One explanation for this claim lies at the doorstep of the Courts failing to impose deterrent sentences. Another has been the myopic belief that using police resources to issue traffic infringement notices (especially in Fendalton, Karori and Remuera where transgressors pay the fines and don’t get out of the car and smash the cop), rather than stakeouts at potential ram raid sites, is the most efficacious form deployment. (2)
Another factor appears to be a drop in the standard of, major crime scene, procedures.
Murder investigations involving Alan Hall, Claire Hills, Scott Guy, and Philip Polkinghorne are four cases where, based on crime reconstructions to which I am privy, demonstrate a disturbing lack of crime scene acuity.
Now that NZ has Commissioner Richard Chambers at the helm, I do anticipate greater focus on and improvement of detective investigation skill sets and well qualified ESR (forensic) professionals.
Meanwhile, back in the trenches, ominous signs of a sophisticate and brutal criminal element emerge. 501 deportations (justifiable in my view) and the inevitable intrusion of South American & Mexican drug cartels, into the Land of the Long White Cloud, do present a problem.
There was a time on the field of rugby, “experts” screamed out, ‘Bring back Buck (Buck Shelford)’ for a hard man to fix the problems. Perhaps on the field crime, the mantra might now be, ‘Bring back John Hughes and maybe Ross Meurant’.
Afterall, both Hughes and Meurant rose to leadership roles with formal commissioned officer ratings as “outstanding”. Ironically, these ratings were predicated on hard-line policing e.g. ‘We run this town, Pal’, which in many cases ended up as voir-dire before the courts; a clarion to those who understand, rule of police v rule of law.
John Hughes was the most inspirational motivating leader I encountered in the police – and anywhere else for that matter. Drug barons and murders Peter Fulcher and Terry Clark aka Mr Asia, were but two of the many seriously dangerous villains that we put away.
The legacies of these men (and a very few others), may represent the calibre of cop required to deal with the impact of international drug barons infecting our country.
Reverting to the Drug Cartels.
Gangs today are part of international drug cartels. Many of the New Zealand born criminals convicted in Australia and deported to New Zealand, have been infused with a different criminal culture to that which prevailed in New Zealand in the past. There is a reasonable probability that real bad guys aka organised crime via drug cartels, will emerge as very powerful menaces – such as the world now witnesses in Ecuador, Columbia, Mexico and Australia.
Today, infiltrating police and/or customs officers with cash, to act as informants and/or gateways through customs, and/or threats of violence to Police and Customs officers or their families, has been the trade mark of South American and/or Middle East based “Drug Lords”.
This is the biggest threat to New Zealand, Law enforcement agencies ruled by drug cartel gang money or fear. Buying off politicians i.e. corruption, will follow. (3) (4) (5)
Finding the cops with the fortitude to confront the drug cartels, will not be easy.
Detective Inspector John Sowter, is the only profile cop (whom I know personally), who today, with impressive outcomes, tracks, traces, apprehends and prosecutes, parties to drug trafficking and its consequences.
I name John Sowter, because he already has a public profile as a buster of a drug cartels. His name is out there and he is well known to the bad guys. Once upon a time, he was a constable on my section (same time as was Ross Ardern, father of former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern).
As a detective and later inspector in charge of Criminal Intelligence, I had a front row seat in the chariot that John Sowter now drives. In my day, it was not as easy as it is today for organised crime to track and trace the police who hound them.
Furthermore, equipped as are the Police with modern technology such as drones, that same technology also puts them at greater risk than were the members of R.C.S. and Drug Squad, during my time in the front line.
This change in technology, now places cops like John Sowter at enormous risk. Drones are the looming threat.
Getting into position to shoot a target (person) is not difficult (as the recent attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump testifies), but it’s the escape which is difficult and now is seriously compromised by electronic surveillance.
With the country now awash with traffic safety cameras aka revenue gathering speed cameras and spy equipment, the days of assassinating a target with a scoped sighted silenced 308, then jumping into a stolen car to beat a fast retreat, before torching the stolen car to remove all DNA, does not prevent police from systematically grinding through CCTV, to track the culprit to his/her boudoir.
However, drones not only erode the trace and track capacity of police, but also even the smallest drone can be used as a weapon of death.
To turn a blind eye to this drone evolution, would be a massive blunder. Being born ignorant and stupid is one thing but to deliberately become so, is inexcusable. I trust that NZ Police V.I.P Security planners are not in this category.
The NZ Police need to have an entirely new approach to dealing with drug cartels, from what they do now. Identifying a problem, is one thing. To provide a solution, is an entirely different matter.
I believe I do have a solution, but that is for another day.
Ross Meurant BA MPP. Company Director. Founder of www.gena.co.nz Former Police Inspector, Member of Parliament & Honorary Consul.
(1) https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/experts-urge-minister-to-take-bold-action-on-organised-crime-as-drug-use-soars/QYIVNIOLYRASTGASBP67W46JRI/
(2) https://breakingviewsnz.blogspot.com/2022/10/ross-meurant-its-not-cops-its-courts.html
(3) https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/08/08/significant-63m-mexican-crime-syndicate-meth-bust-in-auckland/
(4) https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/colombia-linked-cocaine-syndicate-in-rural-canterbury-imported-drugs-worth-millions/WIQCIYV3CFDC7JZMVKX4YC27YY/
(5) https://www.smh.com.au/topic/organised-crime-609
1 comment:
I don't know how many times it has to be said but...
Organized crime is predominantly funded by the drug trade as are most of the world's terrorist organizations.
Logically, organized crimes and gangs should be regarded as internal terrorists.
Many Asian countries employ the exact same logic and have no qualms declaring war on internal terrorists.
Amazingly it also works.
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