Crime stats 'business as usual' for prohibition beneficiaries

Contrary to popular myth, 'crime does pay', says Christchurch Mayoral candidate, Blair Anderson ( blair4mayor.com) – and it provides a considerable number of comfortable middle class salaries in NZ 'sadly at the expense of genuine community wellbeing and safety'.

Mr Anderson says the 6000 or so NZ police are primary beneficiaries of crime in New Zealand (fat salaries and perks). 'Alongside courts, corrections, judiciary, lawyers, prison builders, and politicians, police have a dangerous interest in maintaining an unacceptable level of crime, instead of genuinely defusing the violence, black marketing, mistrust and alienation in NZ.'

'That fact that official crime statistics just released for the year show a small downward fluctuation is neither here nor there', says Mr Anderson, 'and police and government deserve no credit whatsoever, because they have merely maintained the nation's infamously high levels of abuse and dysfunction'.

Mr Anderson asks when are the leaders of NZ going to acknowledge the fact that there is a FUNDAMENTAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST in the nation's 'crime prevention' strategy?: 'Do the police, or any of the other aforementioned beneficiaries really want to succeed, if that success causes a massive downsizing in their work load and power base???'

Anderson is adamant that crime is being promoted (and 'milked') in NZ via the double standards surrounding alcohol and other drugs. He says there is compelling evidence that if cannabis were decriminalised there would be no increase in harmful use or uptake of pot, but instead a considerable reduction in the amount of black market related criminality in NZ, reduction in oppression related 'mental health' issues, a probable mitigation of alcohol misuse which police acknowledge fuels 85% of offending, and a much friendlier relationship between police and community.

He points to Seattle (Christchurch sister-city), where a 2003 initiative effectively decriminalised cannabis use by making it lowest policing priority. Seattle now has less than one thirtieth the number if cannabis arrests per capita occurring in NZ, and administrators are testifying to the success of their cannabis policy liberalisation: 'there is no evidence of adverse effect from the implementation of (proposition) 1-75'. [ http://saferdenver.saferchoice.org/seattle.png ]

'Cannabis consumers are family friendly, peace loving and productive members of society', says Mr Anderson, 'or at least would be, if given a fair go. The herb is not a crime. Period. Why are hundreds of millions of taxpayers dollars being squandered on this clearly counter-productive area of enforcement?'

Mr Anderson notes the Prime Minister, Helen Clark has described cannabis prohibition as 'poor public policy' and was a supporter of partial prohibition as a harm minimisation initiative, but has chosen expediency over principle.

The second time Mayoral candidate, who describes himself as an environmentalist and social ecologist, is working hard to overcome the unhealthy taboos and abuses of freedom and public good institutionalised in day-to-day New Zealand.

'If it wasn't for alcohol and drugs, I wouldn't have a job' – investigating officer. [Stanmore Rd police shooting, 27th Sept]

Christchurch SAFER COMMUNITIES Mayoral candidate, Blair Anderson

'Mayor Blair' Anderson
http://blairformayor.blogspot.com
http://blair4mayor.com

ENDS

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