The Big Read: The police files on TV3's gun buy - National - NZ Herald News
Should have been charged.
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The Big Read: The police files on TV3's gun buy - National - NZ Herald News
Should have been charged.
I agree but HDPA is just another mindnumingly boring stupid presenter being used as a puppet.
This man is the one who needs prosecuting .
Greg O'Connor, the retiring president of the Police Association, the police union, said his discovery of the "loophole" was a "eureka" moment.
"I was telling everybody who would listen this was a loophole." He raised it on Mediaworks' Radio Live. At the point Story's gun stunt emerged, he says he was aware other media were also preparing to publish on the "loophole".
"I thought the story was strong enough without going to purchase one," said O'Connor.
While he labels the mail order issue a threat, the Police Association's submission to Parliament's inquiry into illegal possession of firearms makes no mention of it.
- NZ Herald
There never was a loophole just a police state idealist trying to work up the population by pulling the strings on his "puppets"
I've discovered when I hit the gas my Landie can go faster than the speed limit (downhill with a good breeze). Discovering this loophole in traffic laws was a "eureka" moment!
Have the police inadvertently created a new defence of 'no sinister intent'?
Seeing this info come to light makes the whole situation seem that much more rotten. Reaks of an orchestrated political hatchet job to stir up fear.
My personal view is that there ought to have been a Police prosecution and a court case against all the muppets involved all the way up the line at TV3 as well as Greg O'Connor. There was definitely a case to be answered and that there was not highlights a double standard.
What I find amusing (in a creepy way) is that pretty much after HDPA got in the shit, Hubby ( 30 yrs senior to the wee wh*&e) starts writing a column for the Herald that sounds worthy of a North Korean Dear Leader propaganda award.
Funnier things have happened. Remember the Waihopai trio got off burglary and wilfull damage by using the defence of "the greater good", which related to the belief that because of the activity of Waihopai, they themselves could damage the place to prevent human suffering.
What's ironic about a union president having a go at the bosses about their policies or procedures.
I'm sure the police union members pay their subs for their union to do exactly that.
Perhaps you need to do some research about what a union is and does.
Police Union is not the same as Police Force.
He is touted as your frontman more the pity
17 years with no prob and then someone in the police decided to let any Tom,Dick or Harry have the form, therefore creating the perceived "problem!"
We knock Occonor, but he has been a good advocate for the PA and that's his job. The members have supported him. We use some quite ugly and personal language about him simply on the basis of not agreeing with what he says - but he's not a bad man .
I don't know if undermining public respect for the people you represent is really being a good advocate? Just another agenda-pushing wannabe politician in my books.
A person that wants to arm the police and remove those privileges from the public, has to be a worry?
Maybe having been a cop for so long (and apparently a political desk cop insulated from the public for a lot of that) has given him a particularly bad case of a 'them and us' mentality, thinking anyone who isn't a cop is a criminal - a bit like the way some schoolteachers who have never been outside the education system treat everybody who isn't a teacher like a child.
In fact, has he ever done anything else? Article about him stepping down from the union says he is in his 50s and has been a cop for over 37 years.
You guys keep attacking him personally as an individual. Even linking what he says on behalf of the association with dubious facts about his career and experience. That's just shit. He represents an association which represents its members views. Instead of personalising everything, wouldnt it be better to debate the actual policies and ideas he is promoting?
Personal assassination gives me the shits.
Actual policies & ideas you say? I think you are completely ignorant to the fact that this man has used insidious scare-mongering tactics to throw of the general public on firearm use in NZ. Especially for us law-abiding citizens! He has been quoted for saying that the law abiding FAL holders may have to lose some of their "rights" to mitigate all those illegal guns here in NZ.. His ideas are nothing but woeful, nonfactual wild assumptions which are far from being anything good
And trying to destroy the very essence of what makes this country unique and stand out from the rest really really gives me the shits. We have one of the best licencing systems in the world. And this good advocate as you say is slowly but surely feeding misinformation to a vast majority of people about laws & "loopholes" involving firearms.
As many of us think he steeped over the line and illegally added in reporters braking the law(something I doubt many cops would support-even if they agree with his end goal) you have to expect some ill will to be expressed towards the man.
Personally I think the guy is scum and drags down the image of front line police-and they are people I very highly respect
What's the point? A better way than giving a lot of non licenced, poorly trained police officers the right to carry, would be to let them have the teeth to do their job properly now. Imagine the self harm if you armed them! It's bad enough now and many police want nothing to do with firearms. Just because the REST of the world is armed doesn't mean we HAVE to follow:sick:
My comments above were not attacking him as a person, just speculating as to possible reasons why his ideas seem so detached from reality to many of us.
His policies and ideas have been debated here many times over, why bother doing it again? I don't think I ever did get a good answer about why the official police statistics about reductions in firearm crime contradict what he claims 'on behalf of police officers'.
The current and former police officers I know personally don't seem to agree with his views and policies that supposedly represent their interests.
Non licenced? What does that have to do with anything? I didn't think cops needed a licence for doing cop stuff at work.
The army don't need licences either.
While googling Greg O'Conner I found some results of a survey done recently that showed 72% of cops in NZ wanted to carry firearms full time. So there must be plenty who want them when they need them, but not carry full time so the 'many' that want 'nothing to do with firearms' as you claim, can't be that many.
I think most squad cars carry guns already now. The only difference would be cops having them on their hips so they can use them immediately if needed, instead of having them in the boot of the car too far away to be of use if surprised by an armed felon.
Unfortunately you need to fight fire with fire or you get burnt.
NZ's firearm homicide rate drops - National - NZ Herald News
Did your google result bring you to this article where O'Conner is quoted saying things such as these:
"Police Association president Greg O'Connor, who advocates arming police officers, said the decline in firearm homicides showed New Zealand had well-balanced gun licensing.
"Particularly in New Zealand, you can go hunting and do your bit for ecology, because you're mostly hunting pests anyway," Mr O'Connor said.
"I would be very disappointed if as a result of the actions of criminals in New Zealand, there was an encroachment against lawful gun-owning people." "
Or so they can be taken off them by criminals who surprise them with a smack to back of the head, or so they can overreact to a stressful situation and shoot someone when it could have been de-escalated without violence... situations just as likely as your example.
Doesn't make sense a enforcement officer doesn't need a firearms licence when us mere mortals do?. The army is a little different when fighting wars and killing people is the objective.
What has a homicide rate got to do with cops wanting or needing guns?
None of the cops in Whangarei who got shot at a few weeks ago were killed so, because there was no homicide, they didn't need to be armed?
Gunman still on the run after firing shot at police, stealing police car in Northland | Stuff.co.nz
The cops in New Plymouth had to run back to their squad car to get guns after they were shot at in 2013.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/...tim-broken-man
In 2015 two cops in Waikato got shot at with a shotgun while in hot pursuit of a car. But they didn’t die so that’s all right then. I don’t know what the fuss is about.
https://www.policeassn.org.nz/newsro...s-october-2015
This cop was shot three times, but is still alive so he obviously had no use for a gun.
Charges laid following policeman's shooting | Stuff.co.nz
No shots fired here, so clearly no need for guns?
Man on the run after pointing gun at police in Manurewa - National - NZ Herald News
If the number of people killed by falling pine trees was getting less, but the number of forestry workers getting injured by trees was getting more, does that mean the problem is getting better or worse?
Edited to add that cop in Turangi who might not have been cut up with a machete after stopping a car and being attacked if he had a gun on his hip.
There is obviously some (probably reasonably high up) in the Police that do agree with Greg,
There is suddenly a big push for a register, while it would appear that the Police have been building one for some time with the vetting officers and now mail order forms.
Greg has come out wanting 50cals to become a restricted weapon because they will go through a vest and now restrictions are being put on import permits.
Im sure there are other coincidences as well.
Let's not forget :
Concern at lack of police gun training | Radio New Zealand News
Police themselves are concerned at the lack of sufficient live fire training for themselves. Throwing a Glock on every hip won't be the magical solution some people are expecting, as shit heads will still be shitheads (as seen in numerous Police 10-7 and other reality cop shows).