What are your rights when dealing with police officers?

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#312496 29-Mar-2010 17:15

timestyles:
boby55:
But I agree - If you are obeying the law and not doing anything wrong, you have no need to worry about the police

And there are no crooked cops, right?

There's a crooked someone in every profession in every country in the world, hardly a valid justification for choosing not to speak to a police officer! Besides, anyone who gets in trouble (depending on the severity) is removed from interactions with the general public, so one can have a fair amount of faith that the people on the street are fairly decent.

SepticSceptic

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#312503 29-Mar-2010 17:32

marmel: Police reailse more is expected from them because of the authority they are given.

Given the recent roll call of police officers appearing appearing in front of a judge, I'd beg to differ. However, that being said, most of the Police that I have dealt with are a good bunch of people, constrained by ever increasing burdens of red tape. Frustrations like that I can understand. Can't even give a miscreant youth a kick up the bottom and send him home anymore. Have to go thru "procedure". And with, what, 4-5 police recently being hospitalised, yeah, something's seriously amiss.

corksta

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#312506 29-Mar-2010 17:35

Given the recent roll call of police officers appearing appearing in front of a judge, I'd beg to differ.

Nonsense. There are over 10,000 people employed in the police, and the media love it when someone stuffs up because it makes headlines, so when they report more of the bad things than the good things it certainly creates an unfavourable impression that there are more bad people than good.

marmel

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#312513 29-Mar-2010 17:47

I think in world terms NZ still enjoys one of the least corrupt police forces in the world but like it has been pointed out above the media love to glorify any officer that steps across the line.

But anyway back to the original topic, like has been stated if you are stopped when driving you only have to give your name, date of birth and address. You don't actually have to give your occupation if you don't want to, the only reason we ask is because their is an occupation box on tickets

Personally though I think you look like a bit of a tosser if you get stopped and the cop is just being friendly and making small talk and you sit there like a stunned mullet or keep repeating your details like a POW.

Edit: Forgot to say you are also required to tell the police who the registered owner of the vehicle is.

SepticSceptic

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#312515 29-Mar-2010 17:49

corksta:
Given the recent roll call of police officers appearing appearing in front of a judge, I'd beg to differ.

Nonsense. There are over 10,000 people employed in the police, and the media love it when someone stuffs up because it makes headlines, so when they report more of the bad things than the good things it certainly creates an unfavourable impression that there are more bad people than good.

Dont ya just love stats. Yes, there are 11,000 people in the police force, 8776 of them are sworn. Once you take out the legal, trainers, call centre, etc, down to around 7500 sworn officers. However, can't find a breakdown to the number of front-line police that are out there. Nevertheless, the public and judiciary still expects a higher standard of general compliance from the police than from the public.

rscole86

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#312523 29-Mar-2010 18:13

SepticSceptic:Dont ya just love stats. Yes, there are 11,000 people in the police force, 8776 of them are sworn. Once you take out the legal, trainers, call centre, etc, down to around 7500 sworn officers. However, can't find a breakdown to the number of front-line police that are out there. Nevertheless, the public and judiciary still expects a higher standard of general compliance from the police than from the public.

Playing the stats game, do you then ask how many do more than x hours of frontline a week? There are times when the paper shufflers are actually required to be out on the streets, yes it may be less often than the majority, but they do get out there.

corksta

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#312530 29-Mar-2010 18:26

Yet when you compare the size of the headlines and the articles, a police pursuit that results in the death of someone (as an example) is 2% about how the person decided not to stop, and 98% criticising the police actions from "experts" and "eye witnesses", yet it is not uncommon to hear about doctors being struck off registers for sexual behaviour with patients, teachers for inappropriate relationships with students, or how about the Auckland paramedic who sexually assualted female patients in the ambulance.

The point of this being that all of these professions carry similar levels of authority and trust, yet the media play the part well by reinforcing the negativity to create an impression that corruption is rife or they're all thugs and coyboys.

Add to that, once a person joins the police they will forever be a police officer, at least in the media. Again it's not uncommon to hear someone mentioned as a "former police officer", and I'm sure the worst case of that was fairly recently when a guy who was a cop in the 1960s was described as a former police officer. While true, it's used to somehow suggest that their actions are related to the police. You don't hear about "former accountants", or "former chefs", and so on.

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adam77

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#312585 29-Mar-2010 20:57

Back in the good old days...

A constable was empowered to apprehend "all loose, idle and disorderly Persons whom he shall find disturbing the public Peace, or whom he shall have just Cause to suspect of any evil Designs, and all Persons whom he shall find between sunset and the Hour of Eight in the Forenoon lying in any Highway, Yard, or other Place, or loitering therein, and not giving a satisfactory Account of themselves...

On the down side they were expected to wear their uniform at all times (even off duty).

marmel

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#312590 29-Mar-2010 21:07

adam77: Back in the good old days...

A constable was empowered to apprehend "all loose, idle and disorderly Persons whom he shall find disturbing the public Peace, or whom he shall have just Cause to suspect of any evil Designs, and all Persons whom he shall find between sunset and the Hour of Eight in the Forenoon lying in any Highway, Yard, or other Place, or loitering therein, and not giving a satisfactory Account of themselves...

On the down side they were expected to wear their uniform at all times (even off duty).

Classic

When I joined my Sgt had been in for 28 years. He reckoned when he started they still has some obsolete offences of "furiously riding a horse" and another for the shop keepers having dripping eaves.

Xile

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#312606 29-Mar-2010 21:25

marmel:

But anyway back to the original topic, like has been stated if you are stopped when driving you only have to give your name, date of birth and address. You don't actually have to give your occupation if you don't want to, the only reason we ask is because their is an occupation box on tickets

Actually with recent changes to the Land Transport Act you have to give your full name, your full address, date of birth, phone number and occupation when stopped and asked for it by an enforcement officer.

Pilgrim3

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#312610 29-Mar-2010 21:40

sbiddle:
cws82us: We got poeple in jail that did not do anything but the cops tricked them and they end up in jail

Can you name one?

Scott Watson.

Aaroona

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#312612 29-Mar-2010 21:41

Pilgrim3:
sbiddle:
cws82us: We got poeple in jail that did not do anything but the cops tricked them and they end up in jail

Can you name one?

Scott Watson.

You signed up especially to say that?

Pilgrim3

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#312615 29-Mar-2010 21:45

No.
But I am often horrified by the naivety of the young and inexperieced and cannot resist trying to educate them.

marmel

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#312617 29-Mar-2010 21:51

Pilgrim3: No.
But I am often horrified by the naivety of the young and inexperieced and cannot resist trying to educate them.

I can see this thread rapidly descending into chaos but feel free to go ahead and educate.

Especially that 'Aaroona', he seems a bit wayward at the best of times

Aaroona

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#312618 29-Mar-2010 21:53

marmel:
Pilgrim3: No.
But I am often horrified by the naivety of the young and inexperieced and cannot resist trying to educate them.

I can see this thread rapidly descending into chaos but feel free to go ahead and educate.

Especially that 'Aaroona', he seems a bit wayward at the best of times

Theres a reason I'm that way :P

Thinking I could relate to some of you guys who call yourself normal, is well.. scary at the best of times ;)

But sure, go ahead and educate us, Pilgrim3. I'm waiting :)

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