Your Parliament just voted in a Police State – and you aren’t even aware of it!

Policing Bill To Become Law
Police today welcomed the passing of the Policing Bill, following conclusion of its third reading with near unanimous party support in the House. Acting Commissioner Lyn Provost says it is an historic day for New Zealand Police and all the communities it serves. "Receiving such a resounding vote in Parliament is a welcome indication to Police that the new legislation is well balanced and widely supported." The Policing Bill now requires Royal Assent to formally become the Policing Act 2008. "I extend my thanks to everyone who had input into the Bill's development - including Police staff, service organisations, members of the public, government and non-government agencies, and those who guided the Bill through the select committee and parliamentary process," Acting Commissioner Provost says. A comprehensive implementation plan is well advanced within Police to effect the many changes the new Act will introduce following Royal Assent.

Unbelievable! Are you kidding me? WTF! When my co-blogger Tim Selwyn brought this to my attention months ago I argued that there was no way this could go through. I did not think for a minute we would be so stupid to give the Prime Minister of the day such unregulated power by appointing the Police Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioners while relegating the Police Minister under the Prime Minister. Meaning the Police are answerable to the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister hires and fires those who run the policy, it is a closed relationship that does as my co-blogger points out “invites political manipulation, under-performance and ultimately corruption”.

The exacerbating factor is that we are realigning accountability right when the Police are about to execute and mug the Serious Fraud Office of it’s existence and it’s no right to silence powers. As the Police immediately attempt to use this newly acquired power they will turn from white collar corporate crime to ‘da gangs’, so a power created to acknowledge the difference in power relationship between the state and the corporation is about to be used between the state and the individual within a system controlled by the Prime Minister of the day.

This is not acceptable in a country that likes to think of itself as fair and democratic, this is the sort of structure that builds a Police State.