Nano Nano; The Great Orkan speaks!

Kia Ora,

The Orkan greeting from the TV series Mork & Mindy might not seem appropriate but I feel it is as it fits the response from the Minister of Earthquake recovery & his out of touch unrealistic responses to the frustrated & angry people of Canterbury.

He definitely is on another planet. From his flippant responses to the angry meeting shown on TV news in Kaiapoi. "We can't just wave a magic wand". No but you can pull your finger out & start getting things done. Australia have a lot sooner & with more imput to not one but two major disasters. Meanwhile authorities here are sitting with finger up rear using any excuse not to do anything.

Then in the 'Press' he is quoted as saying that the government will do nothing for those that were uninsured as it is personal responsibility. Yes it is, but in most cases people are not insured because they can not actually aford it. A governments job is not to give out currency willy nilly as they have here in the past but they are there to be the safety net when all else fails.

Now the person highlighted in the 'Press' is mid 60's so has little in way of job prospects & is on a sickness beneficiary due to "chronic obstructive pulmonary disease & prostrate cancer". Where is the lack of personal responsibility? I would say he has lived his life paid taxes confined by the way the government wants so they can steal his currency & now they just discard him.

He is going to get his mates to help him refurbish his house. But it would probably be illegal or unsafe but what else is he to do? At present he shouldn't even be living in it.

This is the sort of thinking that will led to greater frustration & anger. Hope the government is prepared for the back lash.

As is reported in Kaiapoi & I have pointed out before there is a lot of uncertainty lack of information & any rumour(especially about the Ministers own house) just is taken up as truth like wildfire.
Disaster Recovery
Then there was another Minister saying that businesses that have gone under or about too were poor at business. Funny some real thriving businesses have already gone under due to the slow response & in how customers could not get to them even if they were open.

Politicians really do live in their own little world just delivering for their real masters the banks(whom it is noted have made a great profit this year, though basing it on how the US banks are doing it it is likely to be a book profit only aided by tax refunds).

President Mubarak has gone because like all leaders he has underestimated the power of social media. The current New Zealand government has already lost the Canterbury vote for the poor response unless it pulls finger & gets off the drugs they are using or return to planet earth.
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning for IT Professionals
Police raided gang properties across the North Island over the last few days to impact on the drug scene. Maybe they need to raid parliament. Because they are on some heavy shit up there.

Even the police raids showed how out of touch the policticians really are. The Police Minister has been quite good in supporting the police but her statement yesterday showed she had no idea what she is talking about.

Basically she claimed that drug raids would result in a drop in crime. Actually they will do the opposite. In particular violent crime will go up as people need more cash to buy their drug of choice. In the Netherlands when I visited a local said they always dread when the drug squad hit outlets as they knew from low crime it would quickly esculate until the drug supply was sufficient enough again to lower the price. Of course if people weren't on drugs to start there would be less crime but that is unrealistic in todays world.
High Availability and Disaster Recovery: Concepts, Design, Implementation
Of course the stress caused by the earthquakes is showing in Canterbury with visits for stress related issues way up particularly in some areas but funding for that has stopped. The stress hasn't so here we go again, more crime, more violence & more use of illegal drugs. More problems for police & security.

The Government are in cloud cuckoo land!

Nano Nano!

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

Nature versus Technology!

Kia Ora,

These days in the security industry everyone likes to have all the mod cons(modern conviences) in terms of technology.

But if working security in Iraq reinforced one thing. All technology is only ever an aid to providing real security.

It was noticeable that in a high risk environment there were more people required, not less.

Not just people but dogs as no technology has that in grown sense that all things of nature have.

Colombia have now introduced a new twist.

Due to its long running drug war Colombia is said to have the 2nd most land mines in the world after Afghanistan.

So it has turned to a new way of looking for mines.

Rats!

Apparently they are able to pick up the smell of explosives when dogs can't. They also teach their young the same skills so save on training costs not to mention the feeding costs.
K9 Explosive Detection
Now Colombia has decided not to use rats in the likes of airport terminals because of the publics reactions to rats.

What if rats were used to search for explosives, drugs & illegal organic matter?

Well for one it would cost less. You could cover greater areas or more items quicker with a greater chance of finding something.

Now the rats been used are the white rats often kept as pets, not the grey rats most connect with dirt & disease.
Aspects of Explosives Detection
As an aid to security they sound great & would be far superior to any technological gadget. Animals more so than people these days retain an instinct where they sense danger.

Technology is great in the right place but I doubt very much if it will ever replace instinct.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Drugs, Domestic Violence, Copper theft & Burglary!

Kia Ora,

Was going to write about rats today but then seen this in an investment news letter I was reading.

It was the answer to a question about what caused most killings. In New Zealand Domestic Violence would rate one then possibly drugs or drunk drivers.

Copper theft was main point of article in letter due to rising price, but there has been a warning by New Zealand police on this exact point recently.

With the conitnued worsening of economic conditions people have been cutting the copper earthwires on power poles. Not only does that put the person cutting the wires life at risk but it also, once completed, causes the ground around for something like 8 metres to become electrified.

Not sure how burglary fits in but as the quote comes from a Sheriff in the US were home owners are more likely to have a firearm that could explain both copper & burglary been in the mix to begin with.

Funny but just yesterday it was also mentioned by New Zealand police in one district for the upswing in crime. They said they were getting more in particular domestic violence & alcohol induced violence as usual this time of year but it was worse due to the prevailing economic conditions.

With the financial situation expected to get worse by a long way over the coming months if not years there will only be a further increase in crime.
True stories of crime from the District attorney's office
Not to mention the pressure that is going to go on with less drugs on the street after a big drugs raid today. With as it was reported over the radio station armed police storming a gang pad in Auckland at the same time drug raids took place in Napier.

I support the police in this task but it will lead to in the short term at least an increase in crime, in particular burglaries & violent crime.

Overnight austerity measures have again been the target of demonstrations & riots in Britain. What is happening now & the way the governments are handling it, in particular the US answer of quantitive easing(another way of saying printing currency) is what led to the French Revolution.

This is why the Chinese are trying to manage theirs disregarding threats & comments from the US. They know from their long history that the greatest threat is from their own people especially in this part of the economic cycle.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz

Marijuana the worst of the drugs!

Kia Ora,

Here we go again. A well known international celebrity was caught with a small amount of Marijuana & his premises here in New Zealand searched.

Next we have a well known New Zealand broadcaster who by his own admission doesn't even touch the stuff slamming the police for doing their duty.

This is exactly the reason why the police now do everythng in a stilted process. No matter what they do they get hammered. It is the attitude of people that the only people who ar wrong are the police. Actually although they do make mistakes they are generally the ones in the right.

But these days the most common drug found around crimes is not methamphetamine better known as "P", but marijuana.

About the same day this incidetn came to light two other issues came to light.

A regular police raid uncovered mainly marijuana, but also items from burglaries, firearms & some "P" amongst other things as they usually do.

The other incident was much more worrying. A driver was sentenced in court for driving a 40 tonne truck & trailer of dangerous goods under the influence of drugs, namely marijuana.
THC Marijuana Dip Strip Test Pack of 10
Initially the driver denied smoking it despite police finding the drug, the pipe for smoking & the fact he was seen smoking. They now deny the fact they have an addiction problem with which the judge disagreed.

As I have said often before working with psych patients at a hospital you seen the damage done by drugs & marijuana in particular. That is why I agree with the police view that it is the worst of the drugs.

People are often hooked on it so they can be convinced to commit crimes, usually burglary, for the dealer.
How to Quit Drugs for Good: A Complete Self-Help Guide
Not to mention it makes people dangerous in the work place & on the roads. It also can be seen in peoples attitude to work & life in general. I have also seen it take a heavy toll on a persons health.

Marijuana is by far the worst of the drugs & there is no way from what I have experienced anyone will convince me otherwise.

"P" might be the drug of the moment & make people dangerous but it is Marijuana that has the worst long term effect on our society.

http://www.foxhoundsecurity.co.nz