So I am finally writing an article that will upset and piss a lot of people off. The two police officers that arrested the Christchurch shooter and terrorist got a gold merit award, for doing their job.
What I would like to know is, how did they go above and beyond their police duties... to receive Police Commissioner's Gold Merit Award... "they rammed the car off the road, the suspect didn't even put up a fight and they arrested him... that's it" Tell me what was done to go above and beyond normal police duties to arrest a suspect?
Isn't that what they get paid to do? I have seen that happen a few times on the news over the years... nothing special about the arrest at all they never got Gold Merit Award... Why is it the police that run (on foot) chasing down armed criminals with various weapons and nine times out of ten the officer is unarmed, how come they don't get Gold Merit Award. There was nothing special about the arrest what so ever. Isn't that their job and that's what they do?
So every time a police officer does their job ie; makes an arrest they get an award now...? why did the officer that pulled the trigger a couple of weeks ago not get an award? What about the police officer that arrests the violent abusive partner in the violent home situation. Or the home invasion, or when they arrest the violent crack head...
Why because it's their bloody job that is why. That is what they are trained to do, that's what your taxpayers' money is paying for... it is their job... As in "Safer communities together" it is written on their vehicles.
I am sorry but I simply don't see what these two officers did that was heroic. If the offender started shooting at them ok, if the suspect even put up a fight, sure maybe now we are talking, but he didn't even put up a fight. He basically gave up and surrendered. I see and hear about rougher and tougher arrests on every Friday night drunken run ashore...
I saw a comment on the Facebook machine, "Does your job have you face bombs and terrorists?" being ex-navy actually yes, it use too, we trained for bomb threats we trained to protect the ship at sea and alongside in harbour or in port... We were told in various ports to be very careful how you act and what you say as it could spark an incident and terrorist acts. However it is not about me, and I am no longer in the navy, but about the two police officers, and one would hope that this is part of their training and yes it is part of their job to take gunmen off our streets and into custody.
I do hope that the rescue teams that a helping the search of White Island get something as they are in more direct danger than I believe the two officers were.
What about all the armed forces personal should they get a Gold Merit Award too when they do their job that was nothing heroic. Like when I was in the Navy guarding the NZ High Commission office against a threat during the first Fiji coup and the violence on streets, and a multitude of other dangerous things we did ie; every time we launched a seaboat it is a very dangerous operation in recent years a sailor was killed... Or RAS, those tensions wire if it went astray it would slice and dice you it would kill... Or the search and rescues we did in very rough seas, the HADR operations we did... or doing a pirate patrol and stopped millions of dollars worth of drugs... the pirates were armed. It was part of our job, it was what I was trained to do...
Or years ago when the flat out the back was ablaze and me a friend tried to get the guy out of a burning building, put ourselves in danger... but alas we were too late...
Hero police my fucken arse... If the cops followed their own protocols they would not have given the firearm license to someone that had only been in the country a couple of months in the first place... and he wouldn't have got the guns so easily. I can't wait to see what happens with the court case and the farse that will follow.
This whole country has turned into a bunch of mamby pamby's that are offended by everything PC left-wing cry babies, it is either racist or sexist or you hurt my feelings... And now police get awards for doing their bloody job and did not go above and beyond.
Why? Because in this case, the namby pamby government wants to make something good come from something bad that happened. They had knee jerk reactions and forced and rushed the new gun laws through, (which changed it 2 or 3 times during the armistice) because it was rushed and not thought through properly. They needed some hero's from the situation.
The investigations has had a bit of a cover-up from the NZ Police not following their own protocols and not listening to various reports. It's like they wanted it to happen? In the first place, why was he allowed a New Zealand Firearm Licence in the first place? He hadn't been in the country long enough to do a full background check, he had no references.
More will come out in the court case. (now, to be honest, I do not know if following stories are true or not) There are stories that the gun club he had joined were worried about is actions and demeanor and did report to the police. As well as apparently (and as said not sure if true or not) when he order and bought 2,500 rounds of ammunition. That is enough for the warning bells to go off there. But apparently not followed up.
Will any of this come out in the court case... to be honest, I don't think it will and if it does probably will get covered up. Because we can't make the police look bad and that they didn't do their job properly.
Anyway, I do hope that the rescue teams that a helping the search of White Island get something as they are in more direct danger than I believe the two arresting officers were.
