Ceremony to mark tragedies that sparked life-saving changes

Police will this Friday (1 February 2013) honour four officers and a civilian whose homicides led to major changes to Police tactics and the formation of the Armed Offenders Squad nearly 50 years ago.

Media are invited to attend a ceremony at The Royal New Zealand Police College (RNZPC) to mark the 50th anniversary of the double homicides of Detective Inspector Wallace Chalmers and Detective Sergeant Neville Power at Waitakere, and those of Constable Bryan Schultz and Constable James Richardson at Lower Hutt.

Civilians who died and were injured in the Waitakere incident will also be remembered.

The service will be led by Deputy Commissioner Viv Rickard, and attended by Police Minister Hon. Anne Tolley, as well three of the men’s widows, their descendants, retired Police staff, current staff, MPs, local mayors and members of the Police Executive.

The service will commence on Friday at the Parade Ground, RNZPC, 2pm sharp. This will be followed by the laying of wreaths at the memorial wall.

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>