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Police Minister Mark Mitchell (left) and new Police Commissioner Richard Chambers.
Mark Mitchell ticked a few big boxes last week.
He was finally rid of Andrew Coster – a police commissioner he inherited from the previous Government.
He appointed Richard Chambers – someone he hand-picked to do his police bidding and he got to kick
the gangs right up their back patches, with the introduction of the gang patch bans.
Great week of headlines.
But then he had to interject his old-school policing into the Toitū Te Tiriti hīkoi to Parliament, which for nine days had been well organised and angst-free.
Police officers from Northland to Bluff played their part in keeping the hīkoi on track, peaceful with little or minimal disruption for locals.
But then complaints from anti-hīkoi people about police officers’ impartiality raised their ugly, racist heads, Police were seen to be enjoying themselves on the Wellington streets instead of standing guard like a statue or gargoyle.
Photos showed police officers doing pūkana and waving the Māori flag, helping to paint signs and even – God forbid – engaging with marchers. Gung-ho keyboard warriors were having a field day.
Complaints of this un-police-like behaviour reached Mitchell and his new Police Commissioner’s ears.
Mitchell is a seasoned politician and a former cop and should have put this down to the great atmosphere and officers being part of the community they serve.
But an anti-hīkoi headline was just too good an opportunity for Mitchell to miss. The tens of thousands involved in the hīkoi was not of the National Party’s making, and any anti-hīkoi rhetoric should have been left for Act’s David Seymour to defend.
“I don’t know what these young constables were thinking, they were not politically engaged. However, the important thing is that our police are seen to be politically neutral – it’s critically important for maintaining public confidence,” Mitchell said.
“The police and the Police Commissioner are aware of it and they do have internal processes to deal with it.”
How would you like it if your boss’ boss just publicly hung you out to dry?
From thinking they had done a great job on the day to waiting for the phone call from your superior the next. How deflating.
Police are part of the community and don’t live behind big walls and fences like most politicians. Their children play with neighbourhood children.
Mitchell should have let the new commissioner deal with this matter – if there is one – as it is an operational issue.
And what of Chambers? What does he do now? Follow Mitchell’s orders like a ‘yes’ man or draw the line in the sand where politicians cannot cross? It would look way better for his troops if he did the latter.
It seems it’s not okay to wave the Māori flag, but it is to walk in the Rainbow Parade waving the rainbow flag and to throw paint at the uniform at Diwali.
Or was it because the hīkoi was Māori?
Most people see the police holding values that include professionalism, respect, integrity, commitment to Māori and the Treaty, empathy and valuing diversity.
Mitchell should realise many of those values were ticked off by those officers photographed.
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