THATS SAD

Well well , thats bad news...... Howard Broad aint seeking another term.. Sad .. Really sad.... We are serious. It really is sad. Really...

CRUSH 'EM JUDITH

We have been waiting for police to be given some serious firepower to tackle organised crime - that these days often has a respectable face.

Essentially it means that if someone cant explain where they got the money to live in a mansion and have a big boat and a few Harleys out back then they can be seized.

Its the type of law crime bosses fear.

Well done to Minister of Police Judith Collins for setting up the Asset Recovery Unit.


We have blogged repeatedly on the Headhunters gang and its time someone took a good hard look at how they live and how they manage to fund their lifestyles.

and we were delighted that the Tribesmen were the first targets of the Unit.

Go get em boys -

FOR A GOOD MAN

We have been thinking a lot about the Napier siege, and the death of Len Snee, a good cop, the sort of cop we want all cops to be. A cop our kids would respect.

Anyway - we think that this song was the one that for us, epitomises what it means to be a policeman. A tough often thankless job. We have enormous respect for the cops on the front line. We see them every day in our lives and to a man and woman they are committed to keeping us safe. Anyway, like most New Zealanders the Napier siege and its consequences for policemen Len Snee and Bruce Miller and Grant Diver is never far from our thoughts.

And we say Kia Kaha to the families of these good men.

WOULD BANNING GANG PATCHES HAVE GOT OUR CAR BACK?

NAH but we are delighted with any legislation that cracks down on gangs. Marginalise them, give them no room to move and the police should be in their faces 24/7. Zero tolerance. Get them on the small stuff - it will stop the big stuff. And maybe then the police might have got our carback.

CRIME AND COMPASSION

Today we got our car back. The story started on the 25^th of February when our car was allegedly stolen by a man with Mongrel mob connections called Customline Ford, from the Masterton Railway Station. He is the son of one of Wairarapa’s own, Little Man Ford. The name is not their original name. It was changed by deed poll to reflect the family’s love of Ford cars. Little Man is dead.

We had been leaving the car at the station from Monday to Friday, as we thought that a 18 year old faded green Ford Station wagon might not have had much attraction to any would be car thief. When we discovered the car was stolen we asked for some assistance from the train drivers. They were very helpful. They gave us the number of the local police and the number of the person in Wellington who administered the security cameras.

We rang the police , gave them all the details and they said they would post out an event number. They said that they could not email the event number that it could only be posted.

We dealt with Constable A. In the meantime the Aussie Rock, (my partner) got hold of the security guy and the next day we got our first break. The security footage clearly showed the thief. However he said he could not release it until he was asked to by the police. We rang the police back and told them that the security footage. Constable A said she would sort it out and get the footage. A week went by and we heard nothing . We rang again. We were told Constable A was not there and were put on to Constable B she picked up the file and then a couple of days later informed us they recognised the thief. She alledged his name was Customline and they were looking for him. He was very well known to them.

Anyway a couple of days later we got a notice from Land Transport that the car had changed ownership. The Rock checked with LTNZ and discovered that the car had indeed been reregistered a day after it was stolen. They would not tell us who it was, unless we went into the office and again said that they would release that information to the police. We rang the police and told them of the new development and they rang back to say that the car had been reregistered to someone at a Lower Hutt address who was also well known to them. They then informed us that the file was on its way to Lower Hutt - it took a couple of days to be transferred to the Lower Hutt CIB.

We were informed that the police were already keeping an eye on the property as it was in the Farmers Cres area, which was a MOB enclave and some of the residents had been issued with eviction notices from the Housing corporation. We were told that once they spotted the car they would have to get some reinforcements to take the car back because it was not something that one of two police could do on their own considering the tensions around the evictions.

Another week passed. We called into the Masterton Police Station and talked to Constable B where she reiterated that as yet they had not sighted the car. I asked her how likely it was that we would sse the car again. She did not rate our chances highly , explaining that normally when cars like ours were stolen they ended up in a Chop Shop within a few days or they were moved around all round the country. I suggested that I knew someone with strong Mob connections and that I was sure he could track the car down. She said that could be worth considering.

That night The Rock arrived home with two things - the name of the person the car was registered to – Barry Kahui and a newspaper story about Kahui who was on home invasion charges. And was appearing Thursday 2^nd April.

I rang my mate. Within hours he had talked to Barry who reckoned that the car had been sold to him as a repo and he had spent $1300 on it. He wanted some compensation for the money he had spent on the Mag wheels and a few other things. We resisted.

Our friend genuinely believed that this guy had been told some bullshit by the Customline. It was akin to your cousin ripping you off.

Anyway he gave the cellphone number of Barry and we texted him.

Then over the next two days there was an extraordinary dialogue as we came to an agreement about the car. As soon as he realised that the car was hot and we could prove it was hot and the police knew, Barry wanted shot of it. He had bought it to transport his 6 kids. He had put Mag wheels on it. And put speakers in it.

I was ready to call it quits. Years of dealing with gang members means that I know how difficult and dangerous it can be getting to a point of resolution. However the Rock is a stubborn bugger and wanted to follow through – so he talked to Barry direct. Soon they came to an understanding. The car was in a car park in Farmers crescent with the wheels off. We could pick it up. But the deal was that once we put wheels back on it could be driven away.

So yesterday the Rock and a mate went to Farmers crescent. The car was now missing a new battery. they went and got new rims and tyres and put them on, only to find the fuel line had been cut. So it was towed to a garage and its being repaired. Now while they spent an hour getting the car sorted , the Rock got to know the Mob, who were in full regalia. Some came up and yarned. They wanted to know what he owned. They were trying to work out why he wanted his old banger back. It was simple, the car has family history and has been around for a long time. He was pretty annoyed that the deal that the car be in drivable condition, was not kept. But Barry had put the car in the car park on the Wednesday night so who knows who stole the battery.

The Rock says he saw a mother and a father who cared for there children , who looked after them with affection and concern as they played on the asphalt. While I reminded him that all he saw was a snapshot – he said he knew that, but he also knew good parenting when he saw it. He talked to some Mobsters who were bemused that this quiet man would go to such lengths to get an old car with no wheels back.He quietly informed them that he had come to get the car because it was his.

A copper arrived minutes after the Rock had towed the car away. They rang me to say that Barry had told them we had collected the car. Her sounded surprised that we had repossessed it.He informed me they were there to get it back.

Bit late I said, not without a trace of sarcasm.

I also asked the copper, if it was true, as Barry had said, that the police had seen him drive the car during the past three weeks and had done nothing , the copper said to his knowledge that was not the case.

So whats the upshot?

Well, Customline is likely to be in for a bit of grief. The Lower Hutt Mob made it very clear that they felt they had been ripped off.

The police while helpful at all times have very crap processes. If someone deals with a file it seems no-one else knows what the details are.

And someone needs to do something about the interface between the police and LTNZ. We do feel let down by the police process but not by the police.

Anyway we will be requesting the entire file from the police to see what decisions were made and when. We aren’t out to get any individuals because they have treated us with respect the whole way through.

But we are following through because, you see, this didn’t pass the granny test. That’s the test you apply that means if you were a granny what would happen. If it was a granny instead of the Aussie Rock, she would have never seen her car again. And the mongrel mob would have learned that crime does pay and has no consequences.

And that does not do our society any favours.

So what happens now? Well we have the car back and its going to a new home and in a cul de sac in Lower Hutt, life goes on.

NO JOKE

We broke this story a couple of days ago
A Ministry of Fisheries observer plays what he thinks is a prank by telling his boss a "fresh arm" has been found in the trawl net of the vessel he was on. It sparked off a chain reaction with police starting the process for a search and rescue.
- and the Southland Times has followed up today.
Silly bugger.

THIS IS A CROCK

Come on TVNZ get hard. This guy does not deserve any favours -
TVNZ has decided to pull the Graeme Burton episode of Beyond the Darklands which takes a l;ook at our worst murderers.

Bloody silly really, when you think of all the coverage that is on the TV news leading up to trials - We wonder how many stories on David Bain were screened or published in the weeks leading up to his trial and even during the trial? It included this one on Bains love interests or this one about tee shirts

Silly wimpy buggers.

ROLL OUT THE TUMBRIL PART III

We have had some dramas with our car being stolen from the Masterton Railway Station. You can read the saga here

The police know who took it and now they are executing search warrants.

Hopefully they will find our car. However the address has been in the news a bit. We will keep you posted.

IMPOUND THEIR CARS

We liked it that the new police Minister rang one of her frontline troops to check how he was after the police took a battering from boy racers in Christchurch.

We like the Cease and Desist idea which would give the police more power to deal to these hooligans.

We like the idea of cars being confiscated and crushed immediately

We also like the idea of cellphones being confiscated as well.

Go Judith. Get it sorted. Give em Hell.

TROTTER SQUEALS ON RADICALS

We dont often worry about Trotters Doolally blog but this one is a stunner.
It seems like Trotter thinks that the police should be watching the activist creeps after all .

Hell we reckon he will feel the wrath of the disenfranchised now.
If I was him I would have 24/7 security systems installed in my home. I would get a forensic computer specialist to take a look at my computer to see who is watching me and I would be very very careful walking the dog. And if I had a nice lawn I would check no- one has spelt out rude words in weed killer. I would not open the mail box without checking for human faeces. I would have a secure front door on my office where entry is only gained from someone unlocking it from the inside. I would be careful of plain envelopes with white powder. I would check that my children are not receiving filthy emails about me. I would get someone in to sweep my office every week or so for bugs.
Thiis is just a smattering of some of the things activists have done to law abiding citizens that we know well.

Trotter is very right - there are some nutters among the activists, they do have some interesting overseas connections, and you should be afraid of taking them on for fear of personal retribution.

Thank you Chris for being brave, and now maybe the media might realise that there are very good reasons why the police were keeping an eye on the creepy activists on the fringes of our good society.

BREAKING NEWS - GOVT MINISTER TO BE INVESTIGATED BY POLICE

Thats the good oil from the Whale...

Very sad - is all we can say.

Seems even if you are a Minister there is no Hiding from the long arm of the law.

LABOUR SPOOK OUTED -AUTHORITIES SHOULD GET TAPE.

Finally the bugger who taped conversations at the Nats conference has been outed. Well done Farrar and WhaleOil and the Herald.
More investigation is needed into this venal jerks background. Sadly, we note he was brought up in Invercargill. We know that it is legal to tape a conversation as long as one party knows its happening - what is illegal is if you tape the conversation between two other people without them knowing. We reckon thats why Keizer wont release the tape - it will have evidence that he taped conversations between National Party people without them knowing.
And thats a serious offence.

HOOTON HAS THE GOOD OIL - WINSTON IS NOT IN THE CLEAR

We were astounded when we heard the breaking news on RNZ this morning . It put BB off her Vogels. And we were deeply suspicious. We got more suspicious when we read the statement and now Hooton's analysis is clear - Winston has not been exonerated. Ann Martin has been exonerated. Some journos and commentators will be feeling a little bit sick about now. Winston has hoodwinked them again and they used the State Broadcaster to do it - No wonder Plunket is looking for cleaner pastures.

WINSTON NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET

We woke to hear Winston on Radio NZ saying he was vindicated after the Electoral Commission said there was no offence committed by NZF in relation to 2007 donation returns

But it appears that NZF has not filed all donations for previous years and the police are still investigating.

In a summary of a withheld decision, the commission said donations made to the party in 2005, 2006 and 2007 were not included in New Zealand First's returns of donations.

The commission says it is withholding the full decision for now to avoid potential prejudice to the continuing police investigation.

The commission also found the ACT Party should have disclosed it was provided with rent-free office space by Sir Robert Jones for a number of years before 2005.

So we wait for the full report and the results of the police investigation

MACDOCTOR FOR PRESIDENT

Macdoctor has some of the best posts . And his latest is no different . It is well reasoned , well written and well, just plain bloody right. It about Nia Glassie.

He calls it Souless Savagery - and talks about the eyes of the killers - and I know from experience that there are no depths to those eyes - they are just fathomless pools of nothingness.

Read his take on Nia Glassie, gangs and the need for authority.

KING TALKS BOLLOCKS

National has announced that it will be putting 300 more police into Counties Manukau.

Police Minister Annette King ( we used to respect her) has countered the announcement by saying it will create fear! Well bugger me, we know a few people in Counties Manukau and they say that fear is what they live with everyday.

I wonder if King has:

• Walked the streets of Manukau at night
• Visited local dairy owners
  
• Talked to the families of the victims of violence there
  
• Talked to her own police on the ground about how stretched they are trying to cope with what is fast becoming the criminal badlands of NZ.
  
• Talked to school teachers who see the effects of the lawlessness of the area.
• talked to families who have loved ones murdered and maimed.
  
• Talked to the Asian families who are enhancing our economy of the racism that is rife in Manukau.
  

Remember Mrs King - under Labour violent crime has soared by 47 per cent.

Key is right when he states in the Herald "For nine years, Labour has paid lip service to the citizens of Counties-Manukau while violence has soared by 65 per cent - and yet it has the second lowest police-to-population ratio of any police district in the country," Mr Key said.

He is going to put 25 more patrol cars on South Auckland streets within two years and boost overall New Zealand police numbers so there is one officer for every 500 people,"

We here at Roarprawn would like to see it higher than that - its simple arithmetic - put the money into proactive in your face coppers on the beat and you will save the money in the jails.

Mr Key also said an additional $18.5 million each year would be budgeted to recruit, train, and employ the extra police required.

"This will be funded from the allocation for new spending outlined in National's fiscal policy," Mr Key said.

He said National would also:

* Roll out Canterbury's persistent offender programme, which targets crime families, to other districts, subject to a positive evaluation of the trial;

* Ensure police work more closely with local communities to set and tackle local crime priorities and

* Ensure road safety policing concentrates on preventing accidents by focusing on those drivers and areas most at risk.

Good stuff National !

UNDERCOVER DRUG COP CONFESSION GOES GLOBAL

Patrick O'Briens story is going global - Heres Salon's take on corruption in cop forces and social contracts-

Patrick as you may remember is a 60 year old former cop who said his lies in court years ago put about 150 people behind bars.

UNDERCOVER COP ALLEGATIONS BEING INVESTIGATED

Roarprawn has expected this story to hit the headlines for some time. See the Herald O'Brien did an interview on Campbell live late last year.

We at the Prawn got an email from Patrick about a month back saying he used Roarprawn to keep up with events and that he was on a journey round the country to seek out those who's lives he had impacted.

He is on his own journey of redemption, so to speak.

anyway his story is here - its his story so he can tell it.. http://obrien.wordpress.com/

We will watch these events with interest.