More criticism of illegal checkpoints

Steve Elers writes:

This is not an anti-iwi column – I am a registered member of at least six iwi across New Zealand, but I don’t want them or any other community group stopping vehicles.

News reports and a social media video showing patched Mongrel Mob and Tribesman members working alongside each other at checkpoints in Murupara is understandably concerning. …

By allowing these shenanigans to continue, our prime minister, minister of police and police themselves have put our health and safety at risk.

Sure, some iwi checkpoints have police officers assisting them. Having a cop standing next to, or supervising you, doesn’t mean their skills and expertise are transferred to you.

That raises another question – why are police involved in the first place? The police website says: “Where communities have determined to undertake checkpoints to prevent the spread of Covid-19, police is working with those communities and other agencies to ensure checkpoints are safe and not preventing lawful use of the road.”

Oh, please. If police think checkpoints should be operated “to prevent the spread of Covid-19”, then go ahead and do it – with police officers – no-one else. To do otherwise shows police are pandering to certain groups.

It is shameless race based pandering. If non-Maori had set up a illegal checkpoint anywhere in NZ, they’d probably all be in jail.