Invercargill shooting: Police officer Ben McLean charged with murder - National - NZ Herald News
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Cop since '07? Lot can happen in ten years.
Sometimes no matter how much vetting you do or think you know a person they can do things completely out of character.
Personally I think the way most police in new Zealand conduct themselves is a lot better than I've seen elsewhere.
Police do a great job as far as I'm concerned. Easy to throw stones but who's keen to turn up to gang HQ and sort problems.....
I dont disagree,certainly a lot can happen in ten years that is why we have to be re vetted.
I wonder if he had a firearms licence? so far they have said it was not a police issue weapon.
As an aside I guy I worked with for a bit over a year is a cop now.
I am amazed that he passed the psych assessment quite frankly and would be concerned with his interaction with females.
Yikes, this tragedy is a bit raw for this sort of thread isn't it? And to me, the fact that the guy is a policeman is incidental to the size of the tragedy.
There are human beings involved here, not machines, including the policeman. Let the families and the folk who these victims are precious to mourn in peace. We shouldn't scape goat the police for a tragedy we know nothing about.
This is not scape goating police this is discussing the news.
Tho they scape goat us for their deficiency's all the time Tahr.
There are human beings being killed everyday in various ways most being reported and discussed.
If one of us had gone and wasted the ex and her boyfriend it would be all over the news too but to a much greater extent and more calls for greater arms control.
What vetting do police undergo?
ego pussy money mans biggest down falls
People snap. Simple as that.
I came pretty close myself once.
The doors will close and the cape will come down as the ranks close, I think that is the police way, no openess!
Tragic for the children left with this mess and far to common in NZ.:sick:
So how long should it be between vetting?
6 months like a wof?
Ever had a vehicle that passed a wof, a new power tool, actually anything new/referbed and it's failed a few days/weeks/months later??????
Is it possible there might have been some type of "Breakdown" similar to above that happens every day and sometimes with little or no warning!
I think it happens a lot more frequently than we can ever know.
you sir are 100001%right on the money
anyone if they so desire can easily hide true feelings /motives until it reaches a point where the stress load detonates.it can also be easier if you are in as career where youre familiar with these sorts of situations and procedures used to deal with firearms etc etc.-believe me the medical /nursing profession has a fairly dasatrdly record with addictions and self immolations,my forte of course would be medications -yes i do know the lethal doses of a lot of OTC medications ,but Im not revealing that. shift work and family stresses in frontline emergency workers are well known for causing unpredictable outcomes in what many would judge to be a relatively benign situation.
finally my thoughts &prayers go out to all involved-ANZACday being so important in NZwill only enhance the trauma in the years to come as memories are rekindled.
Hey this is way out of line to be speculating on. I worked with Ben before he was a cop (I recruited him out of Uni and then we were involved in the same project for several years) and he is just a "normal" young guy. I've since spoken to him a couple of times at the police station.
Something has gone very wrong in his life - tragic for all concerned. Lets just all be sure to look after/look out for our friends, workmates and neighbours eh?
Can't answer the vetting question
As regards the incident, I think police obviously share the same relationship problems as the rest of us, probably more in fact due to the pressures of the job. Everyone has a tipping point, and it is different for each individual.
Being 'selfish' I'd hate to think a tragedy like this might be manipulated to support the 'increased firearm regs' crowd.
Prayers go out to ALL families involved.
So sad. I feel for his young family
Yes I am asking what the vetting process is because I don't know for a fact what it is.
If truly anyone can snap under the pressures of life and murder others then I actually support a total disarmament of the entire country.
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Once the entire country is disarmed there will be other kinds of weapons. Oldest of all been rocks
Be interesting to know the stats of firearms used for murder as opposed to knives, blunt instruments etc. Self harm by physcological (?sp) bullying
Cops are human and have emotions just like us and are generally of a better persona than the majority out there. We all have our breaking point. Only difference is do we act on impulse or after dwelling (mind fucking) on the situation or do we walk away mentally wounded?
Google this: psychological vetting of police in nz
What it won't tell you though is how important peer support and friends and family are for people under stress, and that stress and emotion simply goes with being human.
Our macho bullshit attitudes and culture, our denial and ignoring of our own and others' vulnerability, and the associated notion that people who crack are weak is actually counter intuitive to ensuring these sorts of things don't occur. No matter the persons' occupation.
Strange thread. If this had been about a hunter that accidentally shot someone then you would be calling for his head on a chopping block. Or if it was about some gang bangers shooting some innocents then the same would be called for. But it looks like a person who just happens to be a cop that set out to intentionally harm another person and succeeded and you're all calling for calm.
I will never understand you people.
It's not that simple Towely. Until each of us have walked in that man's shoes nobody here can speculate. One man could break down into depression upon finding his wife cheating, one could fly into a rage and kill them both. I don't know how I would react, I've never been there.
"There but for the grace of God go I" as the old saying goes - it could be you or I.
Totally agree. The whole process through training college is also a long term interview.
Peer support and spotting the changes in people is where it's at but still hard to do and knowing to what extent to take it to is easier said than done.
Personally I think it would be better to invest in more EAP programmes, especially for those in fire and ambulance, problem is the individual still needs to get over the stigma and pride and take up these options.
I wonder if the Mental Health Foundation will continue to call for people with existing mental health conditions to be allowed to become police recruits?
Because, according to chief executive Shaun Robinson, those with mental illnesses often dealt with stress better than those without.
No matter how bad life could get I just cannot see me murdering anyone I just don't have the malice required.
Defense of myself or family yes in a it's me or them situation but cold blooded murder no.
That takes a different personality type than mine and of that I am certain.
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Normal people can and do snap(life isn't easy), gunning someone down however is at the very extreme end of this.
Police need to be better than the average member of the public.
They need to be mentally stronger, physically stronger and have stronger morals than that of Joe public.
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Mate, just give me the means and the permission.
I'm sick of these of these gangs, they should have a 3 strike policy, 3 acts of organized crime by a "organization" and they should be disbanded.
I don't see the police sorting out gang problems at all.
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I kind of agree with you and I think suicide is much the same, but in saying that the mind is a powerful thing which can be hard to control. A man I had known for over 12 years had 3 kids and wife and worth 50+ million and had just had his 60th decided he would jump out the window with a bit of rope. He was a straight up type of guy and you would have thought he had every thing together, I had even talked to him that night.................bloody shame but you just never know.