Becky Martyn, 42, who works in intensive care in Plymouth, shared the picture of her children including Sophie, three, at 2.30pm on Thursday. Pictured: The family in May.
Media ramp up angst over arming police rnz.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rnz.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Tim Dower: If more police need to carry firearms, so be it
(Photo / NZ Herald) Thu, 22 Jul 2021, 11:55AM
The comments made by the Police Minister in her interview with Mike Yardley have to an extent obscured the important discussion.
Poto Williams told Mike she does not support general arming of police; and I don t like it much myself.
But the Minister shot herself in the foot with her reasoning, and the comments she went on to make about what she said were the communities she represents.
Now National s accusing Williams of not backing her own officers, and saying she should be sacked.
Kerre McIvor: Who does Poto Williams actually represent?
(Photo / NZ Herald) Wed, 21 Jul 2021, 12:49PM
We are one of just 19 nations out of 197 that does not have an armed police force.
Most are island nations like the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Samoa, Fiji, Tuvalu and the like.
But Norway, the UK, with the exception of Northern Island, Iceland and New Zealand are the outliers in more developed nations who have decided that they will police by consent and not force.
However, times change, communities change and attitudes change.
For a long time, the police themselves did not want to be armed.
The most recent survey of police showed 69 per cent wanted to have guns on them at all times, not just in the boot of their cars.
Kerre McIvor: Westport flooding relief a drop in the bucket for farmers Mon, 19 Jul 2021, 1:43PM
Thousands of people had to evacuate their homes in Westport as the town flooded on Friday night. (Photo / George Heard)
Kerre McIvor: Westport flooding relief a drop in the bucket for farmers Mon, 19 Jul 2021, 1:43PM
Not such a good morning for the people of Westport many of whom have been left homeless after the devastating floods that swept through the district over the weekend.
The clean-up of the town, population 4600, will likely take months and its estimated hundreds of houses have been damaged.
Kris Faafoi speaking to Mike Yardley this morning says dozens of Kainga Ora houses have been rendered uninhabitable so the government too is busy trying to find rental accommodation for its tenants and working out whether they repair or rebuild entirely.