I was reminded of that last week when we finally got the public and media outcry we have been missing, to at least start discussion on overdue changes to our firearm carriage policy following the shooting of two of our colleagues in Christchurch, and the killing of police dog, Gage.
The killing of Gage, with the associated images of him lying dead at the scene, generated more action and demands for better protection for police than any of the previous incidents.
I can only assume the difference this time from the preceding seven police shootings, which have failed to generate such discussion, was the death of Gage.
Certainly, I fielded many media questions about provision of protection for dogs.
Nevertheless, the worth of police dogs to policing was shown once again, albeit in this case bringing home to New Zealanders the sea change in frontline policing where routine door knocks and warrants are bringing us into contact with armed criminals prepared to turn their guns on police.
Just to prove the point, only the presence of armed officers, and a dog, prevented the same thing happening just days later in West Auckland when once again a criminal turned his gun on door-knocking police.
Our Australian colleagues are shaking their heads in disbelief that there is even a discussion on arming over here.
Police Remembrance Day, which commemorates fallen officers, is held across Australasia every year.
They are calling it New Zealand Police Remembrance Day as over recent years, only we have had officers slain.
This is certainly a Trans-Tasman record we could do without!
Over the next month, we will conduct a survey seeking members’ and the public’s views on the issue of arming.
We are keen to hear your views so please take the time to fill in the survey, which will arrive shortly.
After all, your views are worth more than the myriad of commentators who have come out on both sides of the debate, including some of our ex colleagues whose views are formed from a Police environment, which has significantly changed since ‘their day’.
After nine police officers have been shot – at least any proposed change could hardly be seen as kneejerk.
