Punching bagged

A recent IPCA report into a use-of-force case has got me scratching my head wondering once again about the level of minutiae the authority gets involved in.

I’m not saying that a punch to the head is a trivial matter, but when the IPCA takes the time to differentiate between two punches thrown during an attempt to subdue and arrest a drunk and struggling offender who was attempting to flee, it feels a little petty.

The IPCA said the first punch to the torso, which was unsuccessful in terms of helping to get the cuffs on, was justified, but the second punch to face, when the officer believed the offender was going to spit at him as they grappled on a steep bank,
was not.

The hindsight view was that the officer should have waited for other staff to get there before he attempted the arrest.

I feel sorry for that police officer. I suppose that next time, he will hang back, making a risk assessment as he watches the guy disappear over the horizon.

Another brother taken

Another Kiwi police officer killed in the line of duty this year. This time, it was a respected and popular officer who worked for the London Met, but Sergeant Matiu Ratana also served for a few years with New Zealand Police. As the Police commissioner rightly said, although Matt spent most of his career in Britain anyone who serves here will always be a part of our police whānau. The shockwaves from his death have touched us all, leaving us once again in despair over the brutal consequences of senseless violence.

I told them so

I see that the bosses have taken on board my suggestion that it’s time for a woman in a deputy commissioner role. Okay, maybe it wasn’t completely down to me, but congratulations to Tania Kura, the first woman to hold that position, and no need to thank me.

Not fit to print

I had some sympathy recently when I found a colleague from CIB whimpering quietly in a corner. He’s quite a tough guy, but when I found out what the problem was, I immediately understood what had happened... It was all because of the default settings on the work printer.

Police wants us to avoid waste – hence the edict that all Police printers be set to “automatic, double-sided, greyscale” printing. Sure, but if you do need the “single-page, colour” setting, for example, on court documents or other papers that need to look professional, and you don’t remember to change the setting, you will be doomed to reprint your files. Thus wasting paper and your time, as my defeated workmate pointed out.

I gently handed him a sticky note with this handy reminder: Think before you print. Perhaps it should be added to our core values?

Kia kaha and stay safe out there.