Post by Kiwi Frontline on May 10, 2020 15:43:35 GMT 12
ETHNIC COMMUNITY ROADBLOCKS
How is it possible that the government and the police have condoned roadblocks, masquerading as “checkpoints” mounted by various ethnic communities around the country? Ostensibly, these roadblocks have been set up to ensure” vulnerable communities” are not infectiously- invaded by outsiders. However, there are many “vulnerable communities” which, under this rubric, could also have justifiably established similar roadblocks to prevent “outsiders” from entering neighbourhoods where there is a majority of elderly people, such as the one in which I live. I can just imagine the response if I closed off our cul-de-sac and required any visitors to stop, state their business, and be excluded or prevented from entering. How long do you reckon I would last before being dumped on by the local constabulary? And there we have our Prime Minister, in a RNZ item of 30 April, unequivocally stating that such roadblocks are illegal and that no person is required to stop or give information at these roadblocks unless requested by a police officer. Really? Then why are they still operating, apparently with the full approval of the NZ Police? There is NO legal authority which allows communities to act on their own volition. It now appears that the police did have the power to remove the roadblocks but in the case of iwi, decided” to take a softer approach”- why? And why are we hearing about this only now, weeks after the roadblocks were set up illegally? And, leaked emails show Attorney General Parker is refusing to release a controversial report from the Crown Law Office regarding the legality of this matter. So much for democracy.
Apart from these legal failings, if the NZ Police did not or do not have the staff available to man such roadblocks, the NZ Defence Force could have been or still could be requested to provide ”aid to the civil power”, as it did during the Christchurch Earthquake cordons. Why was this not implemented during Alerts levels 4 and3? Could it be a “bad look” for our politicians who are enjoying such huge adulation, to have the Army on the streets? The Police Minister has declined to comment on such questions as “operational” issues! How could the public have any knowledge if the police themselves were/are in doubt?
A comprehensive statement by the Police Commissioner on the iwi roadblocks issue has appeared in the Dominion Post 5 May, in which he endeavours to justify the condoning of illegal roadblocks on not only medical, but also cultural grounds. But he completely misses the point, which is that people with no authority or legal basis have been stopping and questioning members of the public on public roads. The discretion he mentions, whilst noteworthy, is unconvincing. If roadblocks were necessary, then a) they needed to be conducted by an agency with the authority to do so, b) If not the police themselves, such authority needed to be formally assigned to another legitimate agency such as the NZ Defence Force, or even Maori Wardens, and c) this authority needed to have been widely promulgated to the public before the roadblocks were put in place. It was not. This statement does little to enhance the reputation of our police force for impartiality.
But then “we are all in this together” aren’t we?
breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2020/05/henry-armstrong-politics-and-pandemic.html
How is it possible that the government and the police have condoned roadblocks, masquerading as “checkpoints” mounted by various ethnic communities around the country? Ostensibly, these roadblocks have been set up to ensure” vulnerable communities” are not infectiously- invaded by outsiders. However, there are many “vulnerable communities” which, under this rubric, could also have justifiably established similar roadblocks to prevent “outsiders” from entering neighbourhoods where there is a majority of elderly people, such as the one in which I live. I can just imagine the response if I closed off our cul-de-sac and required any visitors to stop, state their business, and be excluded or prevented from entering. How long do you reckon I would last before being dumped on by the local constabulary? And there we have our Prime Minister, in a RNZ item of 30 April, unequivocally stating that such roadblocks are illegal and that no person is required to stop or give information at these roadblocks unless requested by a police officer. Really? Then why are they still operating, apparently with the full approval of the NZ Police? There is NO legal authority which allows communities to act on their own volition. It now appears that the police did have the power to remove the roadblocks but in the case of iwi, decided” to take a softer approach”- why? And why are we hearing about this only now, weeks after the roadblocks were set up illegally? And, leaked emails show Attorney General Parker is refusing to release a controversial report from the Crown Law Office regarding the legality of this matter. So much for democracy.
Apart from these legal failings, if the NZ Police did not or do not have the staff available to man such roadblocks, the NZ Defence Force could have been or still could be requested to provide ”aid to the civil power”, as it did during the Christchurch Earthquake cordons. Why was this not implemented during Alerts levels 4 and3? Could it be a “bad look” for our politicians who are enjoying such huge adulation, to have the Army on the streets? The Police Minister has declined to comment on such questions as “operational” issues! How could the public have any knowledge if the police themselves were/are in doubt?
A comprehensive statement by the Police Commissioner on the iwi roadblocks issue has appeared in the Dominion Post 5 May, in which he endeavours to justify the condoning of illegal roadblocks on not only medical, but also cultural grounds. But he completely misses the point, which is that people with no authority or legal basis have been stopping and questioning members of the public on public roads. The discretion he mentions, whilst noteworthy, is unconvincing. If roadblocks were necessary, then a) they needed to be conducted by an agency with the authority to do so, b) If not the police themselves, such authority needed to be formally assigned to another legitimate agency such as the NZ Defence Force, or even Maori Wardens, and c) this authority needed to have been widely promulgated to the public before the roadblocks were put in place. It was not. This statement does little to enhance the reputation of our police force for impartiality.
But then “we are all in this together” aren’t we?
breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2020/05/henry-armstrong-politics-and-pandemic.html