crime
Categories under crime
- domestic violence (14)
- police (249)
- prisons (103)
No charge
Written By: - Date published: 3:03 pm, June 8th, 2011 - 86 comments
Darren Hughes will not be charged. “After this careful consideration, the allegations do not reach the evidential threshold required to bring charges. As a result, no charges will be brought against Mr Hughes.” “Some media outlets received an anonymous letter about Mr Hughes whilst Police were investigating this complaint. I can confirm those allegations contained […]
Drug reform: makes a hell of a lot of cents
Written By: - Date published: 6:21 am, June 7th, 2011 - 48 comments
I’ve been thinking about the budget. Its economic vacuousness: borrowing and crossing fingers for strong growth, while keeping tax cuts for the rich. The bare-faced cheek of counting the asset sales in its projections and passing Kiwisaver cuts without getting a mandate. But also, the cuts to vital public services without a more imaginative and sensible solution: drug reform.
Time for a cross party consensus on crime
Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, June 6th, 2011 - 68 comments
All of a sudden National and ACT are sounding vaguely sensible on crime and prisons. There seems to be a golden opportunity to reach a cross party consensus, and get some evidence driven policy and practice in this area. Who is going to make the first move?
Operation 8 documentary
Written By: - Date published: 2:48 pm, May 27th, 2011 - 17 comments
I have been bemoaning that I’d missed the Operation 8 documentary. But there are more screenings around the country. Catch a showing near you because by the sound of the current state of the court case, this will not be resolved until next year at the earliest. It has been over three and half years […]
Collins fudging crime stats?
Written By: - Date published: 11:00 am, May 2nd, 2011 - 10 comments
Police Minister Judith Collins’ announcement that crime dropped last year left more than a few people scratching their heads. The economic conditions, especially high unemployment, should mean more crime, not less. Now, we’re starting to learn the answer: procedural changes that havem wiped thousands of crimes off the stats.
Police planning to screw up again
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, April 28th, 2011 - 6 comments
Morgan Godfery at Maui Street blog is reporting that the police are preparing to raid Te Whanau a Apanui for protesting against the Petrobas geological survey. The police have to be crazy to think that they can do another raid like the one in 2007. What are they looking for this time? More 0.22″ rounds?
SAS: torturers’ henchmen?
Written By: - Date published: 4:30 pm, April 22nd, 2011 - 113 comments
The Herald has summarised a report in the new Metro on the New Zealand SAS’s role in arresting Afghanis and handing them over for torture. Delivering prisoners for torture is as culpable an act as torture itself. It is a war crime. Everyone who wants our defence forces to be respected must demand it is purged of people who have committed these acts.
Tilting at drugmules
Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, April 20th, 2011 - 33 comments
Rex Widerstrom has been a commentator and occassional guest poster here for a while. He has a unique point of view on the political process and its place in society. In this guest post he looks at the never ending “War on Drugs”.
Operation 8: Deep in the Forest
Written By: - Date published: 8:46 pm, April 19th, 2011 - 15 comments
Last night walking into the film screening in Auckland I was a bit apprehensive about how it would all be put together. Fortunately my fears were unfounded and the film did justice to the complex issues involved.
Appealing
Written By: - Date published: 4:47 pm, April 19th, 2011 - 3 comments
No Right Turn put up a post on the latest in the police foulup that is Operation 8.
F*ck the police
Written By: - Date published: 11:17 am, April 12th, 2011 - 161 comments
Tiki Taane arrested for singing NWA’s classic ‘F*ck the police’ when there were cops at his gig. Disorderly conduct likely to incite violence, says the Old Bill. Yeah, right. Here’s how this will play out: It’ll be laughed out of court. Collins will rush through new restrictions on our rights to ‘back the police’. O’Connor will renew call for cops to be armed.
Child crime and bullying
Written By: - Date published: 6:43 am, April 5th, 2011 - 41 comments
Under Key’s government we are seeing an escalation in violence committed by children. Why? TV and media violence hasn’t noticeably step-changed in the last year. More likely it is a symptom of the stress that families are under. Children are the canaries in the coal mine…
No jury of their peers
Written By: - Date published: 9:23 am, March 30th, 2011 - 55 comments
Given the controversy surrounding the 2007 Urewera raids, the legal system should be bending over backwards to conduct a process that is above reproach. Instead, they are doing the exact opposite.
Hughes stood down
Written By: - Date published: 8:02 pm, March 24th, 2011 - 114 comments
Darren Hughes has been suspended from his shadow portfolios due to the continuing police investigation. Goff probably should have done this earlier, despite the understandable wariness of a leader can’t punish an MP on the strength of a complaint alone. As Key did with Wong and Worth, Goff has waited until the media issue became too big.
Cuts! Cuts! Cuts!
Written By: - Date published: 12:42 pm, March 21st, 2011 - 42 comments
There was already going to be too little money in Budget 2011 for maintenance of public services. Now what little there was is being further slashed in the name of Christchurch. An Earthquake Levy is not an option, rather we’ll all pay through increased borrowing and 25% cuts in services like police, transport, justice and social services.
Labour exposes planless Key
Written By: - Date published: 12:04 am, March 16th, 2011 - 128 comments
There’s been increasing concern over the past week or two that not only has the government failed to communicate its plan for the Christchurch recovery, it doesn’t actually have one, and isn’t particularly worried about getting one. Yesterday in the House, Labour took Key to task on this important issue. And he was found terribly wanting.
New Citizens’ Party paper flouts electoral law
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, March 8th, 2011 - 36 comments
The United Chinese Press newspaper is potentially facing prosecution under the Electoral Act after it ran adverts on the day of the Botany by-election supporting New Citizens’ Party candidate Paul Young. The paper, the party, and the bidders for the Crafar Farms all appear to have strong links each other and the Chinese government.
Boot camps yet another Key failure
Written By: - Date published: 7:01 am, February 15th, 2011 - 39 comments
Key ignored all the experts with his boot camp policy. But it turns out that the experts were right. Reoffending rates are 50% within the first year, and likely reach 65 – 70% two years after course completion. Add boot camps to the ever growing list of Key’s failures.
Key’s solution for Maori problems: prison
Written By: - Date published: 6:22 am, January 25th, 2011 - 101 comments
John Key on Radiolive yesterday: “There are a lot of factors at play sometimes socio-economic, so there are a lot of negative statistics for the want of a better description that that Maori dominate and we need to make changes there whether it’s prison, incarceration or whatever”. Key thinks all Maori are crims. Welcome to your brighter future: it’s behind bars.
Pike river facts needed
Written By: - Date published: 11:58 am, January 20th, 2011 - 27 comments
The dearth of solid information on the Pike River situation and the contradictory statements from the government have naturally led to suspicion that we’re not being told the whole story. The government has been caught flat-footed by the blowback. Now, finally, the Police are going to release their technical information, allowing independent assessments.
Nats: Bring Back Debtors Prisons
Written By: - Date published: 1:18 pm, January 17th, 2011 - 38 comments
The government is to introduce a new Courts and Criminal Matters Bill, much of which is sensible. But sending fine-evaders to prison because they can’t afford to pay seems madness. The ridiculous cost of building and maintaining ever more prisons as unsustainable. Minor offences like unpaid fines should not result in the taxpayer spending vast sums to lock the offender up.
Brethren taking subsidies for illegal discrimination
Written By: - Date published: 10:16 pm, January 13th, 2011 - 65 comments
Another great piece of work from I/S at No Right Turn: “the Exclusive Brethren have set up their own KiwiSaver scheme… The scheme will only be offered to members of the cult. This is, of course, illegal.” They’re trying to take taxpayer money for a business that illegally discriminates on the grounds of religion. It must be stopped.
Newtering the rhetoric on crime
Written By: - Date published: 1:33 pm, January 11th, 2011 - 37 comments
As has been amply demonstrated by comments on The Standard in recent days, there are many who believe that the answer to an ineffective deterrent is more deterrent; that leaving in place the likelihood that fleeing from a police car will result in your death is somehow discouraging an unknown number of drivers from fleeing. Increasingly, though, people who respond with their critical faculties as opposed to their knees are realising that the present model of law enforcement and incarceration is a failure.
Stop the carnage
Written By: - Date published: 10:27 am, January 7th, 2011 - 116 comments
Back to civilisation after a few days bush. First thing I see in the paper – another kid killed in a police pursuit. 20 in the last 12 months. Makes me so fucken angry. Police policy needs to change. I don’t have the answers. But these people didn’t deserve to die. 20 lives and who knows how many injured is not acceptable. Can’t be beyond us to do better. Can’t be.
Ministerial review: law & order
Written By: - Date published: 11:31 pm, January 4th, 2011 - 91 comments
A few of us have chipped in to review the performances of the government in major areas. We’re looking at whether the facts back up the promises that National made to get elected. Let’s have a look at crime/law & order. Rightwing governments are always big on scaring the middle-class about crims and promising solutions. Has National delivered?
Richlister calls for huge benefit increase
Written By: - Date published: 12:30 pm, December 21st, 2010 - 25 comments
Mark Hotchin is expected to become a campaigner for beneficiaries if cleared of serious fraud allegations. His assets frozen, the SFO has given him a 1K a week allowance. Not enough for the basics: private school, hire car, mortgage on mansion. A family of 7 needs 360K a year, he says. Not being a hypocrite, he’ll be wanting more for beneficiary families too – eh?
Nats’ ideology: outsourcing NZ
Written By: - Date published: 9:54 am, December 15th, 2010 - 29 comments
3 under the radar stories yesterday. All linked by ideology. Kiwirail to buy 300 wagons from China because its cheaper than building them here. Not allowed to consider wider economic gains. Collins outsources her new prison to a multi-national with a history of prisoner abuse. English wants more ‘value’ from public assets. Value for whom? The likes of Serco?
National Attacks Vulnerable Children
Written By: - Date published: 7:25 am, December 14th, 2010 - 22 comments
National are consistently attacking the vulnerable in society – those who cannot fight back and complain. This is where a lot of their cuts are aimed at – those who need it most. Be it in health, education or welfare.
And in several recent health and education National cuts have hurt the most vulnerable – our children. Not just the massive ECE cuts of Tolley, but cuts hurting those at the bottom even more.
Abomination becomes law
Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, December 9th, 2010 - 45 comments
Paul Quinn’s appalling Electoral (Disqualification of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Act passed last night with the support of just two parties – ACT and National. We’ve talked about why this law is so bad in the past. The Attorney-General agreed it is an unjustified breach of our human rights. Why did ACT, the supposed ‘Liberal Party’ vote for it?
Collins to Police: keep on killing
Written By: - Date published: 1:18 pm, December 7th, 2010 - 40 comments
19 dead in Police chases in 12 months. You’re more likely to be killed in a police chase than by being shot. Most of the dead were being chased for minor traffic offences. What a waste of life. Collins’ response: harsher sentences. Cause tougher sentences has brought down crime so far, eh? Nats have no ideas. The death toll mounts.
The spirit of Peterloo
Written By: - Date published: 8:57 am, December 5th, 2010 - 30 comments
David Cameron made the commendable decision to create a national happiness index to compliment GDP but there’s a lot of unhappiness in Merry Old England under his rule. To avert fiscal disaster, while allowing bankers and the elite to keep their wealth, Cameron is making savage cuts to public services. And the Police are going old school on the resulting protests.
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