Privacy issues are still points of contention as Police take the next step towards putting body cameras on officers.  

Police have begun researching potential cameras but are yet to secure funding or Cabinet approval.  

The Privacy Commissioner says it could have a chilling effect on people's civil rights, but they could still be safely implemented.  

Police Association President Steve Watt told Kerre Woodham New Zealand, for want of a better term, is already a surveilled state.  

He says almost every supermarket and street already has CCTV, so he struggles somewhat with the privacy issues. 

LISTEN ABOVE  

Privacy issues are still points of contention as Police take the next step towards putting body cameras on officers. &nbsp;
Police have begun researching potential cameras but are yet to secure funding or Cabinet approval. &nbsp;
The Privacy Commissioner says it could have a chilling effect on people's civil rights, but they could still be safely implemented. &nbsp;
Police Association President Steve Watt told Kerre Woodham New Zealand, for want of a better term, is already a surveilled state. &nbsp;
He says almost every supermarket and street already has CCTV, so he struggles somewhat with the privacy issues.&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE &nbsp;

Join Kerre Woodham one of New Zealand’s best loved personalities as she dishes up a bold, sharp and energetic show Monday to Friday 9am-12md on Newstalk ZB. News, opinion, analysis, lifestyle and entertainment – we’ve got your morning listening covered.

Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

Steve Watt: Police Association President on the continued exploration of giving body cameras to police

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/6bc5870b-89cc-46b4-96b5-b4ad001a481e/transcript

I cannot understand it. We have had eight years of discussion, debate, market research, investigation, draft reviews, proposed market trials, and still our police don't have bodycams. Our Corrections Officers have bodycams, they've had them since 2015. The security guard at your local mall has a bodycam. Every hoer with a mobile phone has a recording camera, and still our police officers don't have bodycams.  

Most police forces around the world have them, apart from municipal and national police organisations across developing regions in parts of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and New Zealand. They don't have body worn cameras due to budgetary constraints and infrastructure limitations, and apparently, we're with them. We're with parts of Africa and Latin America, budgetary constraints and infrastructure limitations. According to the stories I've read on this, a bodycam, along with the storage that you'd need and the technological backup, varies from $1,500 to $3,000. We have 10,000 sworn police officers who would need them, give or take the odd constable. That is not, I mean, I think Tauranga City Council paid more for their coffee machine, didn't they? I might be incorrect, but it doesn't seem like a huge constraint or hurdle for the police to clear.  

Despite Commissioner Richard Chambers tasking officials with exploring options for equipping frontline officers with body cameras as a priority last year after six years of exploration, reviews, trials, discussions. Fast forward to this year, a year later, having been told to see it as a priority, we're no further ahead. No decisions have been made, and Police could give no confirmation of timeframes. What on earth is the hold up?  

We're not inventing the wheel here. As I say our security guards have them, Corrections have had them for more than 10 years. There appears to be a willingness on the part of the Police hierarchy and on the part of the Police Association to have them. There appears to be a willingness from politicians across the political spectrum to equip our police with bodycams. The Police Association says its members are fully in support of body worn cameras because of the benefits they produce for their members and for the public.  

A study on the benefits following the introduction of body cameras saw complaints against police officers drop by 16% in one overseas jurisdiction. NZPA President Steve Watt says essentially, they're a de-escalation tool and that's how Corrections have seen them and seen the results as well, a de-escalation. The cameras improve safety for police and the public, were an evidence gathering tool, and helped with training and provided greater transparency. What on earth is the hold up? Bring them on. 

I cannot understand it. We have had eight years of discussion, debate, market research, investigation, draft reviews, proposed market trials, and still our police don't have bodycams. Our Corrections Officers have bodycams, they've had them since 2015. The security guard at your local mall has a bodycam. Every hoer with a mobile phone has a recording camera, and still our police officers don't have bodycams. &nbsp;
Most police forces around the world have them, apart from municipal and national police organisations across developing regions in parts of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and New Zealand. They don't have body worn cameras due to budgetary constraints and infrastructure limitations, and apparently, we're with them. We're with parts of Africa and Latin America, budgetary constraints and infrastructure limitations. According to the stories I've read on this, a bodycam, along with the storage that you'd need and the technological backup, varies from $1,500 to $3,000. We have 10,000 sworn police officers who would need them, give or take the odd constable. That is not, I mean, I think Tauranga City Council paid more for their coffee machine, didn't they? I might be incorrect, but it doesn't seem like a huge constraint or hurdle for the police to clear. &nbsp;
Despite Commissioner Richard Chambers tasking officials with exploring options for equipping frontline officers with body cameras as a priority last year after six years of exploration, reviews, trials, discussions. Fast forward to this year, a year later, having been told to see it as a priority, we're no further ahead. No decisions have been made, and Police could give no confirmation of timeframes. What on earth is the hold up? &nbsp;
We're not inventing the wheel here. As I say our security guards have them, Corrections have had them for more than 10 years. There appears to be a willingness on the part of the Police hierarchy and on the part of the Police Association to have them. There appears to be a willingness from politicians across the political spectrum to equip our police with bodycams. The Police Association says its members are fully in support of body worn cameras because of the benefits they produce for their members and for the public. &nbsp;
A study on the benefits following the introduction of body cameras saw complaints against police officers drop by 16% in one overseas jurisdiction. NZPA President Steve Watt says essentially, they're a de-escalation tool and that's how Corrections have seen them and seen the results as well, a de-escalation. The cameras improve safety for police and the public, were an evidence gathering tool, and helped with training and provided greater transparency. What on earth is the hold up? Bring them on.&nbsp;

Kerre Woodham: What's the hold up with giving police bodycams?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/5b154bd6-28f1-4fd1-813b-b4ad0008e823/transcript

The report into this devastating landslide at Mount Maunganui is so desperately sad, because it was all so preventable. Six people died when the landslide from Mauao hit the council-owned campground at the foot of the mountain on January 22nd after record rainfalls, including one heroic woman who knew something was wrong. She and her husband were staying at the campground in a campervan, were woken at 4:30 when a landslide hit the back of their campervan, a minor landslip. She knew something was wrong. From that point, she and her husband partner tried to call someone, anyone, someone who was in charge who could make the call to say, "No, it's fine, it's safe," or "No, get out."  

So acting on their instincts, acting on what they could see, what they could sense, picking up on the warning signs from the mountain itself, they tried desperately to get someone to make the call, and when they couldn't, they raised the alarm themselves. They cut short their stay and thought, "Just before we get in the campervan and go, we'll have a shower." Her partner went first, Lisa went second, and that was when the landslip hit. She knew. 

The damning review prepared for the council by retired High Court Judge Paul Davison found report after report over the decades had either been commissioned or submitted to the Tauranga City Council, outlining the landslide risks and rockfall hazards to the campground over many years, but no action was ever taken. No one said, "Hey, maybe if we've had a number of reports saying you shouldn't have a campground here, we'll move it. Move it somewhere else and give a good clearance area around the mountain." No. It was, Davison said, systemic failure with tragic consequences. Something as simple and basic as the trigger action response plan recommended by experts over the years would have helped the council and campground staff identify risks such as muddy water or sudden waterfalls appearing, forecast heavy rain. That would have been triggers for evacuating campers, but nobody knew. That information wasn't passed on. Never happened. 

And the review found no one person is responsible. Heather had the Chief Executive of the Tauranga City Council, Marty Grenfell, on Drive last night and asked him who was responsible. 

"Mr. Davison made it very clear that no one individual, no single person is accountable or responsible for this. He's described the failings as systemic across the organisation dating back to 1999 when the first Dutch report was received." 

Heather asked Marty Grenfell, as leader of that organisation, whether he would resign. He said no. He believes he's the best person to lead the organisation into and to fixing the systemic failures. Paul Davison KC, his final thoughts were that the review had been so sobering in its simplicity. There was nothing complex about what went wrong. It wasn't a hazard that was unknown, hidden, or beyond the reach of foresight, he said. For more than two decades, one competent consultant after another identified the landslide hazard to the campground. He said the landslide hazard was located on the very slope that failed.  

Davison said there was a previous warning that a holiday accommodation beneath the mount slopes was imprudent and the risk to sleeping occupants was high. He said this warning was repeated over many years. He said what was missing was not knowledge, but an organisation able to hold, assess, and act on that knowledge. When a loss of life occurs on the scale and when it is accepted that there has been systemic failure on the part of a body or organisation that led to the deaths, it has been the convention that the leader fall on their sword. Nobody is saying Marty Grenfell is personally responsible for what happened, but he led an organisation that was. He is responsible for the organisation that has failed so many families and as such, he should go. 

The report into this devastating landslide at Mount Maunganui is so desperately sad, because it was all so preventable. Six people died when the landslide from Mauao hit the council-owned campground at the foot of the mountain on January 22nd after record rainfalls, including one heroic woman who knew something was wrong. She and her husband were staying at the campground in a campervan, were woken at 4:30 when a landslide hit the back of their campervan, a minor landslip. She knew something was wrong. From that point, she and her husband partner tried to call someone, anyone, someone who was in charge who could make the call to say, "No, it's fine, it's safe," or "No, get out." &nbsp;
So acting on their instincts, acting on what they could see, what they could sense, picking up on the warning signs from the mountain itself, they tried desperately to get someone to make the call, and when they couldn't, they raised the alarm themselves. They cut short their stay and thought, "Just before we get in the campervan and go, we'll have a shower." Her partner went first, Lisa went second, and that was when the landslip hit. She knew.&nbsp;
The damning review prepared for the council by retired High Court Judge Paul Davison found report after report over the decades had either been commissioned or submitted to the Tauranga City Council, outlining the landslide risks and rockfall hazards to the campground over many years, but no action was ever taken. No one said, "Hey, maybe if we've had a number of reports saying you shouldn't have a campground here, we'll move it. Move it somewhere else and give a good clearance area around the mountain." No. It was, Davison said, systemic failure with tragic consequences. Something as simple and basic as the trigger action response plan recommended by experts over the years would have helped the council and campground staff identify risks such as muddy water or sudden waterfalls appearing, forecast heavy rain. That would have been triggers for evacuating campers, but nobody knew. That information wasn't passed on. Never happened.&nbsp;
And the review found no one person is responsible. Heather had the Chief Executive of the Tauranga City Council, Marty Grenfell, on Drive last night and asked him who was responsible.&nbsp;
"Mr. Davison made it very clear that no one individual, no single person is accountable or responsible for this. He's described the failings as systemic across the organisation dating back to 1999 when the first Dutch report was received."&nbsp;
Heather asked Marty Grenfell, as leader of that organisation, whether he would resign. He said no. He believes he's the best person to lead the organisation into and to fixing the systemic failures. Paul Davison KC, his final thoughts were that the review had been so sobering in its simplicity. There was nothing complex about what went wrong. It wasn't a hazard that was unknown, hidden, or beyond the reach of foresight, he said. For more than two decades, one competent consultant after another identified the landslide hazard to the campground. He said the landslide hazard was located on the very slope that failed. &nbsp;
Davison said there was a previous warning that a holiday accommodation beneath the mount slopes was imprudent and the risk to sleeping occupants was high. He said this warning was repeated over many years. He said what was missing was not knowledge, but an organisation able to hold, assess, and act on that knowledge. When a loss of life occurs on the scale and when it is accepted that there has been systemic failure on the part of a body or organisation that led to the deaths, it has been the convention that the leader fall on their sword. Nobody is saying Marty Grenfell is personally responsible for what happened, but he led an organisation that was. He is responsible for the organisation that has failed so many families and as such, he should go.&nbsp;

Kerre Woodham: The damning report on the Mount Maunganui landslide

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/92d25224-7b73-4240-b18c-b4ac000ab80d/transcript

Every bailiff in the country is going to be out in force today, scanning the number plates of parked cars to identify those amongst us who have overdue court fines and reparation. You can run but you cannot hide. And if you can't pay your fines or make arrangements to pay them, your car may well be clamped or towed away to be sold to recoup the parking fines you haven't paid. In July of last year, bailiffs began trialling handheld devices to scan number plates of parked cars and those stopped at some breath testing stations. So far, and this is just since July of last year, the new technology has returned a total of $4,241,867 —no word on the cents— in fines and reparations as of a few days ago. Paul Goldsmith says the message to those who owe money is simple: pay your court fines or you may be walking home. He was on with Mike Hosking this morning and said the swarming of the country with bailiffs is not just about revenue gathering, it's also about raising awareness of court fines. 

“I also heard them saying, “Is this a PR exercise?" Well, yeah, it is an element of PR. We want to actually get the message out that you've got to pay your fines. And so it's pretty sort of simple so that we can spend that money, and it's a good $4 million we can spend that on helping victims out from suffering from the consequences of all this."

Well, quite. Any dollar counts given the parlous state of the country, and getting $4,241,867 back as of just a few days ago is a very good start. So far, bailiffs have scanned well over a quarter of a million number plates and identified 7,148 people with overdue court fines or reparation. Of those, 1,320 people paid on the spot, a further 561 organised a payment arrangement, 404 people had their vehicle seized, 683 had their vehicle clamped. So they're getting on with it. They're not mucking around.  

But while I'm all for people paying what they owe, and I had to come to an arrangement when I was a mad thing many years ago —before I became the sensible voice of reason on the wireless— with the courts to pay off my parking fines, and they were substantial by the time you put the penalties in there, and it took about a year to pay off. But I did pay them off. I'm all for people paying what they owe, but I do hope there'll be some willingness from the courts to work with those who have allowed fines to back up. If you have a bit of disposable income, fines are annoying. They're like, “Ugh, oh well, better pay it." You pay it, you resolve to be more careful next time. But if you are on the bones of your bum, if the couple of days before payday are tight, there is no extra money to go around – a fine can be absolutely disastrous if it comes with another unexpected expense.  

I don't think people who are comfortable have any idea what financial anxiety is like, that gnawing in your stomach, that sick feeling of thinking, “I don't know how I'm going to pay this." And if you get a parking fine or if you haven't got your rego done because you're waiting till next month to get the rego done but then you're sprung, yeah, you know that you owe it, you know that you have to pay, but there's something that needs that money more urgently. It's not all cigarettes and Sky television, it's not all drugs and alcohol. For a lot of either working families or families on benefits trying to get by, they are doing the best with what they have. And I just hope the courts show a little bit of leniency if you enter into a payback arrangement, otherwise, it's just a spiral further and further downwards, which doesn't help anybody.  

And if you need your car for work because you're barely getting by and your car's seized or clamped, you lose your job. Again, it's that debt spiral further and further and further down. Yes, pay what you owe. I've done it when it's been really difficult to do, and I've done it when it's been relatively easy to do. Maybe be proactive. If you've got that technology and you know that somebody owes a fine, get onto it before and get them onto an arrangement before it becomes so big it becomes a debt mountain they simply cannot scale. They'll never see the top of it, they'll never see the back of it. 

Every bailiff in the country is going to be out in force today, scanning the number plates of parked cars to identify those amongst us who have overdue court fines and reparation. You can run but you cannot hide. And if you can't pay your fines or make arrangements to pay them, your car may well be clamped or towed away to be sold to recoup the parking fines you haven't paid. In July of last year, bailiffs began trialling handheld devices to scan number plates of parked cars and those stopped at some breath testing stations. So far, and this is just since July of last year, the new technology has returned a total of $4,241,867 —no word on the cents— in fines and reparations as of a few days ago. Paul Goldsmith says the message to those who owe money is simple: pay your court fines or you may be walking home. He was on with Mike Hosking this morning and said the swarming of the country with bailiffs is not just about revenue gathering, it's also about raising awareness of court fines.&nbsp;
“I also heard them saying, “Is this a PR exercise?" Well, yeah, it is an element of PR. We want to actually get the message out that you've got to pay your fines. And so it's pretty sort of simple so that we can spend that money, and it's a good $4 million we can spend that on helping victims out from suffering from the consequences of all this."
Well, quite. Any dollar counts given the parlous state of the country, and getting $4,241,867 back as of just a few days ago is a very good start. So far, bailiffs have scanned well over a quarter of a million number plates and identified 7,148 people with overdue court fines or reparation. Of those, 1,320 people paid on the spot, a further 561 organised a payment arrangement, 404 people had their vehicle seized, 683 had their vehicle clamped. So they're getting on with it. They're not mucking around. &nbsp;
But while I'm all for people paying what they owe, and I had to come to an arrangement when I was a mad thing many years ago —before I became the sensible voice of reason on the wireless— with the courts to pay off my parking fines, and they were substantial by the time you put the penalties in there, and it took about a year to pay off. But I did pay them off. I'm all for people paying what they owe, but I do hope there'll be some willingness from the courts to work with those who have allowed fines to back up. If you have a bit of disposable income, fines are annoying. They're like, “Ugh, oh well, better pay it." You pay it, you resolve to be more careful next time. But if you are on the bones of your bum, if the couple of days before payday are tight, there is no extra money to go around – a fine can be absolutely disastrous if it comes with another unexpected expense. &nbsp;
I don't think people who are comfortable have any idea what financial anxiety is like, that gnawing in your stomach, that sick feeling of thinking, “I don't know how I'm going to pay this." And if you get a parking fine or if you haven't got your rego done because you're waiting till next month to get the rego done but then you're sprung, yeah, you know that you owe it, you know that you have to pay, but there's something that needs that money more urgently. It's not all cigarettes and Sky television, it's not all drugs and alcohol. For a lot of either working families or families on benefits trying to get by, they are doing the best with what they have. And I just hope the courts show a little bit of leniency if you enter into a payback arrangement, otherwise, it's just a spiral further and further downwards, which doesn't help anybody. &nbsp;
And if you need your car for work because you're barely getting by and your car's seized or clamped, you lose your job. Again, it's that debt spiral further and further and further down. Yes, pay what you owe. I've done it when it's been really difficult to do, and I've done it when it's been relatively easy to do. Maybe be proactive. If you've got that technology and you know that somebody owes a fine, get onto it before and get them onto an arrangement before it becomes so big it becomes a debt mountain they simply cannot scale. They'll never see the top of it, they'll never see the back of it.&nbsp;

Kerre Woodham: I'm all for paying what you owe, but...

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/e72dd30a-4c07-450f-bab0-b4ab001af08d/transcript

Steve Watt: Police Association President on the continued exploration of giving body cameras to police

In 1 playlist(s)

Kerre Woodham Mornings Podcast

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips