7 December 2001 Media Statement

Pay Round Ratification Ends Great Year for Police

Police Minister George Hawkins has welcomed today’s final ratification of sworn and non-sworn pay rounds for police staff.

The settlement will give police a two percent increase from 1 December this year and a further one percent from 1 December 2002. The term of the agreement is from 1 December 2001 to 30 June 2003.

“Final settlement of the pay rounds ends a great year for Police, with crime down, resolutions up and police receiving the funding and resources they need from a government committed to bringing crime down.

“With wage issues settled up until 2003, police can focus on continuing to win the war again crime – that’s great news for New Zealanders,” said Mr Hawkins.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>