Dear Editor, your item about our new recruits (Fijians recruited as police struggle with resources, Cook Islands News, December 4) conflated two issues, which are not directly related.

Just so your readers don’t assume the Police Service has recruited Fiji nationals because we’re struggling for staff, it should be clarified that recruitment is and has been merit-based. 

The process is ongoing throughout the year and dependent on application numbers. Non-Cook Islanders do enquire from time to time but on this particular occasion, the timing and social conditions allowed for the consideration of Fiji nationals.

Our resource constraints have been experienced for the past several years. 

Trevor Pitt

Spokesperson
Cook Islands Police

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Demerit points system

On 6 September 2016 a piece of legislation came into force called the Transport (Motor Driver Licensing) Regulations 2016.

This ill-conceived mishmash of regulations was a rethink on the law covering driver’s licences and the creation of a ‘Demerit Point’ system for implementation here in the Cook Islands.

You might recall that it was about this time that patched gang bikers were coming here to get a driver’s licence after theirs was cancelled back home in NZ or Australia. These amendments were designed to stop that practice.

The change also required 60-year olds to go through a series of tests for renewal of a one-year drivers licence, that other countries such as NZ and Australia reserved for those of 75 and over.  

Thankfully these changes to the law never made their way to the top of the in-tray at the Commissioner’s Office till January of 2020 when out of ‘the blue’ they burst onto the scene for immediate action and also controversy.

In today’s lesson I wish to focus attention of the Demerit Point decision!

On the Cook Islands Police Service Facebook page of 9 December 2021, I saw the following – “Police Prosecution has completed its calculation of demerit points incurred by drivers, who have been convicted of certain traffic offenses, since 2016. Over that period of five years, only one driver has exceeded the 100-point threshold to have their license disqualified. A second is currently at 75 points. A further 250 people are presently accruing below 50 points.”

Amazing I thought. From September 2016 to December 2021 this labour-intensive research has thrown up one case of someone reaching the magic 100-point score. Not 50, not 10. Just one in five years of statistics.

So, what does that tell us. For me it says most of us are good law-abiding road users.

Rather than worrying about Demerit Points, I am sure our police have better things to do out on the street than in the office.

Let’s keep it simple.

Rod Henderson