I did not know the level of Police services failures until I called at the Police Station about 10am two days ago on my business as a lawyer. Norman George writes.

For years when the Police served pretrial evidence disclosure documents, they would either bring it to my home or if I am going to town, I would ask them to bring it to the front public reception counter for me to pick up. This saves them costs and inconvenience.

 Two days ago, when I went to uplift the disclosures, there was no Police officer manning the Watch house counter.  The only personnel present were on the opposite side of the ground floor reception area handling the drivers licences.

 There were three long queues facing the licencing section with 20 to 30 people, tourists, waiting to be served. After repeatedly ringing the unanswered service bell a young lady came over from the  licencing division to help me.   She asked me to leave my name and address behind or call back later.   I refused. Ultimately she went and got a senior officer located behind closed doors to give me my disclosures.

There lies the problem.

Our Minister of Police and Prime Minister has gone to Azerbaijan to attend Cop29 while we in Avarua face major Police copouts. First, the Police public counter must be manned at all times. Even if the Acting Commissioner of Police descends to the ground floor to work from there and attend to counter duties, rank and dignity no longer matter, there is no loss of face in an emergency. 

One man is responsible for all this, it is Prime Minister Mark Brown.  He did not need to attend COP29. COP29 was created in my Time as Environment Minister.

I attended Cop 1, Cop 2 and Cop 3 in Japan.   The portfolio should be held by an ordinary cabinet minister, not by the PM.  Our PM travels so much that most of decision making is carried out in the first class cabin, which leads to first class mistakes and problems,

 The Police service is no longer failing, it has failed and completely collapsed. 

What Mark Brown is doing to the nation is irrational, demented, incurable and arrogantly irresponsible. In America, they remove Presidents by impeachment. In the Cook Islands,and the   Commonwealth it is by a motion of no mconfidence in Parliament. Here’s my take, you cannot smash rocks with eggs, only hard rocks can smash rocks.

Members of Parliament, stop the sleep.  Stop the paralysis.  Whatever political party you belong to, you all have a duty to save our beloved ipukarea. If you fail, would the last person to leave please turn the light of

Yours sincerely,

 Norman George

 Lawyer,

Former N.Z. Police Senior Sergeant

Ex MP Cook Islands.