Renewed Slavery: The Dumbing down of Society!

Kia Ora,

For those that are not aware New Zealand because of its small population & supposedly good infrastructure is often the place where new ideas or technology are tested. At present we are testing a new education system that dumbs society down.

The education system as it currently stands is set up as a slavery system. It follows from around 1903 when a member of the Rockerfeller family was Minister of education in the US & they needed to find a replacement for the slavery system.

It was decided to follow the Prussian system which Otto Von Bismarck set up to ensure he had good soldiers & workers.

The education system followed around the world only ever catered for 30% of those in the system when you look at the 'Cone of Learning' by making academics the top of the tree. As people failed in the system they were able to be then used as cheap labour.

As the world has progressed people have clamoured for the chance to be part of this but as one property investor Dr Dolf de Roos said when he got to Univeristy he looked around & saw none of the facility were rich. Academic success does not equal success as an investor or business person.

In fact the opposite is generally true for businessman & investors.

But again as the world has progressed there has become this requirement to tick all the little boxes this has actually made society, & New Zealand is the perfect example, that is risk adverse.

New Zealand though has embarked on a new slavery system called NCEA which Dumbs down the already stilted education system. It is not internationally recognized just the same as the NZQA system which it leads into.
Why Are So Many Black Men in Prison?
We saw the same sort of system been introduced into Iraq, where initially a military background & experience were preferred then an introduction of a system of required courses which usually had little to do with how the work was carried out on the ground.

I now hear that there has been a movement towards probably a requirement for a univeristy degree for Afghanistan which again forces well experienced people into the low wage slavery system.

Today it is well known that the 'Cone of learning' is right & most people learn by doing or making mistakes, not by classroom or reading.
The History of the Rise, Progress and Accomplishment of the Abolition of the African Slave Trade by the British Parliament (1808), Volume 2
By having internal assessment & unit standards the system can claim it is doing that when it is actually doing nothing of the sort.

We are already seeing this in the NZ security industry with people coming to the industry who can not think for themselves after completing the NZQA courses.

This dumbing down then resulting in people have to try to gain greater qualifications will (& already does) led to greater frustration then often crime. Therefore giving the powers that be more power & condemning those who don't fit to again the slave labour jobs.
Slavery and the Rise of the Atlantic System
We do need academics but they have to realize that they are no better no worse than the person with no education. Real progress is made by those who are prepared to make mistakes(which the academic style education system tells us we shouldn't make).

As someone once said "if the Aboringines created an IQ test then all the professors would fail." Dr Dolf de Roos mentioned earlier has a PHD in engineering & he chose that discipline because unlike most it is about problem solving, not sticking to a set formula.
World Poverty: The Roots of Global Inequality and the Modern World System
Due to experience when I look at our unit standards I see one thing. But the system sees something else which results in the dumbing down of our population.

I know of parents who see it & are not happy. Now a major school, Auckland Grammar, has taken a stand against the NCEA system. If they are going to have to educate their students then they are going to aim for a higher standard.

My opinion is that the system that should be employed is one based on the military system which takes all learning into account. Those that excell at the academic could then be moved more into that line whilst those who are more practical are encouraged in that direction. It was tried unsuccessfully in the Band system used at my school but there was still too much emphasis on classroom work when most just do not learn that way.

Then the whole idea of the system is still to provide low wage slave workers.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Mindset on Security needs to change!

Kia Ora,

A news item has shown a breach of security at a New Zealand Military base two years ago with graffitti been applied to an Australian air force plane.

In response a security fence was erected around the airfield. Now to people overseas that might seem far fetched but most New Zealand military bases until recent years have been open to anyone.

The camp I spent most of my army career in used to be so open. The week we arrived there a member of the Soviet Embassy had been caught because they were sitting out front with a clip board noting the registration of cars entering & leaving the camp. The KGB is alleged to have used New Zealand as its training base since our security was so slack.

We have put fences up but not much else has changed. Security in general is now provided by private companies but with minimum manning.

The airforce response to the photographs of the damage to the planes has been we are providing great security. I know they aren't & they have been told by a former soldier that they weren't, but they knew better.
Private Armed Forces and Global Security: A Guide to the Issues
But it not just there. Encountered the same issue when tendering for the security contract at a defence headquarters venue. When we didn't get the contract they sent reasons for not obtaining it.

First was not going to comply with the NZQA(qualification) requirement. As was pointed out in reply & in the tender document minimum standard was ex military so highest standard & level of security(paradox here as the military has access to this knowledge but doesn't use it) which is much much higher than NZQA. In fact I wouldn't hire people with NZQA unless they had the experience & background to back it up. The standards as applied now to those qualifications are too low for them to be even in the industry.
Guarding Against Espionage, Sabotage, & Subversion - Military Base Security (1953)
Second point was no one visited the site. Reply was didn't have too as requirements were spelt out but also since the issue of the tender had blown up in the news media from footage they were lucky no one did as tender would of been at least doubled.

Last point they had was tender was outside their budget.

Reply here was due to nature of facility payments planned were greater than normal security. Also the fact that outlined current provider at the time could not provide the requirements of current laws with the numbers they had. Therefore numbers planned for took into account the laws & changes of laws due to ocme into effect.
Private Armed Forces and Global Security: A Guide to the Issues (Contemporary Military, Strategic, and Security Issues)
Had no reply but what that said to me was they had not carried out a proper risk assessment of possible threats & that the laws regarding employment did not apply to government departments.

We need to get our mindset sorted. This is a recurring theme you see in New Zealand & therefore in my blogs regarding security. Why wait until people are killed again by terrorist actions?

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

NZ Police Overwhelmed & Under resourced!

Kia Ora,

Yet again concerns have been raised, this time by a former police officer, over the response times to burglaries. He commented it showed the police are overwhelmed & under resourced. This was reiterated by the NZ Insurance council.

The common story is at least two days for someone to show up.

But it actually can be much worse than that.

One person told me of the time they got home & were not sure if the burglar was still inside. Called police. Too busy. So in the end after waiting several hours they entered the premises, cleaned up & noted what was missing. Four days later police showed up & told this person off for cleaning up as they could not gain any evidence.

As this individual replied "well I wasn't waiting four days to have a shower or sleep."

On another occassion I am aware of a commercial premises where after reporting a burglary they were asked their fax number & a report to fill in was faxed through.

Crime is out of control & getting worse, but most of it is not reported. In response to the above criticism by the former officer the reply was crime was down. It is mainly down because it is not been reported.
Policing: Continuity and Change
This issue was also highlighted last night on TV One's Close up programme.

An individual having someone come up their driveway here in Christchurch acting suspiciously they rang the police who advised they were too busy.

This individual then with his sister followed the suspicious person. On seeing this person enter a property he then effected what he said was a 'citizen's arrest'.
Critical Issues in Policing: Contemporary Readings
Now people see this used on TV in particular programmes from the US. Thing is law is different here & citizen's arrest here has so many hoops to jump through there is a lot of confusion & therefore in the security industry not used often.

Not to mention it was on someone else's property & as security often find, even on property they do have a right to be on, the owners then say they have no right to trespass or remove someone. Causes all sorts of issues.

From what featured on the item it would appear that the person who effected the 'citizen's arrest' is maybe lucky not to be charged.
Policing the Globe: Criminalization and Crime Control in International Relations
The issue of citizen's arrest came up when I made my submission to the select committee on the new security personnel bill. There were at least three different views there on what constitutes the condidtions to be able to effect a citizen's arrest.

I learned of it on my NZQA security course where the person teaching the law actually had a law degree which they had used to focus on the law as it related to the security industry.

After telling us the parts that you needed to know to effect a citizen's arrest, their advice was don't unless it is a major crime.
International Policing Technology
For example there was the question of when. In most instances it is to be used during the hours of darkness, but which one. In NZ law at the time I completed my course there were three seperate definitions of the hours of darkness. Most people would only beaware of the one in regards to driving, not the definition in the crimes act which is very different.

Another issue was the requirement to know the sentence for that crime & it wasn't the sentence in the act but the sentence currently been given out by the courts.

You are allowed to detain someone. Everyone is, but the amount of force required to detain will depend on level of crime. Best way to detain is by use of the mouth.
Community Policing, Partnerships for Problem Solving
The problem within the NZ security industry though is the different levels of training for the same qualification if one at all. Often the better security guards are those who have learnt on the street, not on the courses.

The current system has NZQA levels 2 & 3 are mainly class room based. Then you have people instructing on the courses like the one I attended who like myself come from the military & they enforce the classroom training all the way through with practical training situations. Most courses don't.
Community Policing
Currently we are getting a lot of people coming out of training courses who have been told the way to use their mouth, but have never had to front someone aggressive swearing threatening right in their face. These new people just don't cut it.

As the police become more overwhelmed & under resourced the extra work is falling to the NZ Security Industry & the training or awareness of security guards needs to be raised.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

It's War! Boy Racers need to be taken off the streets!

Kia Ora,

When I have being building systems & procedures for the service I recently launched from about the year 2000 it has being with the realization that there would likely be calls & encounters with the street racers known locally as boy racers.

But last night they declared war & now I will use all legal means to ensure they are taken off our roads.

Now to the 'Angry Man' here is a point where your argument falls flat.

The  first incident last night I avoided a head on crash because of my experience in Iraq, not the fact I have qualified as an AA advanced driver during my NZQA Close Protection (Bodyguard) course.

What possessed the idiot to suddenly try to pass the small flat deck on what is known locally as that southern arterial near the turn off towards Hoon Hay road, I don't know. Suddenly they found themselves heading towards a traffic island, so they swerved into my lane where the only traffic was oncoming.

Most people in that situation would of either ended up in a head on crash or over reacted & gone off the road & ended up in the deep ditch next to it. Either way would probably be fatal.

A large truck heading to Lyttleton would of had no where to go.

It was only the experience of encountering sudden head on traffic often in Baghdad that I believe allowed me to get through safely.

As if that was not enough, I arrived at my intended destination, a local service station, to only be followed in by another boy racer idiot, who was driving at speed across the forecourt, just missed hitting two bowsers & only came in to read a map.

Suffice to say they got the first shots across their bows in a very aggressive comment on their lack of driving skills & lack of general worth to the human race.  Or as we would say in the army, an oxygen thief & waste of rations.

If that wasn't enough shortly after a young woman was seen to get into a car then reversed straight out onto the road without looking, causing me to swerve.

Some say the issue is there needs to be burn out pads made for these idiots.

That will only take some of the fringe players off the road, not the hard core who are often in the past being seen to be connected to organized crime. When these guys are about then burglaries go up behind the scenes. Not to mention the fact that security,police & the general public have being threatened, items such as bottles thrown at them.

They have been known to have firearms & have threatened after one incident to use molotov cocktails against police.

This has to stop & they have to learn the world does not owe them a life. We had a lot less to do than they do now & even the petrol heads never got to this stage. In fact they tended to just enjoy themselves & minimise the annoyance to others.

Later last night I managed to pass onto police where some  more idiots were starting to gather & carryout burnouts. Though no thanks to police comm's (who really need some training) they were caught by a passing patrol (a common complaint is patrols have no idea that something is going on, including a night when I had a crowd of boy racers throwing bottles at me & about 20 minutes later after my 111 call a patrol showed up because I knew the officer in charge, so he come to check up after an earlier incident, there had never being a job put out over the radio).

So boy racers we want you off our streets. You have lost your rights to be treated nicely as you are terrorizing neighbourhoods, businesses & those whose job it is to keep the place secure.

           http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

What are Qualifications worth?

Kia Ora,

Well have just had three firey  anonymous emails from someone questioning my qualifications to write these blogs. They then have threatened to publish elsewhere if I don't allow their emails to be put on my blog.

Well I won't because they don't have the guts to put their name to it, but I will respond & also point out some facts they have wrong.

The first thing they question is my formal qualifications. I do have some, but in the real world that is just slavery & those with them work for those without in the end.

But as to my qualifications. First I came from the military which is the highest level of security.  Those qualifications are obtained at a much higher standard than any I have seen in civvy street.

On leaving I completed NZQA courses. First thing I was told when I went to sign up was "f... off, you are overqualified", but been in a new environment I decided to do it anyway. I should of listened as most of it was a waste of time.

Those same people then told me to start my own company as my standards were too high for security in NZ. Again I should of listened as they were right & I was wrong.

Later I attended a security meeting where they were promoting level 6 NZQA to be introduced. But on looking at it, I had carried it to a higher level in the Infantry than those who would have to have it in the industry.

SIA I wouldn't of minded getting their qualifications, but now it is about actually getting on the ground & getting things going. You don't combat crime in the classroom.

Within my companies anyone with NZQA or any qualifications will not be looked at unless they have either the experience (mainly military) or mindset to back it up.

OSH again just carry it on from how we practised in the military. Security is no different & in fact that came out in Iraq on numerous occassions as risk assessment was very fluid. It had to be as so was the threat.

I have talked to OSH over this from moment I formed my company, their take was they couldn't believe some of the things carried out by security companies in the name of OSH i.e. wearing fluro jackets in a bank.
I have asked them how do we assess risk in your books? My understanding of it is worst case scenario you can think of even if it hasn't happened to you.

Their reply is correct & I even was able to correct them on something.

So worst case I have been close too is three VBIED's & arrived shortly after one or two other suicide bombings. So I have to aim my risk assessment there & have procedures for that level.

You don't need a bit of paper when your culture (from the military) is continous risk assessment. In fact because it is on going I was asked would I like to join a group looking at that, as there had been serious accidents because people were not identifying risks when entering new areas.


The anonymous emailer goes on about formal qualifications. Obviously someone who has brought into the modern slavery. Qualifications are Ok as I have said if they have the practical experience to go with it.

Captain Wallingford whose machine guns held the Nek on the first day at Gallipoli did so effectively because he was able to apply both the theory of machine gun fire & being a farmer, the practical assessment of the land to deny the Turkish forces almost certain victory on the first day.

As to the writers claims that I was only a gunner, not a consultant in Iraq, he needs to get his facts right.

My first contract was as a 'consultant' & was posted as part of the 'bodyguard' team or as I called it the 'suicide stay behind squad'. Because one or two of us would be left behind with multiple clients.

It was made very clear we were consultants after I made a client put on his body armour to visit an area that was dodgy at the time. As consultants we were only allowed to advise, not enforce safety precautions.

My next contract was as a driver & member of an Armed protetion team & then on the main contract I was a driver, vehicle commander (as it was designated) & at times yes, rear gunner. I was also radio operator & for a while team intelligence gatherer as that is something I like. It is also always been a strength being able to see things others couldn't.

In NZ up until now I have given security advice freely & often told off for it as I was giving too much to the industry, who don't have a clue as they have never been at those levels. I was advised I should be marketing myself as a consultant as that is what I do for all intent purposes, but it is not something I focus on.

The last point this individual argues about is the fact I also write blogs on financial matters & only those with formal education should do that.

Dr Cullen the previous Minister of Finance had a doctorate in history, but he never learnt the most important history & that is financial.

Dr Dolf de Roos on the other hand has a degree in engineering, but because when he first began studying for his degree, he realized those with them are not the ones with money he studied what was the common demoninator for the rich. In the end he came up with property.

He kept studying as it was free at the time & he built his property portfolio in the meantime. To this day he has never used that degree. He took that subject because he decided that after looking at all other areas, he didn't like blood & everything else followed a set pattern. Engineering solved problems just like investing.

What I know about  the financial area comes from him, Robert Kiyosaki, Donald Trump, Richard Branson & many other like minded people. Most do not have degrees or if they do it was for a certain reason.

To them you do not need any formal education. In fact it is a hinderance.

In security, finance or any other area I will favour experience over a bit of paper.

I know for instance that most people coming off level 3 NZQA courses these days actually know very little about security. One even said I learnt nothing compared to what I have learnt working alongside experienced staff.

That is not to say degrees etc don't have their place.

Just seems to me we are repeating the mistakes of history again. When academics thought they were better than everyone else in 2500BC it destroyed Ionian society which up to then had flourished as all areas were seen as equal.

Or as Winston Churchill said "the further back we look, the further forward we see".

So I can see forward & are working on making that work for me. I don't need qualifications to do it as my experience tells what I think is right. Not always going to be right but then that is the main way people learn.

Not in the classroom. That is shown  in the cone of learning. You learn the least in lectures or through reading, most through doing to simulation.

                                           http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Arming Police & Security in NZ.

Kia Ora,

Well since my last blog there has being a development in this area. The NZ Police Association has renewed its push for NZ Police to be armed.

Having access to firearms is something in todays society is a must, but there are other issues.

As Simon pointed out in his comment several blogs back they need the training to be able to use them correctly & that in general NZ police do not get at present. They also need the mindset to use them possibly with deadly force. That mindset is just not there in the NZ Police Force at present.

Then there is when they would be able to get that required extra training. There is just not the numbers in the NZ Police to allow that to happen.

In the latest incident where the officers where set upon it was suggested they should of had a Taser to which the police have replied that pepper spray was best option.

The situation of a large group would see pepper spray as best option in first instance. A taser could only stop one person at a time. Firearms might persuade people to co operate but as with any weapon it can be double edged if the group are able to get hold of them.

So if the police are looking at them shouldn't some of the security industry also have weapons?

I have said it before. I wouldn't arm 99% of the current security industry with a ball point pen let alone a firearm (to which one police officer replied "I wouldn't arm 75% of the NZ Police Force").


If the Police see from a health & safety issue to wear bodyarmour then all security should be also wearing it as we are often confronting the same issues & usually alone.

Therefore if the Police are now considering arming themsleves then so should security.

It is not well known in NZ that whilst the Police have being unarmed since about the end of the 1800's, private security was armed until 1974 in NZ in a very low key fashion. There is no reason for that to start again & in fact a proper Risk Assessment  would show that weapons should already be carried in many situations.

So what would that require on behalf of the security industry?
First a change in mindset. As is stands currently the industry just 'Plays' at it.

Going hand in hand with that is training & good training at that, not the general mickey mouse stuff we get in the guise of NZQA at present.

For example earlier this week I was in a public building where a guard was lounging against a wall watching those using the facilities. First thing you would of noticed was he was wearing a fluro jacket in breach of Health & Safety.

Next thing was the smell of smoke from a fire  started coming in the door. So what does our guard do, but walk away.

Security is actually Safety & Security & in this case it was likely a cigarette dropped in rubbish bin outside door, therefore guards area of responsibility, & you could see the smoke building out of it. So it was up to me to report it to reception, which then resulted in the cleaners in responding with buckets of water.

Then & only then did our hero guard return to lounge against the same wall. In the meantime one of the area guards, from another company, had come in to check out the smell of smoke.

Now as expected it is a common incident here, but the reactions of the guard shows a few things.

First he hasn't being properly trained.

Second the venue & in particular the security have no procedures for this issue.

Third he was lazy & incompetent as even without procedures he should of had his own & it should not include just walking off.

So with guards like that I wouldn't want him armed. If he is going to be lazy or not bothered in this incident what is he going to be like when he has to use a firearm.

From a legal point of view whether soldier, police officer or private security when using firearms you need to not only know the Rules of Engagement(ROE's), but understand how they work in practise.

The military achieve this through BHL's/BHE's. Private security would have to do the same. That means using military instructors more as the majority of the current crop of instructors have little idea of true security but would struggle with the instructing required.

Another consideration is the weapons to be used.

With a pistol or revolver you only achieve the competency seen in the movies with hundreds of hours of practise. They are not that accurate especially when a person is your target not cardboard cut outs.

The Private industry will not have the budget for training that government agencies have (& in NZ they virtually could call themselves private companies for the amount allocated to use of firing live rounds. The army being the agency that uses them the most), so will need a weapon that needs minimum training & greater accuracy.

Therefore it is dangerous enough out there for Police to be pushing for firearms then the security industry needs to look at it too. But it needs to those with sufficient training.

A two day course is not enough. Even a two week course could be well short of the mark.

Where as a two hour refresher for ex military(teeth arms/special forces in particular) people is more than enough usually to switch them back on to the use of firearms.

Then you have to add in the training to understand ROE's, which again there is less of a requirement for ex military as they inherently understand them having trained & used them before.

So Police permanently armed? There is a good case for it, it is just the training required & the increase in numbers. But there is an equally good case for arming a small number of the private security industry.