http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/11/19/bc-taser.ht ml

TASERS ARE A NECESSARY POLICE TOOL, DAY SAYS
Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said he’s not surprised most people who get shot by Tasers by police are unarmed when it happens.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2007/11/19/stockwell-taser.htm l

If our police had tasers there would not have been a fatal shooting in Christchurch last night, Locke should hang his head in shame.

I now want tasers banned altogether, if the Police did not have tasers they would have been forced to shoot the scum bag who stabbed the little kids.

Do away with Tasers and issue Glock pistols immediately.

Unfortunately the increasingly evidence of the arming of some crims, and some gangs, etc is at least in part a result of the violence they have watched on (imported) movies/TV programmes all of their lives. “There is no such thing as a free lunch” and we as a society are paying the price for these cheap imports.

Personally, I would prefer the use of SPECIALIST “Armed Defenders Squads” to back up police officers where firearms are evident. Probably there should be more such sqads, perhaps with different formats to suit, in parts of Aotearoa/NZ.

I would hate to see the cumulative efects of making Tazer a “standard issue” for all police. (Tazer as a backup is understandable, but it is not desirable because of the inevitably escallation in this process that it will cause.)

Let’s not go down this slippery slope!

I believe that all concerned citizens need to be vocal in their concerns … and write to local politicians, and police every time there is an incident that involves the use of such force.

Two got a ‘black mark’ on their records that hindered their chances of promotion for a couple of years - and were sent to ‘counselling’.

The police paid out some money in an out of court settlement, but never admitted any wrongdoing.

Statistically, there are a lot of jobs more dangerous than policing - forestry, ditch-digging etc. Sure, police face violence, but not to the degree often supposed.

“Police Association head Greg O’Connor’s recently described the NZ polics as ‘the coercive arm of the state’, and ‘must be able to impose the state’s will on the public’.”

That sounds exactly the role the police are required to play. Why else do we have police?

That is a terrible story and I would hope that the people concerned were dealt with severely.

However I cannot support the call to take away the Tasers or the pepper spray, given the danger they face every single day of the week they need all the protection they can get.

It does disturb me that a few here don’t seem bothered about the safety of the Police, sure there might be the odd bad apple but that is no reason to deny the vast majority of the Police the protection they deserve.

Police Association head Greg O’Connor’s recently described the NZ polics as ‘the coercive arm of the state’, and ‘must be able to impose the state’s will on the public’.

That doesnt sound much like a parliamentary democracy to me.

Bit hard to argue with this sort of comment, as it seems to suggest “I assume the police are doing everything right, whether I know the facts or not”.

How about this example? The NZ police raid an activist group’s office using a warrant that a judge later rules should never have been issued, carry out a search that is later ruled to be outside the scope of the warrrant anyway, make an arrest, later rule to have been unjustified, which sets of a minor scuffle, and then, when a person (me) asks why the guy was being arrested respond by batoning him in the face, resulting in seizures and two days unconscious in intensive care. When he complains, he is arrested for assaulting police. Police witnesses tell three contradictory stories in court about why he was batoned and the judge throws the charge out saying “the police evidence has an air of unreality about it”. Are these the people you think can be trusted with tasers?

Can’t offer a video to back this account up, but I have lengthy files, statements and the judge’s decision if you want to check through them.

There’s also a mate of mine who got pepper sprayed by a hyped up young cop even though he didn’t intervene, followed police instructions, and backed off after coming across an aquaintance of his being arrested. The problem apparently that he was a scruffy young punk.

And another friend who was arrested for holding up a flag the size of a tea towel at a demo, which police claimed could have obstructed their view of criminal activities (they didn’t suggest there actually were any such activiites), and in any case, the police waited untill the end of the demo before three of them grabbed her and severely dislocated her shoulder while handcuffing her (she needed surgery and a couple of years to recover), and broke the wrist of another friend who intervened. Once again, the judge threw all the charges out, and condemned the police’s actions.

Sorry, Big Bruv - I just don’t trust many of this crowd with tasers, there’s a few good apples in the police, but not enough to justify giving them new toys.

I believe everybody has the right to hold their own opinion, you seem to agree with that as long as other peoples opinions are the same as yours, I am not sure why you have such a problem with dissenting opinions.

I go back to one of my original posts here, I actually support some of the issues that the greens stand for.

The trouble is that they will never receive widespread support until the drop the more radical and idiotic side issues.