Is this Sparta?

I see the political parties fighting over votes are offering an extra 300 frontline cops if they make it past the post on election day.

It reminds me of a movie of the same name: 300 poor souls tasked with stopping the ever-increasing horde about to overrun a country. Look what happened to them, completely defeated due to the fact there were not enough!

No bed of roses

An overwhelming “No” was given to the recent pay round offer. I guessed as much. It was not helped that we were being offered the scraps from the bottom of the barrel after teachers, nurses and firefighters got their fill from the bargaining table set by Treasury.

Our pay-packet fate may end up in the hands of an arbitrator again. That fate is never certain. You hope they get out of the bed on the right side in the morning come decision day.

Your cover is blown

I got sent a photo of the Hastings Police Station custody unit. It’s covered with that white plastic wrapping that construction companies use to protect their build. Apparently, there is no construction, that’s the roof, and has been for months. Are we that short of money that we have resorted to plastic roofs over scaffolding now?

That eyesore is right next to a flash, newish district HQ. The Hawke’s Bay team just can’t believe that, after trying for years to replace their ancient cell block, the bosses just covered it up. Out of sight, out of mind? Hardly, it just made it worse. We keep hearing custody is our most serious at-risk area, yet we continue to use shoddy, old custody units that are well past their use-by date, and, in this case, we put a tent over it. Yeah, that makes it better… not.