Slightly Angry and confused

This I imagne would be all too common a communication from the Police;

I'm contacting you in regards to the burgalry (sic)  that occurred at your house approximately 3 weeks ago.

The Police have caught an offender, who has admitted his involvement. He is 16 years old, and the file has been forwarded to the Manurewa Police Youth Aid section for action.

The youth aid team will have a meeting with the offender and his parents and decide the appropirate  (sic) way to proceed. It is possible that the offender will be charged and have to appear in the Manukau Youth Court, however there are several meetings between the offender, Police and youth advocates before this decision will be made.

The Youth Aid team will call and advise you of updates as the case proceeds.

Realistically the case will take several months until its completion. Unfortunately the Police have not recovered any property at this stage.

So, of legal age do do many things (although of age does not equate to of competence), and has confessed or admitted guilt. Couple of questions;

• Why not deal with this in court now?


• If he's confessed to burglary then he's disposed of the burglarized property somewhere to someone. The stupid part of me says follow the money and see where or who he sold it to and eventually you'll get it back? How naeive is that?


• Advocates? for what?


• Police Youth Aid?  How about Police Youth Crime solving and sentencing?


• More meetings? for what?


• It's only 'possible' that a self-confessed burglar may go to court.


• Can't the police spell?

Likely then that the advocates, an overworked police force, and the parents will agree some sort of dubious reparation and wrist slapping punishment that means the "youth" might learn a short term lesson, but when a new shiny thing becomes his desire then he'll be in the back window quicker than you can blink.

Or I'm being cynical and this is a half for the good guys, it might have been a one but there is no sign of the missing items, yet,

A Commercial venture and the public purse. #2

Here's a thing.  We're all familiar with a user pays model. You want something, a goods or service, then you should be expected to pay.

Seems the Police are considering charging the organisers of future big commercial
events, such as the Rugby World Cup, large concerts and the Wellington sevens, for policing.

These Events soak up significant police resources, which leave other areas short-staffed.

And it's free!!. So you can organise the biggest commercial money spinner, and the police will show up, en masse, gratis. Courtesy the tax payer.

That's not at all right by any definition of right.

Crying ensues The cost of recovery would therefore be included in the cost of the ticket. Which will add-on a dollar or two to the ticket price, depending of course on the number of people and the amount of police you had turning up.

Of course being how we're all super scared and all about mitigating problems the real issue is the over-enforcement and the over-policing of events where heavy-handed appears to be the approach, why not use a sledge-hammer to crack a nut.