Letters for Wednesday November 3, 2021

Dear Editor,

After allowing the new Commissioner of Police James Keenan time to settle down into his new job, for some months, I decided to call his office yesterday (Monday) to make an appointment. I explained to his secretary that I wanted a one on one session strictly for professional purposes. I outlined some longstanding grievances with the Police front line work and with the CIB (Criminal Investigation Bureau).

I received a reply that I should go and see the front line Inspector. As this Inspector is one of the subjects of my discussion for frequent Police procedures wrong doings, I preferred not to see him. I asked the secretary to go back to the Commissioner that it is him I wanted to see and no lower ranks. I told her it is like seeing an arsonist and asking him to put the fire out (my example). She went back to speak to the Commissioner. She came back to advise me of the Commissioner’s brazen response that he did not want to see me! It is the first time I have been turned down by a senior public servant. I have been Minister of Police many times, the last time I had a good relationship with a Police commissioner was with Tepure Tapaitau. He and I handled the Cyclone Sally emergency operations in the 1980s, 48 hours without sleep and later I recommended him for a Queen’s Service Medal award, he became Tepure Tapaitau QSM.   

Commissioner Keenan ignored me as the senior barrister and solicitor in the Criminal Law Bar, former NZ Police Officer (qualified for commissioned rank), president of the Retired Police Association and a tireless fighter against Police brutality and Police abuse of power. To make it worse he did not have trouble seeing another lawyer on the same type of subject last week.  

The reasons I wanted to see him was (1) abuse by the CIB in the execution of search warrants (2) Wrongful seizure of property not covered by the warrant (3) Not releasing property not associated with criminality to the owners (4) mishandling and failing to protect impounded motor vehicles where parts are stolen (5) refusing to release arrested persons on bail for minor offences such as EBA excess blood alcohol under section 53 of the Police Act 2012, (6) abuse of night curfew surveillance on private property, waking people up in the middle of the night and (7) Questioning methods adopted by the CIB to extract sexual offence complaints from children and young persons. I hope the Commissioner reads this from this column and take action.

The Commissioner’s duties are outlined in section 10 of the Police Act. Clearly his refusal to see me is dereliction of his duty, but I absolutely do not want the Commissioner to face disciplinary or any other action. All I want him to do is observe a number of covenants, such as not to be lazy and do his job, be a work horse and not a show pony, inaction has consequences, dexterity, patience and humility is needed; galvanise support, be the solution and not the problem.  Don’t be blindsided by your importance, take the gift of leadership and use it, apply studied brilliance! The outcome of this is that you have lost good solid support in me, I will take all my complaints to the High Court and to the court of public opinion through this column and I have no wish or desire to make another appointment with you again.

God bless and good luck!

Norman George     

Senior Barrister & Solicitor

President of Retired Police Association

Police spokesperson Trevor Pitt replies on behalf of the Commissioner

Norm (George) may have misheard the Commissioner as he is not cut off from any dialogue. It’s a matter of appropriate timing, and subject matter. Perhaps it may be better to approach future discussions by not pre-determining guilt or fault on the part of the Police, right from the outset.

In one respect Norm is right and that is to raise certain matters in the court, allowing judicial processes to manage issues of complaint or variance.  The court is also where the voices of victims must be heard too. Criminal behaviour impacts on the innocent, and too often overshadows the plight of the victims.  No one on the part of the Police disrespects the history of experience and contributions Norm has made, and who obviously works tirelessly to uphold.  The Commissioner, as a qualified professional, takes on board all issues raised and can determine the value and priority of the authority he holds to make decisions.

The Aitutaki Bi-centennial Celebrations committee chairman Pastor Charlie Taamo, left, with Aitutaki mayor Tekura Bishop. 21102922

Blessings from above

God our refuge blesses our differences – so says both Our Daily Bread today, Tuesday, November 2 and Wednesday, November 3.

God blessed the closing of our Bicentennial Celebration of the Arrival of Christianity to Aitutaki back in October, 1821 and to the rest of the Cook Islands’ 42-year duration. Once all VIPs, guests and visitors gathered in the assigned marquee for Kai Manga soon after the closing ceremony, down came the rain of blessings, through the night and into the new day as I took my morning walk from Tamanu Resort to the airport and back. What an awesome 10 days of celebration for the whole island of Aitutaki and all outer islands that joined. Had it not been for the God of the Bible and the Gospel of Jesus Christ – He being our Refuge – we would still be living in fear, separated and still having tribal warfare against one another. But instead, Tongareva, Pukapuka-Nassau, Manihiki-Rakahanga, Pamati, Atiu, Mitiaro, Mauke, Tumutevarovaro and Auau Enua all travelled and moved about freely throughout the long week of celebration in Araura Enua under the one banner of Christianity.

Like as on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, though 17 nations gathered in Jerusalem for the Harvest Thanksgiving Celebration of Pentecost (50 days after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ), a greater miracle occurred. A tremendous outpouring of the Holy Ghost fell upon 120 believers in Jesus Christ in the Upper Room, as Acts 2: 4 records, “And they (120) were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they all began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance”. The Apostle Peter to whom Jesus gave the keys to the kingdom of heaven (in Mathew 16:19) preached his very first sermon of salvation in Jesus Christ, of which the first converts were added to the 1st Church of Jesus Christ as recorded in Acts 2:41, “And they that gladly received his (Peter’s) word were baptised: and there were added unto them about 3000 souls”. So began the Church of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem, about 3120 believers in one day ... how many so-called Christian Churches today are following after that same original procedure clearly and very simply set out in Acts 2. The differences and diversities of colour, races, tongues, genders, statuses and ethnicities were no obstacle nor hindrance to the establishment of the very first Church of Jesus Christ, then! As Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 12:13 & 14, “For by One Spirit are we all been baptised into One Body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, or whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into One Spirit”. And once more in Galatians 3:27 - 29, “For as many of you as have been baptised into Christ, have put on Christ. 28, There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29, And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye seeds of Abraham, and heirs according to the promise”.

With over 3000 so-called Christian Denominational Churches in the world to date, we all have but one single alignment to the Root, Origin, and Genesis of the One True Church of Jesus Christ, Acts 2 and the rest of the New Testament Books of the Bible with absolutely no addition nor subtraction. Adding anything not upheld by the Apostles of Jesus Christ adds all plagues mentioned in the Book of Revelation 22:18; taking anything out removes one’s name from the Book of Life. Stark warning to all Christians in the world: 2 Corinthians 11:4, “But if he that cometh and preach another Jesus that we have not preached, or if ye receive another Spirit, which we have not received, or another Gospel which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him”; Paul in Galatians 1: 8 & 9 calls them – accursed. Ka akara ki te Mato i pao ia mai ei tatou, e te tipoko o te vaarua i koia ia mai ei tatou...Look to the Rock from which we have been hewn, and to the pit from which we have been dug (Isaiah 51:1 ... Jesus is that rock of ages and rock of our salvation, obey and act upon John 3:3 & 5 and Acts 2: 38 & 39).

Stay safe and be blessed in Jesus!

Amen and amene!

Love from Bishop & Mama Pere