Boston bombing suspect arrested

Police have arrested a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing.

Law enforcement officials told CNN that authorities have confirmed the man in custody is 19-year-old Dzhokar Tsarnaev, who escaped an overnight shootout with police that left his older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev — the other man wanted in the bombings — dead.

The younger Tsarnaev was in need of undisclosed medical care, the officials said. . .

Boston bombing UPDATE: suspect arrested

Tragedy has struck at the Boston Marathon.

Two people were killed and dozens were injured this afternoon as two powerful explosions detonated in quick succession near the Boston Marathon finish line in Boston’s Back Bay section, turning a scene of athletic celebration into bloody chaos.

Two more explosive devices were found and dismantled, The Associated Press reported this afternoon. The Federal Aviation Administration announced a ground stop for Logan International Airport until further notice.

Blood and broken glass covered sidewalks in the area where the blasts occurred just before 3 p.m. in the city’s Back Bay section. Immediately after the explosions, some of the wounded could be seen to have lost limbs; others lay unconscious. . .

No-one has claimed responsibility yet.

When we were in New York a couple of years ago we got used to going through security checks.

At the time it seemed to be overkill.

These explosions in Boston show that it wasn’t.

UPDATE – The New York post reports a suspect has been arrested.

Rural crime and safety survey

Rural Women NZ has a survey on rural crime and safety:

Rural Women New Zealand has today launched a rural survey on crime and safety that is aimed at making rural communities safer places to live. 

 

“The online survey goes live today, and we are hoping for a wide response from all sectors of the rural community,” says Rural Women NZ executive officer, Noeline Holt. 

 

“You may have already taken part in a recent survey around crime occurring on your farming properties. However, the focus of this survey is broader and we urge you to take part.”

 

We have worked with Crimestoppers and the Police to develop questions that cover a range of issues including theft, drink driving and speeding as well as violence to people or animals.” 

 

“The survey will help us understand how people feel about crime and safety ,” Ms Holt said. The survey also seeks people’s views on police responsiveness and involvement in rural communities. 

 

“Given the nature of small rural communities, we believe there are occasions when people are hesitant to contact the police, and for that reason we are promoting the work of Crimestoppers, where people are able to pass on information anonymously.” 

 

The survey is open for three weeks, then results will be analysed by an independent research company and the key findings will be used by Rural Women NZ to work with Crimestoppers and Police to make rural communities safer. 

 

“We strongly encourage people to take part in this survey. Participants are anonymous and it’s a good opportunity for people living in rural New Zealand to provide valuable feedback about these important issues.”

The survey is here.

When I first moved to the country we never locked doors or vehicles unless we were away overnight.

Nothing happened to make us change but for some years we have taken a more prudent approach and lock up at night and if we’re away during the day.

There are still some areas where not everyone feels the need for this precautionary approach to home security.

We had some Argentinean visitors with us last week when we called on friends. They weren’t at home but we tried the door, which was unlocked, and went in to use the loo.

Our visitors were amazed and we had to explain that this probably isn’t the norm here any more.

When we caught up with our friends yesterday we mentioned our visit and wondered if the door had been unlocked by mistake.

They said no and they weren’t even sure they could lay their hands on a key easily.

I hope their trust isn’t misplaced. It’s a good reflection on their community that they feel safe with doors unlocked whether they’re home or not.

No excuses

An appeal by the Ministry of Primary Industries has resulted in a prison sentence for a farmer charged with animal welfare abuses.

. . . Lourens Barend Erasmus was sentenced to two years and one month imprisonment. Justice Priestly described his offending as “wilful, intentional and repetitive”, he deferred the start of the jail term until Monday and bailed Erasmus to his Pastor’s Waihi home.

Waikato/ Bay of Plenty District Compliance Manager Brendon Mikkelsen said Erasmus’ offending was the worst type of animal welfare cruelty dealt with in his district, and likely nationally through the courts.

The MPI investigation found that he had been breaking his cows tails (115 of the 135 cow herd) hitting them on the hind legs with a stainless steel pipe and stainless still milking cups at the milking shed. Brendon Mikkelsen said “The MPI inspection in late February 2012 revealed serious animal welfare issues, with cows on the property showing obvious signs of injuries and severe distress”.

“This sentencing reflects the view of MPI, industry and the Courts that any animal welfare abuse is unacceptable. MPI believes the sentencing reflects the seriousness of the offending and sends a strong message that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated.”

Persons in charge of animals have an obligation to the welfare of those animals, and the vast majority of persons in charge of animals on farms and the industry take their obligations very seriously.

MPI’s Animal Welfare team cannot be everywhere so it is vital that farmers, the industry, associated on-farm service providers and the public maintain vigilance and report animal welfare breaches on our hot line 0800 00 83 33. Calls can be treated in confidence if necessary. MPI and industry will continue to work together to help ensure this type of incident does not occur in the future.

There are no excuses for abusing animals.

The MPI was correct to appeal an earlier, lesser sentence of home detention and the court is correct to treat this as a very serious offence.

Bureaucracy makes wheels of progress turn slowly

Quote of the day:

He says bureaucracy makes the wheels of progress turn slowly, and he’s excited to be part of something that won’t be hindered by Government officials. Lance O’Sullivan

He was explaining that he’d joined a joined the private inquiry into how to stop child abuse and domestic violence set up by Owen Glenn “because it has nothing to do with the Government”.

I hope those who keep calling for the government to do something take note. Sometimes, perhaps even often, something is best done by independent individuals and groups who are neither part of nor beholden to government.

Integrity of elections requires action

More than a year after the last election not one of the many cases of possible electoral fraud referred to police by the Electoral Commission has gone to court.

Police are sitting on more than twenty open investigations referred to them for prosecution under the Electoral Act by the Electoral Commission.

Truth has obtained details under the Official Information Act that reveal Police seem to have no interest in prosecuting offences and breaches of the Electoral Act.

Of the 32 cases referred, 6 have lapsed because the prosecution time limit has expired.

62 dual vote referrals remain open and un-prosecuted.

Headline cases referred by the Electoral Commission that remain open with little or no progress are the Green party worker Jolyon White’s alleged vandalism of National’s signs at the 2011 election, several of Labour’s flyers including their ‘Stop Asset Sales’, ‘Prices are Rising faster than wages’ and ‘Ohariu Census’ pamphlets.

Only 3 cases have been closed, with no action or prosecution resulting. . .

The integrity of our elections depends on all involved as candidates, voters and in administration obeying the law.

Those who don’t should face consequences and that should happen in a timely manner.

If, as is obvious, the police either can’t or don’t want to deal with breeches of the electoral law another body must be given the powers to do so.

TRUTH believes Edgeler is on the money, for minor offences substantial fines against political parties and individuals that break Electoral Law need to be instant and issued by the Electoral Commission, for larger breaches like Labour’s 2005 pledge card rort an Independent Commission Against Corruption needs to be established, not unlike Australia has.

To continue with blatant and repeated breaches remaining unpunished encourages political corruption, we need to maintain our top position in the Transperency International corruption rankings as the least corrupt nation in the world. Enforcing the law would go a long way to achieving this.

Whichever body or bodies get the powers to deal with alleged breeches of electoral law must have the means to act during the election period before election day or very soon after it.

Justice delayed in these cases could potentially alter election results.

One too many but better than none

At least 67 serving police staff have been arrested in the past three years.

That is disappointing but it’s not all bad:

Police Association president Greg O’Connor said the figures clearly showed that police did not look after their own – in fact they did the opposite.

”If there were no police officers being arrested and charged ever, I think the public would have rightfully more concern that there was covering up. No-one who has had anything to do with police – particularly lawyers who look after police officers – would ever say anything other than they’re absolutely and utterly thorough.”

Mr O’Connor said many of the cases highlighted by the figures would have been found not guilty by the courts because had the offender been a civilian, he or she probably would not have been charged.

And he reiterated that not all of those arrested were employed as police but were police staff.

”But even one is too many,” Mr O’Connor said.

Even one is too many, but none could signal corruption.

In some countries police and the legal system might turn a blind eye to any of their own who transgressed.

That that doesn’t happen here is a sign that New Zealand’s regular top place in the world  corruption perception index  is based on reality.

Human trafficking – our problem too

Human trafficking isn’t just a third-world problem.

It happens here too.

A University of Otago student has a website highlighting the issue.

She outlines the problem in New Zealand:

1. There is very little information about the problem of human sex trafficking in New Zealand

2. New Zealand Government fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking – and therefore is in tier 1 of the US Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report.

3. The Prostitution Law Review Committee estimated that approximately 200 young persons under the age of 18 were working as prostitutes in 2004

4.  New Zealand is a source country for underage girls who are forced in to internal trafficking. New Zealand is also a destination country for foreign men and women who are subjected to forced labour. These men usually come from countries such as Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesian, and are forced to engage in activities such as aboard fishing vessels in NZ waters. They often have their passports confiscated from them and experience severe physical and mental abuse, as well as being forced to work extremely long hours with very little or no pay.

5. Women who are trafficked to New Zealand usually come from China and South East Asia, and tend to be recruited by people in their home countries as ‘labour agents’ for the purpose of prostitution.

6. There is a small percentage of girls and boys of Maori or Pacific Islander descent who are trafficked internally and forced to participate in street prostitution or be part of trafficking rings controlled by New Zealand gangs

7. Some Asian and Pacific Islander individuals migrate to New Zealand to work within the agricultural industry – But once they get here they find they have to work in far worse conditions and for much less pay than they were promised. 

Good from evil

The family of the little girl who was raped in a Turangi camping ground last year has issued a statement saying thank you to New Zealanders:

“Christmas time is approaching. It is a time of joyful family gatherings in snowy Europe or at the beach in New Zealand.

However, for us – and some Kiwis – it will also be a time of dreadful memories.

One year after the drama, our daughter is fine. She recovered quickly and enjoys her first year at school, playing happily with her friends. Time passed by quickly and helped us get back to normal life. When her two new teeth finally grow, it will be even easier not to remember.

The memories fade, but we will never forget the incredible support from the hospital staff, police, organisations and most of all the support of individual people in their letters, emails, toys and donations. We will never forget the warmth and hospitality of the families who hosted us through the weeks after.

In these conditions trust in people returns quickly. You Kiwis are just special!

Keep it and cherish your uniqueness.

The family would have been forgiven for feeling bitter and never wanting anything to do with New Zealand or its people again.

This message demonstrates grace on their part. It also shows that good can come from evil and can beat it.

It would be easy to despair about the awful things that happen, but the best counter to that awfulness is for good people to do something.

 

It could happen here too

A police car blocking the entrance to a side street caught my eye as I was driving along North East Valley in Dunedin yesterday.

When I got closer I saw a police officer with a rifle and other armed officers further up the street.

With the news of the mass shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the USA so fresh I thought something like that might be happening here too.

The ODT report on the armed offenders alert doesn’t say much but it sounds more like a drug bust.

The nature of the alert in Northumberland St, which runs off North Road, has not been confirmed.

However, Fire Service decontamination units were at the scene.

Ambulance units also attended.

The school shootings have revived memories of others in the USA and elsewhere, including here.

Debate on compensation for David Bain is a reminder that his family were all killed in that way and the 22nd anniversary of the Aromoana massacre has just passed.

We can be grateful that our citizens don’t have the same access to assault weapons as the citizens of the USA but mental illness is universal.

This story by the mother of a mentally ill teenager  I am Adam Lanza’s Mom is heart breaking but it could be happening here too.

 

 

 

 

 

How long?

The bereaved parents club is one no-one asks to join.

Today its ranks have been swelled:

A gunman killed 26 people, 20 of them children between ages 5 and 10, in a shooting on Friday morning at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., about 65 miles northeast of New York City, the authorities said.

The gunman, believed to be 20, walked into a classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where his mother was a teacher. He shot and killed her and then fatally shot 20 students, most in the same classroom. He also fatally shot five other adults, then killed himself inside the school. One other person was injured in the shooting . . .

It is against the natural order of things to outlive your children.

It is difficult enough to make sense of the death of a child as a result of illness or accident.

Today so many families, and the teachers and other children who witnessed the horror, are faced with the impossible task of making sense of a senseless act of violence.

The pain is not yours alone she said & you will see it in their eyes when they do not think you are watching.

How long will it take? I said & she put her hand on my chest and we did not speak.

Story People by Brian Andreas.

Review prompted by concerns with Bain report

Justice Minister Judith Collins says concerns with the report into David Bain’s claim for compensation for wrongful conviction and imprisonment by former Canadian judge, Justice Ian Binnie show peer review is needed.

“After reviewing the report prepared by Justice Binnie in September, I was concerned with some aspects of it. With the consent of the Attorney-General, I received advice from the Solicitor-General on the report. Following this advice, I decided the report should be peer reviewed. I commissioned Hon Robert Fisher, QC to do this.

“My concerns are broadly that the report appeared to contain assumptions based on incorrect facts, and showed a misunderstanding of New Zealand law. It lacked a robustness of reasoning used to justify its conclusions.

“This was not a decision I made lightly, but one that was absolutely necessary. Put simply, it would not be acceptable to make a recommendation to Cabinet based on a report that would not withstand the considerable scrutiny it would attract.

“I am very disappointed this peer review is needed – I think we would all agree that a timely conclusion to this matter would be best for everyone. But justice must be done – a robust and proper process is the only way to ensure a certain and final conclusion to Mr Bain’s claim.

“When the Secretary for Justice and I met with Justice Binnie in September, I made it clear to Justice Binnie there were concerns with the report he provided, and it would be peer reviewed.

“I also advised Justice Binnie the report must remain confidential and it would be premature to release it until after Cabinet had made a decision on Mr Bain’s claim.
“Since then, I have received from Justice Binnie, unsolicited, two further versions of his report.

“I will receive Mr Fisher’s peer review in the next day or so, which will be forwarded to Justice Binnie for his comment. When I hear back from Justice Binnie, I will take a recommendation to Cabinet on the next steps.

“Ultimately, this review will not have an impact on Mr Bain’s claim, apart from causing an unfortunate delay to the decision Cabinet will make,” Ms Collins said. . .

This is indeed unfortunate.

The retrial found Bain not guilty. That is not the same as saying he is innocent but it does mean the jury could not say, beyond reasonable doubt, he was the murderer.

The review is adding time and cost to an already lengthy and expensive process, but if there are concerns about the initial report, peer review is required.

Abuse is always wrong

The SPCA says it’s annual list of shame mirrors New Zealand’s violent society.

“Violence towards animals both co-occurs and is a predictor of violence towards humans”, says Robyn Kippenberger, National Chief Executive of the Royal New Zealand SPCA. “The sheer level of violence meted out on animals by some of the perpetrators in the cases in this year’s List of Shame is shocking, and underlying of wider issues in New Zealand.”

The Royal New Zealand SPCA, in partnership with Women’s Refuge, recently released research into the strong link between animal cruelty and domestic and family violence in New Zealand. This study, ‘Pets as Pawns’, showed that 50% of women interviewed had witnessed animal cruelty as part of their experience of domestic violence and 25% said their children had witnessed violence against animals. The research also revealed that one in three women surveyed reported delaying leaving violent relationships because they feared their pets and other animals would be killed or tortured. . .

Abuse is always wrong be it to people or animals and the list is truly shameful.

You can download the list here if you’ve the stomach for sickening reading.

 

 

White powder not right powder

Selling infant milk formula for $78 a can seems ambitious but that’s the aim of Auckland-based Fernbaby.

. . . One industry source said the target seemed “do-able”, but added that the 398 RMB ($78) per can price Fernbaby planned to charge in China was expensive compared with other products already on the market.

At $78 a 900g can the firm’s trade with China could be making close to $8 million a months if it meets its targets.

Fernbaby is the brainchild of Chinese businessman Tianxi Shao, who is also the managing director of Sotx, a manufacturer of badminton sports equipment in China.

Tianxi said the 2008 melamine scandal – in which six Chinese babies died after consuming milk and formula tainted with the industrial chemical – had partly prompted the founding of Fernbaby.

Since the melamine disaster imported formula products, which generally sell for between $20 and $30 a can in New Zealand, have commanded a hefty premium in China. . .

Our reputation for milk quality is hard-earned which is why Fonterra will be doing everything it can to get to the bottom of media reports that 165 kilograms of drugs have been found in one of its containers in Algeria.

Agence France-Presse reported that the massive haul was one of the largest ever intercepted in the North African country. The New Zealand Customs Service is also trying to establish the facts, while expressing confidence that the drugs did not come from New Zealand.

Customs said it was aware of Algerian media reports that a significant quantity of an illegal drug, either cocaine or heroin, had been found in a shipment of milk powder in Algeria.

Customs had not been able to verify the reports and was working closely with Fonterra. . .

The melamine tragedy was one case when white powder wasn’t the right powder.

This is another, though had it not been discovered, the black market price would have made $78 a can look cheap.

Less crime, more freedom

Each time we’ve been to Argentina our friends there warn us to be careful of pickpockets and petty thieves.

In light of that I always wear a money belt and carry only a little cash and no cards in my wallet and have never had any problems.

Several members of the Air New Zealand All Black entourage weren’t so lucky when they were in Buenos Aires last week.

One man was robbed twice, losing all the money he had with him and his credit cards.

Several others were the victims of pickpockets and one woman had the back of her handbag had been slashed though nothing was lost.

It could happen anywhere in the world but the chances of it happening here are a lot less than in many other countries.

We can still walk down the street with our bags swinging from our shoulders and wallets in pockets without the constant fear we could lose them or their contents.

We can live in houses without bars on the windows and – at least in this part of the country – without elaborate security systems.

This gives us a freedom and security we shouldn’t take for granted, although we can be grateful that the crime rate is falling.

Police Minister Anne Tolley says the increased focus on frontline policing and crime prevention will continue, following another drop in recorded crimes.

Recorded offences were down by 5.2 per cent, with 21,802 fewer crimes in the fiscal year to 30 June 2012. The crime rate per head of population fell by 5.9 per cent.

It follows a seven per cent reduction in crime per head of population in the previous fiscal year, and a 5.6 per cent decrease in the 2011 calendar year.

“The figures reflect the excellent work of the Police in making our communities safer and I want to thank them for their efforts,” says Mrs Tolley.

“Police are spending more time and are more visible in their communities through Neighbourhood Policing Teams, while mobile technology is also allowing officers to stay out on the front line, instead of having to return to their desks.

“This new way of working will continue – to proactively prevent crime rather than react after an offence has been committed, and that leads to fewer victims of crime.

“So there will be no let up for criminals. The Police are well on their way to reaching our target of an overall reduction in crime of 15 per cent by 2017.

Less crime means fewer victims, greater security and more freedom for all of us.

Police harassment beginners’ guide

A sentence containing the words police and sense of humour might be considered oxymoronic by some, but this beginners’ guide to police harassment shows it’s not.

It was a response to a question asking how it is possible for police officers to continually harass people and get away with it.

A sergeant replied:

First of all, let me tell you this … it’s not easy. In the Palmerston North and rural area we average one cop for every 505 people. Only about 60 per cent of those cops are on general duty (or what you might refer to as “general patrols”) where we do most of our harassing.

The rest are in non-harassing units that do not allow them contact with the day-to-day innocents. At any given moment, only one-fifth of the 60 per cent of general patrols are on duty and available for harassing people while the rest are off duty. So, roughly, one cop is responsible for harassing about 6000 residents.

When you toss in the commercial business and tourist locations that attract people from other areas, sometimes you have a situation where a single cop is responsible for harassing 15,000 or more people a day.

Now, your average eight-hour shift runs 28,800 seconds long. This gives a cop two-thirds of a second to harass a person, and then only another third of a second to drink a Massey iced coffee AND then find a new person to harass. This is not an easy task. To be honest, most cops are not up to the challenge day in and day out. It is just too tiring. What we do is utilise some tools to help us narrow down those people we can realistically harass.

PHONE: People will call us up and point out things that cause us to focus on a person for special harassment. “My neighbour is beating his wife” is a code phrase used often. This means we’ll come out and give somebody some special harassment. Another popular one is, “There’s a guy breaking into a house.” The harassment team is then put into action.

CARS: We have special cops assigned to harass people who drive. They like to harass the drivers of fast cars, cars with no insurance or drivers with no licences and the like. It’s lots of fun when you pick them out of traffic for nothing more obvious than running a red light.  Sometimes you get to really heap the harassment on when you find they have drugs in the car, they are drunk, or have an outstanding warrant on file.

LAWS: When we don’t have phone or cars, and have nothing better to do, there are actually books that give us ideas for reasons to harass folks. They are called “statutes”. These include the Crimes Act, Summary Offences Act, Land Transport Act and a whole bunch of others… They spell out all sorts of things for which you can really mess with people. After you read the law, you can just drive around for a while until you find someone violating one of these listed offences and harass them. Just last week I saw a guy trying to steal a car. Well, the book says that’s not allowed. That meant I had permission to harass this guy.

It is a really cool system that we have set up, and it works pretty well. We seem to have a never-ending supply of folks to harass. And we get away with it. Why? Because, for the good citizens who pay the tab, we try to keep the streets safe for them, and they pay us to “harass” some people.

Next time you are in Palmerston North, give me the old “single finger wave”. That’s another one of those codes. It means, “You can harass me.” It’s one of our favourites.

 Maybe the sergeant is a Laughing Policeman:

Grace in adversity

The murder of a loved husband, father, son and brother is more than enough for any family.

Having his brother-in-law charged with the crime and the family’s private business made public in the court case would have compounded matters.

Throughout the trial and in its aftermath, the grace shown by the Guy family in their adversity was inspiring.

Scott Guy’s brother-in-law Ewen Macdonald  was acquitted of the murder but admitted other crimes for which he was sentenced today.

The family’s grace shows again in their statement:

Today is yet another reminder of how one person’s actions have affected everyone in our family. The sentencing today does not give us closure or satisfaction. It is simply a reminder that there are consequences for the decisions that Ewen made

One consequence is that Ewen is no longer part of our day to day lives. He has lost our trust and has hurt us deeply and shaken the values which our family hold dear.  However the turmoil we have been through has brought our immediate family closer together, and it is our future that we now focus on.

Our family is now challenged with building a new life. We are determined to build a future not on anger or revenge, not on resentment or sorrow. We must build a future for our children and grandchildren on love and compassion, on truth and faith.

We can only reiterate our heartfelt thanks to all New Zealanders for the support and caring you have shown our family, which continues to give us strength and courage.

It takes a very big heart to show grace when anger and bitterness would be so much easier.

No Good Samaritan

A drunk middle-age man fell off a station platform in Stockholm and hit his head.

CCTV caught what looked like someone going to his rescue.

But this was no Good Samaritan. Instead of helping the injured man, he robbed him and left him to be hit by a train.

Hat tip: TV3

Political activism isn’t charity

Greenpeace is in the Court of Appeal trying to overturn a ruling that it doesn’t qualify for charitable status:

Greenpeace of New Zealand, the environmental lobby group, is too big to miss out on charitable status just because the actions of a few members may be deemed illegal, the Court of Appeal heard today.

Counsel for the non-profit organisation , Davey Salmon, told Justices Rhys Harrison, Lynton Stevens and Douglas White, there was no evidence Greenpeace was engaged in illegal activities that would block it from registering as a charity. Even if some members were found to have trespassed in their non-violent action in support of Greenpeace’s goals, it was a side-issue to the organisation’s primary goals. . .

They’re arguing it’s only a few members whose actions are illegal. But look at the organisation’s core values:

. . . We take non-violent direct action to raise the level and quality of public debate and end environmental problems. Whether it’s a sit-in in front of a local government, or the scaling of an oil rig – peaceful direct action is our way to get us all talking and demonstrate solutions. . .

Scaling an oil rig isn’t very different from a sit-in on an oil drilling ship for which Greenpeace activists were charged and pleaded guilty earlier this year.

Both  look a lot more like political activism than charitable service.

Why wait?

There are so many questions which could be asked about the case of James Robertson Parker, the former deputy principal who has admitted multiple charges of sexually abusing children.

But the two which baffles me most are prompted by this:

Teachers’ Council director Peter Lind said the council was made aware of the case when it went before the courts.

Because he was unlikely to be out of jail in the next few months and will not pose a direct threat to children – the Council would wait for the full police investigation to be completed before they decided whether Parker would keep his registration.

The man has admitted multiple charges and the Teachers Council is waiting before they decide whether he keeps his registration.

The questions are:

1. Why wait?

2. If this isn’t enough to result in deregistration, what is?