Is more training for NZ police the Answer?

Kia Ora,

There is a comment the other day from Simon re the NZ police training more in particular with firearms.

Personally I don't think that is the answer as it has as much to do with the mindset needed to pull a trigger & understand where you fit in the equation to supply security. It also doesn't take into account the day to day policing requirements in NZ.

First many of the current police force I have spoken too, when they become aware that I worked in Iraq confide that they part they hated the most in police training was using firearms & that they could not do what we did in Iraq.

Secondly to just combat the current crime issues out there at present we would need to increase the police force by about three times. It has being estimated that 95% of crime is not reported currently in NZ.

At times I would day more. It is quite common for the police or security to stumble across crimes that have being going on for a while but no one has reported as they don't think the police are going to respond.

On top of that there is now quite evidently needed a force like the British SO 19 permanently armed police moving around ready to react. The current requirement to get AOS together, if you know what is happening, is like watching Keystone cops.
You can't have that happening when it is peoples lives. 

That is not a criticism of the members of AOS, but of the system used to bring them together then disperse to an incident. The time taken is a joke.

In last few days whilst talking to someone on a business matter they raised an issue that they had heard from a third party & which plays into the terrorist stunt scenario.

The story goes that here in Christchurch a Muslim changed to a Christian church & related that there were many sleepers in the Christchurch community.

Now there was no clarification as to what they meant by sleepers whether that was in a security view of sleepers being possible jihadists or sleepers as in Muslims keeping a low profile because they are in what they perceive to be a predominantly Christian society.

I have seen the same in Christian groups where hard line Christians lower their profile by becoming part of a more moderate group.

Again the NZ mindset doesn't think that is possible in NZ. It is possible anywhere.


One other issue that has being brought to my attention over the last few days by a mate is the reaction at the time to the terrorist stunts.

There were claims by the stadiums that the terrorist stunts could of caused panic & injuries if not deaths.

As it was pointed out to me that is the stadiums saying they are not prepared for the real thing & have no procedures in place.

From personal experience carrying out security in our stadiums & major organizations over a number of years they have had no procedures or if they have them they have no idea what they are, or they are not current or they are completely wrong.


One major organization had as its bomb threat procedure hit the fire alarm.

Now for a bomb threat the reaction required is totally different than for a fire & the assembly places could need to be significantly different & even changeable.

I doubt that if I checked their again they have changed their procedures.

Another has, but they have not kept them updated for the new type of threat or even consider that normal terrorist threat could be present & therefore counter those tactics.

The other issue is even if they have a security presence on site, they are generally not even informed if there is a bomb threat.

True in NZ most of them would not know what to look for or to do, but before police are called in this respect someone has to carryout a preliminary check.

As the British found in Northern Ireland if you don't have the people on the ground trained in first recognition then a whole city can be tied up by false calls mixed with real ones.

In fact it was a comment made by a former member of the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary) was that one IRA cell (usually about four people) could of tied up Baghdad because of the way the US forces were reacting to situations.

That reaction is no different than calling the police first in all instances.

In at least three incdents my military training has stopped the need to call police & secure the area.

If you find one & are awaiting police what can you do to secure the area & how far do you secure? What are the ballistic features of the possible bomb likely to be?

That extra training needs to be part of the normal security package, but most it amounts to seeing a package & calling the police. Usually from their cell phone which could easily detonate a bomb if it was one.