"Breaking the law is no obstacle to promotion — when you work for the New Zealand police administration"

30 August, 2010
Patrick O'Brien

It is nearly 1,000 days since the New Zealand Government and Commissioner of Police received a copy of my original letter to the Chief Justice confessing perjury while working as an undercover officer and agent-provocateur for their Criminal Intelligence Section.

My posting below contains three, relevant "question and answer" extracts from a conversation thread I started on the Switched on Gardener's Facebook Wall titled ~ "Breaking the law is no obstacle to promotion — when you work for the New Zealand police administration"

As follows . . .

(1) TELLING LIES:

"I'm sort of wondering how NZ became such a corrupt police state since I left 20 years ago." ~ Greg Lowe

Here's my take, Greg . . .

The following transcript is from an interview I gave the Gibson Film Group in 2007 as part of their 3-part documentary "UNDERCOVER" [1] that was funded by New Zealand on Air and ran on Television ONE [2] for three weeks in 2008 and again in 2009:

“... My main reason for agreeing to talk to you was that I felt your viewers should have an appreciation of the fact that the greatest ... the worst thing about the (undercover) programme, in my view, is not the drug use or the criminal activity, but it is actually the lies.’

‘In the early days of the programme, the Police Department was opposed to the establishment of the Section and the work we did — and it was very simple: the Commissioner of the day’s words were “policemen don’t tell lies” and he was opposed to the programme on those grounds.’

‘But, unfortunately for him and that cadre of officers, the results we were producing were quite persuasive and settled any argument with regards what the bean-counters thought of what we were doing; the fact we were telling lies was basically ignored.’

‘The damage to the individuals involved in the programme ... in my view it’s the lies that cause the problems and those old-fashioned, fuddy-duddy Commissioners in the early days were, in fact, correct.’

‘What the lying did, it introduced honest men to the advantages of lying and we learnt very quickly that by lying we could achieve results and we could avoid getting into trouble by lying — and, I suspect that, the lies and deceit that are a part of the current ways of doing things in the Establishment, were born from the early days of the modern undercover programme when we learnt to lie.’

‘I know that, when I joined the police, when a policeman told you something — that was the truth and there was never a question.’

‘Now, if a policeman was to tell me something, I would always be cognisant that it may not be exactly the truth ...”

REFERENCES:

[1] “Undercover” ~ the Gibson Film Group‘s 3-Part Documentary (Funded by New Zealand On Air)

http://www.gibson.co.nz/production/entry/undercover/about

[2] Link to Television ONE (video) trailer, here:

http://obrien.wordpress.com/media/2/

(2) CORRUPTION:

"Why aren't people marching on the streets to ensure they live in a country that actually has a lawful legal system?" ~ Greg Lowe

Kiwis have been suckered into believing we are the least corrupt nation in the world ... sheesh, with few exceptions, it's all smug, self-congratulations on how lucky we are. [1]

Many brave men and women have come before me and tried to enlighten us all as to our corruption; the USED Group being one notable example. [2]

Sadly, the "system" has effectively painted these whistle-blowers as 'nutters' and their revelations have been covered-up, written-off and buried. Even our Parliament or House of Representatives, the highest court in the land, has sat on its hands. [3]

My own experience mirrors what has gone before — a letter to the Chief Justice [4] with copies to the Commissioner of Police, and both the Solicitor and Attorney Generals, has resulted in yet another "independent" inquiry. [5]

All such self-styled "independent" inquiries have, in the past, resulted in the sadly predictable outcome of there being ... "no evidence to support these allegations".

It's a hoary old truism that Society gets the police service they deserve. Spin, twist, lie and obfuscate — it's the Kiwi way, right?

Sad ... (!!!) ...

REFERENCES:

[1] "New Zealand is the least corrupt country on Earth, says Transparency International. No ifs, no buts, no maybes":

http://poneke.wordpress.com/2008/09/27/transint/

[2] my brief note on the USED Group:

http://www.norml.org.nz/postp99132.html#99132

[3] My letter to the Clerk of the House of Representatives:

http://obrien.wordpress.com/legal/parliament/

[4] My letter to the Chief Justice of NZ:

http://obrien.wordpress.com/legal/judiciary/

[5] Another self-styled "independent" inquiry:

http://obrien.wordpress.com/legal/police/inquiry/

(3) COP-OUTS & COVER-UPS:

"Thanks Patrick. The problem seems to now be systemic and where there is one lie there is invariably more lies." ~ Greg Lowe

Yep! ... lies, lies and more lies ...

Successive New Zealand Governments and police administrations have done nothing — or, at most, set up more "independent" inquiries, which is the same thing as doing nothing, but looks better ...

Thank you

Patrick O'Brien
X-Constable 3667
http://www.facebook.com/obrien.patrick.john
_________________
"Whaika te Whakapono"... Seek for the Truth - Follow the Truth

Check it out on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=443565433560&id=1452100120&ref=mf

Source: http://www.norml.org.nz/postp112458.html#112458