Tuesday, 5 February 2008

Association Comment On Mangere Death

"The death of a man while being arrested in Mangere today is a tragedy, and we extend our sympathies to his family," Police Association President Greg O'Connor said today.

"It is the worst possible outcome, and every officer's nightmare, to be involved in a situation that results in the loss of a life. The officers involved will be feeling highly traumatised by this incident, and the Association will be supporting them fully as their decision-making and actions now come under intense scrutiny," Mr O'Connor said.

"There is no other job in New Zealand that places people in the position of being required to react quickly to confrontational and increasingly violent situations where, often, they must use force to secure public safety. Faced with the infinite variables of those situations, the ever-present risk in the back of every officer's mind is that the potential exists for serious harm to all involved. That potential exists to some degree regardless of whether the officer is using a firearm, a Taser, pepper spray, baton, or physical restraint."

"No other job places such a burden of decision-making on its frontline employees, and then subjects those decisions to the unforgiving glare of public scrutiny, informed by all the wisdom of hindsight. The effect on the officers involved, and their families, will be profound," Mr O'Connor said.

ENDS

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