Govt must better protect fisheries officers

At-risk fisheries officers were promised batons and pepper spray 18 months ago, but the Government hasn’t delivered, says National’s Fisheries spokesman Phil Heatley.

Mr Heatley was commenting on today’s report that the fisheries officers’ union, NUPE, plans to distribute batons to fisheries staff to protect them from attack by poachers.

“The Government’s dragged the chain on this serious issue. 18 months ago, the Ministry of Fisheries called for officers to carry batons and pepper spray,” says Mr Heatley.

“We can’t expect fisheries officers to protect our fisheries from thieves without adequate resources.

“And Labour’s new foreshore and seabed legislation isn’t helping either,” says Mr Heatley.

“It’s creating uncertainty over fishing resources and fuelling tension amongst some fishers and fisheries staff.

“There are more and more reports of fisheries officers being verbally and physically abused by poachers.

“And all the Government has done is tell officers to run away or patrol in pairs.

“Running away certainly won’t stop poachers and, by working in pairs, already scarce patrols will be stretched further,” says Mr Heatley.

© 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>>