NZ Police: wrong to swear

The parliament had to rush this bill through yesterday - all in one sitting - because of a self-described "monumental cock-up" by the NZ Police.   It was disappointing that Hone Harawira wasn't there to chuck a spanner baton in the works and deny the necessary leave to push it through - now that would have been beautiful: to have these twits left twisting in the wind - all witless and warrantless.

Far from unusual or exceptional the public have come to expect this Keystone Cops blundering from these oafs in blue. People have come to accept the NZ Police are incompetent at every level and this is merely a footnote in a chapter in their sorry story.

RNZ news:
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Parliament had to rush through a change to the Policing Act on Thursday after it was revealed 63 police officers had been incorrectly sworn in over the past four years.The blunder created a loophole which defendants could have used to challenge their arrests.
Police Minister Anne Tolley says the blunder is embarrassing and should never have happened.
A similar mistake was discovered four years ago.
Labour Party police spokesperson Jacinda Ardern says the minister needs to explain why she did not ensure the right processes were in place after that mistake.
Ms Tolley says the Police Commissioner has assured her it won't happen again.
[...]Acting Police Commissioner Viv Rickard told Morning Report it is clear the issue was the responsibility of the police, and an apology has been given to the minister.
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The hilarity of their incompetence comes from the fact it was the NZ Police themselves who wrote their own Policing Bill in 2008.  The politicians didn't want a new Act and they didn't drive it either, all the work and the text came out of police headquarters as their own wish list - a list duly, dutifully rubber-stamped by the parliament.  So far so pathetic.  So when the Minister (as below) attempts to offer an excuse of a change in wording between a 1958 Act it is no excuse whatever - they did this to themselves.  The NZ Police can't even carry out their own laws they crafted and drafted for themselves, if that is not a reasonable example of incompetence what is?

Anne Tolley, Minister of Police:
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Police Minister Anne Tolley says that an amendment to the Policing Act 2008 has been introduced into Parliament under urgency.
The Policing (Constable’s Oaths Validation) Amendment Bill makes a technical change to the Act, which removes any doubt over the validity of the actions of a small number of former constables who have rejoined the Police.
63 officers who returned to Police between October 2009 and July 2013 were sworn in by District Commanders or Inspectors. This would have fulfilled the requirement under the Police Act 1958, however the Policing Act 2008 included a new procedure which states that the oath can only be administered by the Commissioner or a person specifically authorised by the Commissioner.
All 63 officers were properly sworn in once this administrative error was identified.
“Police received advice from Crown Law that a legislative fix was also required,” says Mrs Tolley.
“To avoid any attempt by defendants to exploit this issue, the Bill will retrospectively authorise the oath given to the officers when they first rejoined the Police, as if it was administered by an authorised person.
“It’s disappointing that we are having to take this action, and I’ve expressed my concerns to the Commissioner.
“I’ve been assured that this will not happen again, and that Police now have the necessary safeguards in place.”

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It won't happen again!  LOL. Of course it will.  If iPredict cares to run a book on when the NZ Police will come crying to their Minister demanding a clean-up bill for another one of their this-will-never-happen-again cock-ups: in the next 3 years it would probably be even money - in the next 5 years almost a certainty.

And what will happen if the NZ Police carry out another, routine, breach of the Policing Act or any other Act?  What will the Minister do exactly?  Who will be held to account?  Like now and in the past the answer is the New Zealand government will always validate the unlawful acts of their police force - no questions asked.