1981 Springbok tour to NZ - 30 years old

[MajorlyRagerly]

So all it takes to get someone detained and searched in NZ is to tell a policeman they offered you drugs? Where do you live antipodean.

Yes... why not? The whole thing lasted 10 minutes. Drug dealing is dealt with quite serverely in NZ.

He fitted the description, he got questioned & searched and then it clear it wasn't him, he was apologised to him for his inconvinience and then even escorted back to the bar.

The day the police don't follow up on an allegation because of

1) fear of somebody playing the race card if the allegations are against a black man
2) fear of media scandal because of the possibilty of the allegations being against a journalist

will be a very sad day indeed. I personally think instead of being happy to leave taupo, he should go all the way and leave NZ. I have zero tolerance for bullshit use of the media like this.

 

[MajorlyRagerly]

How were the police doing their job arresting an innocent man and taking him back to the police station to be searched?

They could have avoided the embarrassment by confirming his identity before arresting him.

Last time I checked, 'fitting the profile' of an alleged criminal is not grounds for arrest.

He wasn't arrested. The police followed up on a complaint from somebody about somebody trying to sell them drugs at the bar he was in, and he fitted the profile of that person.

The police didn't just walk into a bar, see a black fella and think "he's black, he must be a drug dealer".

And just because you have a confirmed identity, it doesn't mean you are suddenly innocent of the crime.

 

[Braveheart81]

I think the piece of missing information is what exactly the description given to police was of the alleged drug dealer and how much that description differed from the appearance of the journalist.

On a side note, I wish someone had offered me drugs in a bar when I was staying in Taupo for a week. Would have made life a lot more fun.

 

[antipodean]

So all it takes to get someone detained and searched in NZ is to tell a policeman they offered you drugs? Where do you live antipodean.

Detained for 10mins according to Vata Ngobeni. Yes.

 

[Athilnaur]

Well, it's quite likely he was arrested on suspicion, searched, let go. Australia has similar law and requirements.

 

[Brisbok]

Whatever happened to establishing the credibility of a witness? Do the New Zealand police just act on every random phone call they receive and go out and make an arrest? Assuming the witness report was given over the telephone did police not find it strange that the witness was no longer at the bar when they arrived? Or if the witness was still there, could they have not confirmed the identity of the person before making an arrest?

 

[MajorlyRagerly]

Whatever happened to establishing the credibility of a witness? Do the New Zealand police just act on every random phone call they receive and go out and make an arrest? Assuming the witness report was given over the telephone did police not find it strange that the witness was no longer at the bar when they arrived? Or if the witness was still there, could they have not confirmed the identity of the person before making an arrest?

He wasn't arrested. He was questioned and searched & all over in 10 minutes.

I really fail to see what the police have done wrong here in any way, shape or form.

 

[whatty]

Drug dealing is dealt with quite serverely in NZ.

Gosh and nowhere else?

I was just saying and most is all just speculation but having a chat and determining the identity of the "accused" would have more than sufficed without taking him down to the station and searched on the basis of a unknown hearsay report!!

It just sounds a bit heavy handed.

Back to the Rugby.

 

[Brisbok]

What have they done wrong? Well they've clearly acted on a piece of false information and taken an innocent person into police custody. They have not gathered sufficient information from the witness to be able to determine that they are in fact after the same person that the witness has described nor have they established that the witness is actually credible. They have caused embarrassment upon an innocent tourist based on a hoax of a complaint. If this is how they react to every petty drug complaint they receive they must be wasting significant amounts of tax-payer money chasing down these leads!

 

[PaarlBok]

Happens when you have chicken runner Saffers from the old SA in your charge office. Suspect to many charge office coffees.

 

[antipodean]

I was just saying and most is all just speculation but having a chat and determining the identity of the "accused" would have more than sufficed without taking him down to the station and searched on the basis of a unknown hearsay report!!

It just sounds a bit heavy handed.

Just because he is a journalist from another country doesn't rule out the possibility that he offered narcotics. And going to the station for a quick search and being released all within a quarter of an hour doesn't seem heavy handed.

What have they done wrong? Well they've clearly acted on a piece of false information and taken an innocent person into police custody. They have not gathered sufficient information from the witness to be able to determine that they are in fact after the same person that the witness has described nor have they established that the witness is actually credible. They have caused embarrassment upon an innocent tourist based on a hoax of a complaint. If this is how they react to every petty drug complaint they receive they must be wasting significant amounts of tax-payer money chasing down these leads!

I realise that the history of police involvement and black people manifests in a different perspective, but some of you are really reaching here.

1. You don't know that the information provided to the police was false.
2. You don't know that the information wasn't credible.
3. You don't know that it was a 'petty drug complaint'.

In his own words he was detained for 10mins and the police apologised for the inconvenience.

 

[Dam0]

This is such a non-story. Being accused of racism for taking an action that is emphatically not racist is pretty outrageous. An apology had better be forthcoming.

 

[Brisbok]

Happens when you have chicken runner Saffers from the old SA in your charge office. Suspect to many charge office coffees.

Chicken runners...that's such a ridiculous comment to make. What exactly is chicken about it?

 

[Athilnaur]

Quick scan of the NZ misuse of drugs act 1975 reveals under s18(3) many police have the power to detained and search persons, premises vehicles etc if they have reasonable grounds to believe they are in possession of controlled drugs. Detained isn't arrest but it's a limited distinction. We have detention laws in Australia for similar circumstances by customs.

No expert on NZ Police powers or procedures but Police need and routinely use these kind of powers in Australia, NZ, England, Canada, I daresay most countries, where drug offences are being investigated.

 

[Bullrush]

When I was about 20, I was pulled over at about 2am one morning (on the way home from the girl-friend's) by a cop car in Mt Albert. Cops actually searched my whole car as it fitted the description of another vehicle they had been given information about.

 

[Brisbok]

Quick scan of the NZ misuse of drugs act 1975 reveals under s18(3) many police have the power to detained and search persons, premises vehicles etc if they have reasonable grounds to believe they are in possession of controlled drugs. Detained isn't arrest but it's a limited distinction. We have detention laws in Australia for similar circumstances by customs.

No expert on NZ Police powers or procedures but Police need and routinely use these kind of powers in Australia, NZ, England, Canada, I daresay most countries, where drug offences are being investigated.

A phone call from a patron at a bar stating that they were offered drugs, is that reasonable grounds for detaining someone? I guess it comes down to the complaint that was placed and the description that was given, but it does seem very heavy handed. Given that the man was then searched and then released, either not enough details were obtained when the description was given or it was indeed a false allegation.

 

[Braveheart81]

I wonder to what extent the detained journalist had to strip in the process of being searched?

I just think it is a fairly horrible breach of civil liberties on a suspicion that isn't even a suspicion of that person but of a general description.

Being taken to a police station to be searched is hardly an enjoyable experience for someone to go through.

 

[MajorlyRagerly]

What have they done wrong? Well they've clearly acted on a piece of false information and taken an innocent person into police custody. They have not gathered sufficient information from the witness to be able to determine that they are in fact after the same person that the witness has described nor have they established that the witness is actually credible. They have caused embarrassment upon an innocent tourist based on a hoax of a complaint. If this is how they react to every petty drug complaint they receive they must be wasting significant amounts of tax-payer money chasing down these leads!

Agree to disagree then. Why you are continously using things like detained, police custody, arrested, I'll be buggered if I know.

10 minutes of your time sir, so we can confirm your identity and check your pockets for drugs <> a big deal.

 

[Bullrush]

I think you guys are confusing this guy with Rodney King or someone....

 

[MajorlyRagerly]

I wonder to what extent the detained journalist had to strip in the process of being searched?

I just think it is a fairly horrible breach of civil liberties on a suspicion that isn't even a suspicion of that person but of a general description.

Being taken to a police station to be searched is hardly an enjoyable experience for someone to go through.

Hypothetical situation.. your daughter comes home and says somebody in a club tried to sell her drugs. You go the cop station and she states what happened & describes the person and location.

The cops go to the place and see somebody matching the description.

What do you think they should do?