Senior Constable Bruce Mellor was in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing, when he was attacked from behind during a relatively routine vehicle check outside of Taihape. He was unarmed and he was alone and in the days since, the uproar over the assault has been led by a call to arms - the prospect of all front line officers carrying firearms is being touted by some as the answer.
But are we asking the right questions ? Would such a policy ensure the safety of our police, or put them at potentially greater risk ? Should there not be further discussions around taser use ... and about why Mellor and many like him work alone ? Have we really gotten to a point where there is no other choice but to carry a gun ? A point where every officer is armed, as the Prime Minister warned, " will be a very different relationship between the police and the public " .... is this what we want?
A stuff.co.nz poll showed 71% of over 7,000 readers were indeed in favour of arming the force , but I for one am not convinced. We are looking at a veteran cop with 35 years on the job who had never been assaulted before, and a child with a weapon in a stolen car .... I think there is a lot more to talk about .
How about you ? Have Your Say, New Zealand.
A LOT more to talk about. I like that Howard Broad still isn't convinced either, at least that. But it's just so tempting for people (the 71% in this case) to look for easy answers at the very end of the spectrum, at the symptoms and not the causes.
ReplyDeleteWhile funding is being cut to childcare services and continuing education courses, the welfare working group is targeting exactly those who could benefit most from these services and telling them they need to be in work. You can't have it both ways. Or you can, and this is what you get. Disenfranchised youth and cycles of poverty and violence.
To immediately move to arming police without first exploring other non-lethal force options is a step too far, too soon.
ReplyDeleteCan't help but wonder if being armed would've actually prevented this attack? Seems like the only difference is that a young thug isn't running away with a gun as well. There is so much surrounding this tragic event that needs to be addressed before we start issuing firearms. The biggest for me being why he was alone? Are we that under resourced... Or had we just transferred all available NI units to assist with the Christmas in the Park?? Horrific but arming police should not be a light decision as it ups the ante... And unfortunately its a game that criminals may be more than happy to challenge police on? Yeicks!
ReplyDeleteI'm on the fence. Police already carry guns but locked away under a seat. What's the point of that? But if they do get the guns 'out of the closet' will they simply be used against them more often than not?
ReplyDeleteI have two questions.
1. Would the policeman now be dead if he was carrying a gun, with the attackers using his own weapon to shoot him?
But much more important is the question
2. What has happened in our society to make 14 year old kids think its OK to attack a policeman like this?