Collins push on for arming police 22 Jul 2021 13:03 PM
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National Partly leader Judith Collins says bring back the police armed response teams - but paint their SUVs pink instead of black.
The experiment of having Armed Offenders Squad members patrolling the streets of South Auckland and other areas was dumped last year by new Police Commissioner Andy Coster, who told district commanders the teams had failed to win community support or inspire trust.
But Ms Collins says rising gang-connected gun violence means the public is starting to see general arming of the police as an option.
Simon Bridges and Andrew Coster spar in fiery exchange over gangs. (Video first published in February)
OPINION: I was part-way through planning this column when I received a phone call from my 26-year-old nephew, frustrated at being pulled over and questioned by police for the fourth time since Christmas for what is best described as the offence of Driving Whilst Māori. He was released without charge on each occasion, but was seeking advice as to how he might stop this from happening. I drew a blank. This was a timely reality check on my topic of choice – Police Commissioner Andy Coster’s recent references to his preference for a consent model of policing. The notion of policing by consent derives from the “Peelian principles”, the set of ideas developed by Sir Robert Peel in 1829, when founding London’s Metropolitan Police.
Cough – just as TDB predicted, National using fear of woke cancel culture thedailyblog.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thedailyblog.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.