Thread: AOS shooting -TVOne sunday program

Originally Posted by gundoc

Whilst I support the Police generally, there is no doubt (based on several court cases and other instances I have been involved with) that there is a 'we make the rules as we are the Police' attitude that starts at PNHQ and trickles down through the ranks. It is only when a few concerned (or affected) citizens take them to Court that the law triumphs over Police 'policy' and other activities. Over the years I have had quite a bit of contact with Police firearms training and have a very low opinion of the general standard of Police use of firearms. This is not really the fault of the individual Police trainers (some of whom are quite skilled) but a combination of PNHQ policy and worse, the over-confident attitude of many (usually quite inept) officers when undergoing training The Police have no more rights than you or me when it comes to firing at people - yes, they are exempt from various provisions of the Arms Act, but not from the various 'misuse' provisions, nor from the Crimes Act. I have been involved in cases where people have been charged and convicted of 'misuse' offences which were much safer to all concerned than the Police shooting on the Auckland motorway. The Police actions in tampering with evidence are certainly worthy of prison time, and not to bring charges against the officers involved in this particular shooting is both a gross misuse of Police powers and a travesty of justice. Sadly, this is far from the first time that Police have actively covered up their misdeeds, and I am afraid that it will take a large and stiff-bristled broom to sweep the rot out of the department.

+1 I think the problem is that the police investigate themselves via the police complaints authority. It's a bit like saying that the AA know about cars so they should do both the investigation into traffic accidents and also rule on the verdict.

While it's a valid point that they were doing their duty when this mishap happened not persuing their recreation like all the hunting accidents that doesn't absolve them of respolsability.

If I was driving a digger as part of my job and ran oversomebody there would be a investigation and if I was found to be neglagent then it would rightly be manslaughter. Ambuliance drivers have been prosicuted by the police for dangerious driving while on the job.

Ambulance drivers are allowed to legally break the speed limit but the point is they can't do that irrisponsabily. It's the same (or should be the same) for AOS members.