NZCPR Weekly: The High Cost of Failure

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

In this week’s NZCPR newsletter we examine last week’s tragedy that left seven people injured and the perpetrator dead, and ask whether anything could have been done to prevent it; our NZCPR Guest Commentator Dr Clarke Jones, an Australian National University expert in de-radicalising Islamic extremists, shares his views on how the tragedy might have been avoided; and our poll asks whether you agree with the Prime Minister that everything was done to keep the public safe.

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Heather du Plessis-Allan: Time to take an Australian approach to immigration

 

I think it’s becoming apparent to a lot of us that we need to stop being so soft and instead start taking a more Australian approach to immigration. 

Some say, this terrorist shouldn’t have been here.  He could have been booted out ages ago. 

Never mind the conversation about amending laws and what law he was charged under and whether he got the maximum sentence for his crime - actually none of that matters. Because he could’ve been deported. 

What happened is that the authorities tried to kick him out by revoking his refugee status. That predictably got tied up in an appeal and then paused for his criminal case and two years later he committed a knife attack. 

Ross Meurant: Beware of the words “internal security”

Apropos the question of whether, in New Zealand an individual (as opposed to conspiracy among three or more) planning a crime, can be – arrested and put before the Courts as I recently penned(1), Australia has the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Bill(2). 

Clause 5A of the Bill defines “Carrying out” preparations, credible threats, and attempts as follows:

(1) For the purposes of this Act, a terrorist act is carried out if any 1 or more of the following occurs:

(a) planning or other preparations to carry out the act, whether it is actually carried out or not: 

(b) a credible threat to carry out the act, whether it is actually carried out or not:

(c) an attempt to carry out the act:

(d) The carrying out of the act.

Ross Meurant: The Fault Dear Brutus Lies Not in the Stars

Judy’s in trouble again. Crusher failed to provide the legislation to crush terrorism? (1)

This media attack on her decision eight years ago, not to increase powers and invent new laws in the struggle against terrorism, I consider to be muck racking journalism.

If there is a fault in the Hallowed Halls of parliament, it may lie with the current governments delay progressing “terror” reform legislation as recommended by the Law Commission following the Christchurch massacre.

Social media has whacked the police for all manner of “negligence” but this time I defend the Fuzz. They were, by the accounts of the “incident” I’ve perused, been compromised but their swift “60 seconds” response does suggest to me that they were onto it. They simply had to, wait their moment.

Ron Smith: Questions from Benghazi

Events in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on 11 September gave rise to a host of questions which still hang in the air nearly two months later.  They are being held in suspension by the processes of the American presidential election.  The Obama administration is not talking and the American media, by and large, is not asking (and that is reflected in New Zealand media).

On that day, the American ambassador and three others were killed in a well-organised and well-armed attack by al-Qaeda terrorists.  This would not have been a surprise to local staff, or officials in the various diplomatic and security agencies.  The consulate building had been attacked in a smaller way on two occasions before and the Ambassador had asked for more protection.  The nearby British diplomatic post had also been attacked (Britain subsequently closed it and withdrew its ambassador), as had been the local International Committee of the Red Cross facility.  More generally, there was a notable build-up of Islamic activist groups in the region and plenty of unsecured lethal weaponry left over from the Libyan civil war.