999

Ahh, 1:48am and the neighbours are having a right barny at full volume - sounds like it's being conducted on the street. Not the first time. I take it no-one will ring the cops until something breaks or there's a direct call for public intervention. Which is why we're so civilised! - giving people space to work their shit out and knowing the appropriate boundaries. Litigating family matters in the wee small hours isn't seemly but nor does it warrant a Police reaction.

I believe a second level of police - a para-constabulary - should be established to deal with minor issues like this (if it went to a higher level) and traffic and infringement offences. A community-mandated and funded organisation, with national codes of conduct, uniform etc. in each community. Maori Wardens with more stick. Such measures have been mooted lately instead of boosting the police numbers up forever. These para-constabularies would have the added credibility of being subject to police scrutiny and action as opposed to the police themselves who can get away with murder at present. As such they may be more respected. The Police (as in some jurisdictions like France) could focus on criminal detection, investigation, serious offences, complex or inter-jurisdictional crimes etc. and efforts that need a lot of resources and expertise. As such they may be more respected.

This community force and other community-based organisations could use the telephone number 999 which at present has Dougal Stevenson telling us we've dialled the wrong number for 111.

The para-constabulary, dealing with more intimate situations may also have social worker officers or speciality units like the old system of municipal traffic forces that existed prior to 1989. Such decentralisation flies in the face of the centralised authoritarian instincts that have been steadily bred into the people by 130 years of relentless governmental encroachment. Like Michael Laws on the radio yesterday insisting that places with less than 10,000 people had no right to run their own affairs we live in an age where it is assumed, as axiomatic, that a merger into a super-outfit will always yield superior services and lower costs. Not so. The mistakes are bigger and costlier and well run runts are pillaged by inefficient bohemoths. It is a fact that Auckland's motorway system was devised and executed more proficiently when there was about 26 councils in the area than now when there are only 6 (RMA notwithstanding). Locals in one area may have a completely different agenda, needs and aspirations from another area in the same council - at present they are largely powerless and prone to council officialdom and plans made by others and their agendas.

After looking at the somewhat overly-decentralised US scheme and our own history it might be wise to have a super-council at the Regional level replacing the current city and district and regional councils with a tier of communities that operate independently and together constitute the council (rather than the other way round at present where the council and the Local Govt. Commission can move around community boards and boundaries at will). With recognition of Maori communities and their rohe as communities with exactly the same status I think this mechanism can overcome a great deal of Treaty related angst and be an acknowledgement of mana whenua and an avenue of self-determination that Maori have been systematically deprived of for so long.

My thoughts on this matter are highly detailed and advanced... unfortunately they are either in a computer in police custody or in about 100 pieces of paper filed randomly in random draws.