WTF! Government doesn't value its own people!

Kia Ora,

I just couldn't believe the news the other night. After dithering over whether to send in the military to assist following the Canterbury Earthquake especially into Christchurch because it would send the wrong message. The New Zealand government were considering sending hundreds of personnel to help in the Australian floods.

Now I am not against helping our Aussie mates. They jump in & help us all the time(usually because we don't have the resources & have developed a tendency to bludge off them much to our disgrace) & though we give each other stick it is what should be done to help a mate.

So that part is not the issue & I know that our service people will be champing at the bit to get over & help, because we always were when I was in the military.
It is the fact they dithered here when there was a real need for people to be on the streets to show that everything was under control. It wasn't until the Mayor of Christchurch put it to the Prime Minister on national TV that anything started to happen.

Since then the military should of been assisting in the recovery other than some street patrols & shovelling liquifaction of the streets. That they haven't especially in light of this offer to Aussie to help with their clean up & recovery smacks of the type of corruption I witnessed in Iraq. Something that incensed US military people when they realized what was going on. Big companies making huge profits & undermining their efforts to stabilize Iraq.
Recalcitrance and realpolitik in complex emergencies / by Donald C.F. Daniel [and] Bradd C. Hayes (Occasional paper of the Center for Naval Warfare Studies)
So the actions of the government have shown that they don't really value their own people. Then you throw into the mix the increasing anger & frustration over the way in which damage assessment is been carried out.

Not to mention the frustration & real anger after the Police yesterday announced that they didn't think the Pike River miners could be recovered & were leaving the operation up to the receivers. Now I don't blame the police in this as every dirty job gets left to them & what ever they do they get the blame.

Only ones to blame in this are the government. Despite been the lesser of two evils in regards to the handling of the financial crisis, their on going poor management of the other disasters that have befallen New Zealand(in particular the South Island) in the last year are quickly loosing them support in those areas.
Military Aid to the Civil Power
It will likely result in incidents like the one seen in the US over the last week.

With regards to the last two posts on that subject I received a tweet(message through twitter for those that are not aware) with the message that apparently it was found that 85% of crime committed using firearms in Australia was with weapons that are not registered under their strict gun control laws.

It is quite clear though that the New Zealand government does not value its own people.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

It can't happen here! Yeah Right!

Kia Ora,

It can't or won't happen here! The New Zealand catch cry for many of the incidents around the world & repeated again in the editorial in regards to the shootings in the US as referred to in the previous post.

Further information has now come out about the shooter who has had issues with people trying to get help for him in the past.

As I have said in previous posts I used to work security at a major hospital here in New Zealand & looking at the reports his situation leading up to the shooting is no different many of those presenting here for assistance.

That is assistance with possible mental health issues. The individual or family know they need help but because they don't tick the boxes they don't get any help.

Now you add in a worsening financial crisis with people struggling & those on the edge just find the stress enough to put them over the edge.

Although a lot of people in the US blame Sarah Palin for her campaign using rifle sights, you can't really blame someone for that, as inappropriate as it might seem especially in hindsight.

When you work with people with a mental illness though sometimes even in the short periods we had to deal with many of them, depending on the illness they can become very focussed on the smallest thing.

So something innocent can become a security threat. One thing I learnt working with the mentally ill was that you started to pick up signs or vibes that would indicate watch out. Those same vibes are what you get when seeing someone up to suspicious activity or about to carryout a crime.

It actually was the best training for security I ever received actually working with the mentally ill. It also taught me something about empathy which government departments could learn or they are likely to trigger episodes such as the one in the US. Because we know for sure they don't have any empathy at present.
Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill: Research Perspectives (Report of an NIMH Workshop January 24-25, 1980)
So certainly from what I see on the streets there are enough people out there who could carryout actions such as those in the US if under enough stress. It only takes a very small thing to set them off.

I know myself especially from recent experience that dealing with government departmetnts can be frustration enough to upset people. Whilst someone like myself might just keep plugging away at the departments(this blog is good for getting the frustration out & so is giving the odd person or two their pedigree) or at very worst go bush, others will snap & take action.
50 Signs of Mental Illness: A Guide to Understanding Mental Health (Yale University Press Health & Wellness)
The going bush is a good way for those that can to clear their frustrations, just by getting away from society. I once saw someone with PTSD(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) where I was living(until this actual day no one knew they had this condition) set off by the smallest bureaucratic type action. We had to endure a sleepless night as they worked themselves into a frenzy(couldn't call for police as they had ripped the phone out or restrain them as it is only when you work with the mentally ill you find out how strong they can be)trying to kick in everyones doors. The Marijuana they had been using didn't help the situation. Totally paranoid.

But by morning they had calmed & we were able to talk to them. They had little memory of the night & thought it was all down to the Marijuana, but that experience at the hospital told me other wise. They then admitted their condition, packed up & went bush for 6 months. Next time I saw them they were acting as a counsillor to others & told us off the drugs. In their view that 6 months out of society was the most cleansing thing they could of done, otherwise they were a ticking time bomb.

It is not for everyone & you need to have the skills to survive.
Broken Glass: A Family's Journey Through Mental Illness
Then again in yesterdays 'Press' is a small clipping in reference to an individual standing outside the IRD(tax department) here in Christchurch with a pistol & was seen to cock it. Ends up it was a pellet gun which the individual thought it was legal to have.

Some simiilar weapons are under New Zealand gun control laws, but standing outside a government department with them is not normal.

From the Judges comments he is a regular in court & the Judge wanted more background information. Which leads me to believe there is a possible mental health issue involved. That or the person in question can't handle the stress of society & so took action that will get him put back in prison. The only thing there is if he isn't put back in prison he may take more drastic action so he is.
Shadow Voices: Finding Hope in Mental Illness
So is it not likely to happen in New Zealand? Yeah right it already has & will again. A firearm just means more people quicker in theory. Recent incidents in China, all involving knife attacks on groups, show it can be just as deadly & quick.

Unbelievable though it may seem comments from the recent shooting in the US people were just lying there waiting their turn to be shot as they froze with fear until one person acted. No reason that same thing would not happen during a knife attack or any other weapon.

New Zealand needs to wake up!

Gun Control; Is it effective?

Kia Ora,

In yesterday's 'Press' there was an editorial on gun control & the shooting in the US in particular of the Congresswoman.

To me it showed the writer of the editorial had no idea what they are talking about. There was comment about how strange it is that in the US having access to firearms made them feel safer. Well actually when I visited the US I felt safer than I do in Christchurch, yet our police are unarmed as are our security & to gain a firearm legally you have to jump through hoops.

This 'unarmed' state of the New Zealand police & securtiy in particular I know put many Americans off coming here as they viewed that it would be too dangerous a country. I know because they told me so when I visited there a few years ago.

As I have said often I find Christchurch in particular more dangerous than when I worked security in Iraq because as my South African dentist(from Jo'burg) said there is no reason for the crime or violence & it is so random. Also the fact I no longer have a weapon just makes you feel unsafe. You get a lot less arguments when you are armed & a lot less people wanting to take you on.

But is gun control effective?

Well really no! The only people it penalizes are those who stick by the rules. Most firearms used here in New Zealand are illegal or stolen.

As the reporter from the Sunday-Star Times showed in his undercover piece sometime back. It is real easy to buy illegal firearms in New Zealand & the firearms safety of many of those selling is appalling.
The Politics of Gun Control, 4th Edition
The editorial then goes on to say that it is due to the toxic political environment in the US & we do not have an unhealthy gun culture.

I think this shows their lack of understanding on what is going on in the world. The Congresswoman is not the first political person killed or attempted to be killed of late & most of it is to do with the financial crisis as people come under extreme stress. At least one person killed has directly been atributed to the austerity measures they agreed to carryout.

This sort of incident will only increase as the worlds situation worsens. As was pointed out in the previous post it is the climate now where extrmists end up with political power & this is how the likes of the Nazi party got to power in Germany. We haven't seen an equivalent of the 'night of the long knives' yet.
Gun Control on Trial: Inside the Supreme Court Battle Over the Second Amendment
As to a gun culture. New Zealand has a pretty significant gun culture & I grew up seeing firearms a lot. The major difference is population. New Zealand has only just reached 4 million people. The US is about 260 million therefore you are going to have a lot more incidents. Per Capita though I would be very careful saying we don't have a gun culture the same as the US & amount of incidents. On the surface we don't seem to be as carefree with firearms, but again as that reporter exposed it is pretty dodgy. In fact during security tasks you often hear firearms been discharged but what do you do when you have no details to pass to the police? Everyone else just convinces themselves its fireworks.

We have had enough mass murders(Aramoana, Stanley Graham, Bain faimly, to name a few) or potential mass murders(Napier springs to mind).

People in New Zealand also seem to stick to the myth that the NZ Police have always been an unarmed force, only resorting to firearms when the requirement arose.

As the NZ Police yes that is true, but before that they were known as the Armed Constabulary. That change took place in the early 1900's so it has been a while, but there is still a history of been armed.

The NZ Security Industry does even better as it was armed until 1974 in a low key manner for certain tasks. It is even more important now that it should be armed again when you look at it from a risk assessment & health & safety point of view.
The Seven Myths of Gun Control: Reclaiming the Truth About Guns, Crime, and the Second Amendment
But the gun is not the issue. It is just the weapon of choice of that person.

In the last two months high profile attacks on police here in NZ have involved knives or machete's. In South Auckland you would say the weapon of choice has always been a machete.

Then you have the likes of Timothy McVeigh who used what is commonly refered to as ampho to destroy a building. The biggest terrorist attack on US soil prior to 9/11(Pearl Harbour was an act of war even if the Japanese got their timings wrong about when to deliver the message)pissed off with politicians. In fact 9/11 should tell people that an attack by an upset armed individual, though tragic, is only small beer to what could be carried out.

Fact is to stop terrorist attacks people need to be armed. You can't, as seems to be the woollyheaded thinking at times here in New Zealand, say "Stop! Excuse me sir are you a suicide bomber?"
The Gun Control Debate : You Decide (Contemporary Issues)
I would call Gun Control the Claytons(a non alcoholic drink you used to get here in NZ whose advert went "the drink you are having when you are not having a drink" It was awful & consensus was only way to drink it was with Whiskey)solution. The solution you have when you really don't have a solution.

Gun Control does not work as there seems to be an increasing amount of firearms out there found on drug raids, used in armed robberies & in gang confrontations. It just happens to be weapon of choice for some.

Firearms education is what is really needed. As was pointed out so often when in the army "Its not the weapon that kills, but the nut behind it!"

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

How safe is it out there for Security Guards?

Kia Ora,

People hire a security guard but do they really think about the dangers they are putting them in.

Two incidents I witnessed Friday night highlighted just how close security guards sometimes come to real danger.



After completing a previously organized security task, it was back to being on standby for the new 0900 Suspicious service & whilst waiting again went out to see if I could gain any footage of criminal activity.

Took up a new position & in little over 40 minutes witnessed a number of criminal activities (two close to where guards were or appeared to be.)

The first involved a patrol in a vehicle roving around a premises. He had his lights on full & though that is not good security, with a big area it is often all the patrols are forced to do coupled with time constraints.

Only issue with lights on full was they didn't see the person at the edge of their lights dash into cover behind a container. Guard must of signed a book (in office on other side of the container) then left with lights going out & person was seen to move out onto a main road.



Twenty minutes later two persons whom I have seen before also trespassed across that private property.

Was preparing to leave when see in the other direction what appeared to be a security guard searching a property with his torch. Suddenly about 20 metres down & out of his line of sight, jumped over a fence a group of at least 3 people & who also trespassed on this other property.



Expecting the guard might of being answering an alarm, I moved to next side street to confirm before we could ring the police. But it transpired the 'guard' would of actually entered that property from next street over.

Meanwhile the new boy racer by law was in action & there was a noticeable change in tactics as well as a continuation of some old ones.



The two vehicles on the footage could be heard racing at an estimated speed of over 120kmh. The night before had seen a large number of vehicles come down that same road at speed then exit down a side road.

There was still a large number of burnouts, mainly in the line with a quick burn out then move to the next intersection & so on. Hard one to police unless someone can give a registration number.

Yet again there appeared to be shots. Problem is there were four 'reports' the first sounded like an air rifle, the next two were more explosive & the fourth had what in the military we called 'crack & thump' so a firearm was involved.



Again though like the precious occassions, it appeared to be from a moving vehicle, so unless you have a registration or have actually seen the weapon it is hard to call in.

It is actually quite common at night in Christchurch & the reckless use of firearms is more prominent as shown by a media investigation, than most people would realize. Most are just not reported.

That also came out during the shooting of a gunman in Christchurch, in that he had fired shots before but no one in the street had called the police for most incidents & the one they had he was able to explain away.

Security Guards often are facing all that on their own!

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Gun Control!

Kia Ora,

Since the shooting in Britain there have of course been murmurings about gun control & since the NZ Police Association President was near by some comment has being made comparing the two forces.

So first thing to look at would Gun control make any difference?

Not really, most incidents will occur if a firearm is available or not & recently there has being a spree of knife attacks by males on young children groups in China.

A firearm in most cases will allow someone to do more damage quickly.  Too heavy restrictions will only tip the scales more in favour of those who obtain them illegally, which is where most of those involved in crime get them from.

But then you can go the other avenue which is just as dangerous. Until recently the US state of Arizona has like many states required its citizens to under go testing to gain a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Whilst everyone has been up in arms (excuse the pun) over Arizona's  new immigrant law, where anyone suspected of being an illegal immigrant can be stopped & asked for papers, no one has commented much on the changing of their gun laws allowing all & sundry to carry a concealed weapon without a permit.

That can be as bad as been too restrictive as you just don't know who is carrying a weapon.

The other side of this is the police response & from a NZ point of view how would we respond.

As the Police Association President on business in the UK pointed out NZ police have better access to firearms than their average British counterpart, but if we are to move towards arming our police, they need better training.

In reality the speed with which these incidents grow we can take a leaf out of the British police book & have a group of specially armed police on permanent duty as the current procedures of getting AOS together resembles keystone cops, whilst the general duty police officer generally unarmed is left to deal with the situation.

So conceivably by the time the AOS are assembled the same situation of someone with good local knowledge could wreck mayhem.

Actually I have being in a situation where this could of happened shortly after leaving the army & entering the industry, asked to guard a house overnight that certain people with a history of violence had threatened to firebomb (& as we found out later in the night threatened to kill the owner as he run from the fire). So a guard was required in the meantime whilst they had time over night to get the AOS together.


People were so scared of these people as they had firebombed houses previously that
no one would let the owner stay with them so he came home.

Another issue is many of the police force do not want to carry weapons, but they do want to be police officers.

I am sure there is a way to accomodate both as they are not the military.

Having a firearm & using it is a huge responsibility & as the Australian security guards found over the weekend it has consequences. One  guard was shot dead in a bungled armed robbery & a firearm taken from one of the guards.

That is what those in the  NZ security industry without adequate training or  experience with firearms have to think about. We do need them in some roles but who should be allowed to use them is another matter.

                                                   http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz