The Triumph of Commonsense

Police Minister Judith Collins launches a counter-attack on the Opposition who are drumming up "alarmist" claims about possible police station closures. Apparently back in 2000, the Labour government were criticised for not providing the bare necessities of facilities and equipment at police stations, including things like raincoats. NO RAINCOATS? Seriously? But how would they stay dry?

Anyway, the police 'Fit for the Future' project, which is to be presented to the Government, recommends that as a response to the need to cut-costs in the police force, patrol cars could be turned into "mobile stations" whereby on-the-spot punishments could be given out for minor crimes, giving police officers the ability to act as both prosecutor and judge.

All this talk of police raincoats and cost-cutting measures inspired Your Views to pose the question "Should police be able to process crimes at their patrol car or back at the station?", clearly designed to appeal to those who value "commonsense" arguments.

Margot Campbell (Napier)
Madness. The government should be slashing benefits and state houses. Ratbags suckling at the public teat should be the number one target. What sane person with disagree with this?

Thanks Margot, for providing We Encourage Wide Debate with an incredible label for the tag cloud! "Ratbags suckling at the public teat" - brilliant. Although her response does leave you wondering what question she was responding to. It could very well suit most Your Views questions, which often pit an "sane" idea against an "insane" one.

rodney mccardle (North Shore)
Yeap, Close down police stations and let us have guns instead.

I'm trying to convince myself that Rodney's comment is intended as a brief but hilarious comment, aka JD from Opawa with his "How else are we gonna get girls drunk and score?"-type response to the banning of the Rangitoto College ball. The thought of this comment as deadly serious makes me feel, well, seriously dead.

Hugh Jarse (Rotorua)
No, we dont have enough. If we look at the values that have changed over the last 20 years, unless we get back to those vales of love, respect , pride in oneself , ones people and this beautiful counntry of ours, then we do not have enough Police Stations.
For crissakes we are now putting in laws which stop gang members wearing their patches in Wanganui, we need to make this s standard law across the country. The values of our young have changed, violently.

Another instance of myth-making and nostalgia for the New Zealand of yesteryear. Back when there were police stations on every corner. Ahh, it was paradise wasn't it?