McVicar’s Criticism of Commissioner Broad Outrageous and Unjustified

“Garth McVicar’s public criticism of Howard Broad is both outrageous and unjustified” said Kim Workman, Director of Rethinking Crime and Punishment. Commissioner Broad’s plea to the Law and Order Select Committee to reduce prisoner numbers in order to reduce crime, was described by McVicar as “an insult to victims which would cause irreversible damage to the morale and good name of the police. “ He then called on the Commissioner to resign”.

We need to honour and support the Police, not publicly abuse the Commissioner for having the guts to tell it like it is.”

“Garth would do well to sit down with the Commissioner and his staff, and listen carefully to why the Commissioner believes that prison is being overused, and turns minor offenders into career criminal. If Garth truly has the interests of victims at heart, he would learn that the preventive strategies advocated by the Commissioner will do more to reduce the number of victims in our community, than anything the Sensible Sentencing Trust’s has done, with its constant call for vengeance and retribution.

“Howard Broad is right. Around 40% of prisoners are serving less than six months, and get no rehabilitation or programmes. Instead they network with others who are a bad influence, hone their criminal techniques, develop bad habits, and return to the community worse for the experience. That is no way to guarantee public safety, or cater for the interests of victims”.

“In my view, Howard Broad is the finest Commissioner we have had since Sam Barnett, who was Controller General of Police from 1955 until 1958. He is not only an outstanding long term strategist and thinker, but also understands the operational reality. More than that, he is a man of quiet courage, who has never been tempted to succumb to the populist rhetoric of the Police Association, or the punitive inclinations of successive governments.

Under his watch, we have seen the emergence of the Policing Excellence Strategy, a world class Police Education Service, and a commitment to community engagement and movement toward the alternative disposition of offenders in order to reduce offending.” “The New Zealand Police, despite the occasional calamity, still punches above its weight.”

ends

© Scoop Media