Editorial: Police are under siege

OPINION: The vicious attack on an Oamaru police officer going about his duty has brought home to the people of this region the reality of what officers face each day.

It is a stark truth that New Zealand's police are under siege in 2010. While there have always been attacks on officers, these have historically been fairly few and far between, thankfully.

But we are in the middle of a horror run. Porirua officer Sergeant Derek Wootton was run down and killed while laying traffic spikes in 2008 and later that year Sergeant Don Wilkinson was shot and killed while fixing a tracking device to a suspect's car in Auckland.

Last year Napier gunman Jan Molenaar shot and killed Senior Constable Len Snee and injured two other officers in a shooting spree.

In the last week three officers have been savagely beaten, and all three are probably lucky to be alive.

The Oamaru incident looks nasty, a lone officer allegedly attacked by a group of six after stopping a car for a breath test. He attempted to pepper spray his attackers, to no avail. He was beaten for doing his job.

The attack capped a terrible weekend for the police, who had to deal with five deaths on Tasman District roads, two after high speed chases.

The police, as this newspaper has argued before, cannot be held responsible for the actions of people who refuse to stop while being pursued. They have broken the law and they have to take the consequences.

Police Minister Judith Collins has promised to look at tougher penalties for offenders who attack officers, but that is beside the point. The problem, as the police minister has correctly identified, is a lack of respect for the law.

Not so long ago police were authority figures who were respected, but it seems that in recent times many Kiwis – not all – have lost that respect.

We're now in two camps, those who see the police as a force for good, to whom the sight of a blue uniform is reassuring, and those who have contempt for the law, and see the police as the enemy. This group has always been around, but seems to be increasing.

The police, like any organisation, has its share of rotten apples. The force's leadership, to its credit, has acknowledged the problems and worked hard to address them with new conduct requirements and crystal clear expectations of what is required of officers.

This good work has been aided by the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints Authority, a truly independent watchdog that works hard to audit the actions of officers.

The vast majority of officers are honest, law-abiding men and women who are brave enough to take on a tough job. They deserve the respect and support of law-abiding New Zealanders more than ever.

- © Fairfax NZ News