This is a short guest post from Gavin Marriott about a change in police procedures in his home country of New Zealand.
He has a personal connection, which is explained in the article.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350175518/concern-over-police-plans-pull-back-family-harm-callouts
Now my dad was a policeman. He was an armed policeman during WW2 in Samoa amongst the Japan v USA conflict & is not eligible for a war medal due to policeman being the wrong occupation. If he was a railway porter or postman he would have got one.
I remember dad for his famous quote when a passerby asked him “is Z cars just like the real police” & my dad responded with “No, my men copy Z cars”. That quote is so real as people in occupations try to emulate their TV characters.
My dad retired in 1976 after 38 years service. He got out when the NZ Police went to computers. I went to his retirement party. What an honour. Police from throughout NZ came & shook my hand. “Wow, you are Ray Marriott’s son”. They spoke so highly of him & again it was his very short speech that shook the place. “We need to make it easier on new recruits so they will enjoy this job, not make it tough for them”. He received a standing ovation.
However having read the above Stuff article, dad would say “I told you so”.
Over the years, the NZ Police have got out of most of their core roles – & the wonder why crime is rampant. They no longer walk the beat & check on shop doors. They no longer stand at railway or bus stations watching known passengers. They no longer attend neigbourhood disputes, flagging that as a civil matter. They no longer ticket parked cars as thats now Councils job. They no longer arrest people for drinking in a liquor ban area as thats also Councils bylaw. And that list goes on. When I call them to a fight in the street, its “make a report over the phone”, we’re too busy to attend. When I called about a stolen car parked in the street with engine still running I was told “Its Councils job to remove it”. Council says “they had to contact the owner first”.
So what are the police busy with, given they now have 1,800 more staff. They are busy dealing with the aftermath of mental hospitals closing & desk jobs. After 5 years on the frontline they deserve a desk job.
It is sad when they state on TV “We have 200 men on this murder case”. What about preventing these murders by being seen in the streets & attending our calls.
Now I finish my blog today with a true story . . . I was in the Palmerston North Plaza mall a couple of years ago & saw 2 policemen watching the passerbys in the mall & chatting to them, saying hello to the shop staff. I went up to them & said “Wow, nice to see you guys here making me feel safe. How come you’re here?”.
“Oh we’re doing what we call a ‘Marriott duty’ ” & then laughed.
I asked what that was.
“Oh an old boss we had here in Palmy. He made us all do the beat & so when we have down time & walk the malls, we call it a ‘Marriott duty’ “.
“Nice to meet you guys, keep it up, my dad Snr Sgt Ray Marriot would be proud of you”.
You shoulda seen the look on their faces as i walked off.
The chased after me to shake my hand. “Are you really?” I showed them my drivers licence & they shook my hand.
I wonder what they said on return to station??
But do their bosses let them down?
beetleypete 
Thanks for this very interesting story. Such changes are never for the better. In future i am sure they will predict crime with the help of AI. Surely not crime done by politicans. 😉 xx Michael
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Thanks for reading, Michael.
Best wishes, Pete.
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His Dad was a character and he knew what was needed. Things don’t change for the better most of the time. Thanks, Pete and Gavin.
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Ignoring domestic violence calls is going to prove to be disastrous, in my opinion.
Best wishes, Pete.
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the love the surprise answer at the mall, and sad there are not many beat cops anymore
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It seems that beat cops are disappearing in most countries, Beth.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thanks for sharing. It is an eye opener. Warmest regards, Ed
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I appreciate you reading it, Ed.
Best wishes, Pete.
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This does sound like a step backward in community policing.
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It really is. Pretty much a licence to commit domestic violence without fear of arrest.
Best wishes, Pete.
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In the US, spousal murder is often preceded by a violated protection order.
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Here in the U.S., a lot of policemen are frustrated by the judges who are soft on crime. In some states, criminals are released without bail, even though they are a flight risk.
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Similar things happen here too, with the judiciary complaining that there is a severe shortage of available space in our prisons.
Best wishes, Pete.
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It is so sad to see your old profession destroyed by those in power who haven’t a clue.
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It is short-sighted, as domestic violence is one of the top trigger-crimes that lead to murder. It seems as if they would sooner wait until the woman was dead and investigate the murder, rather than prevent it now.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Our police now say they won’t attend people having a mental health crisis unless anybody’s life is in danger. They’re very good at hiding behind trees with speed guns though.
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Traffic has a different budget of course, as does Special Ops and Armed Response. Policing has changed so much since we were young, but failing to attend domestic violence calls and MH issues is asking for trouble later, when they will be attending serious assaults and murders carried out by those same people.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Very true, as this is just what happened very recently.
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They want to send social workers out with cops to “diffuse” those mental health situations. I don’t care what sort of “crisis” a naked man waving a machete is having, it’s not time for a chat.
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I can only agree with that, Phil.
(Having been in that situation as an EMT)
Best wishes, Pete.
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Indeed. I think the mental health crises are increasing too.
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As are every other excuse for the overstressed and unable to cope in all walks of life.
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The sad reality is that so many people cannot cope these days.
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