A step too far

Derek Cheng at NZ Herald reports:

The Police Association says a gun on every constable’s hip could have prevented high-profile shootings of officers, including the death of Senior Constable Len Snee in Napier in 2009.

Yes it may have, but I don’t think the prevalence of these sorts of incidents are at a high enough level (thankfully) that the benefits of arming all Police outweigh the negatives. Having arms in each police car is a sensible compromise in my opinion.

But what else does the Police Association want:

Mandatory vehicle impounding, licence suspension and possible imprisonment every time a driver flees police.

Absolutely.

Reserving the best radio spectrum for police to ensure the best data transmission, including the possibility of live CCTV feeds and mobile fingerprint terminals.

Depends. What is the quality difference between the best and second best? What impact on others would such a policy have? Worth looking into though.

Imposing non-contact conditions on remanded prisoners so they cannot intimidate potential witnesses.

No-brainer.

Empowering police to intervene early before disorder can escalate into violence.

Hmmn, I’d be a bit careful here. We don’t want pre-crimes.