No, sergeant, vigilante justice is the answer.

Posted on September 24, 2014 by KG

‘A Waitara community leader fears residents will resort to vigilante justice if police don’t put a stop to young criminals wreaking havoc in their town.
Community Board chairman Joe Rauner made the comments yesterday after 25 cars were keyed near the town’s rugby league club last week.
Rauner said the petty attack, which caused about $30,000 worth of damage, was the final straw for a township plagued by vandals and thieves.
“If it was my car I would be out there looking for them,” he said.
Police have arrested and charged a 47-year-old Waitara man with assault after he allegedly confronted two youths who he believed were responsible for the damage to the cars.
…Infuriated by an apparent lack of action, Rauner has called a public meeting to get answers from police as well as a chance for residents to vent their frustrations.
…..Waitara Senior Sergeant Matt Prendergast said vigilante justice was not the answer and the community could and should rely on them to get the job done.
…Prendergast said it was unlikely he would be at the meeting, but his door was always open to the public…’
A public which has lost confidence in his ability to do the job he’s paid to do….
When the police and the courts won’t do their jobs, then citizen policing and justice are the only options left. There’s something seriously awry when the police can act quickly to arrest citizens taking action to protect their property, but little or none aimed at those who repeatedly offend. I’d be interested to know how many hours Prendergast and his staff spend out on the road raising revenue by ticketing motorists compared to the hours spent policing the ferals.

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21 Responses to No, sergeant, vigilante justice is the answer.

  1. Carol-Christian Soldier says:
    September 24, 2014 at 03:40

    charged w/ assault for protecting you property—I am not surprised –

    That is why the Founders of the US Republic used the word Property in the original Declaration (Life-Libery-Property) because they knew that the ‘royals’ would seize not protect property-

    Know why the wording was changed to ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ ?>>>
    Carol-CS

  2. Cadwallader says:
    September 24, 2014 at 05:11

    Echos of the preciousness of Cunliffe in the cop’s statement. These little pricks need a damn good kicking at least for starters! :evil:

  3. Brown says:
    September 24, 2014 at 05:58

    Waitara has always been a bit rough. I wonder if its something to do with the culture? The best thing that ever happened there was the by-pass.

    This reminds me of the hand wringing over ACT’s suggestion that shop keepers be able to claim a subjective defence in “feeling threatened” rather than actually threatened. It seems so sensible to defend your property but now you are not allowed to.

    The traffic comment is probably warranted – road policing is a big part of the revenue duties today. As a youth I recall frequent fast motorbike trips between New Plymouth and Te Kuiti just for fun and never seeing a traffic cop – I guess they were solving crime or going home for lunch. How things have changed.

  4. andy5759 says:
    September 24, 2014 at 06:58

    People first took the Law into their own hands when we created the CIVILIAN Police Force. When that Police Force which belonged to us became a police service owned by our governments they were lost to us for ever. Now is the time for us – the public – to reinvent the Police Force. Something funded by us, working for us, staffed by us. If that is vigilantism, then call me a vigilante.

    • Andrew Berwick says:
      September 25, 2014 at 08:20

      funded by us, working for us, staffed by us.

      You don’t get it. Most “policing” in the world, even in the Welfare West – is done under precisely such conditions. Whether it is security guards, locksmiths, burglar alarms, security cameras, home contents, or car insurance, etc etc all privately paid. Even in communist NZ!

      You’re right the laws need to be right: not just open carry, but also open use, that’s why the subjective defence of “feeling threatened” (and the objective defence of dealing to a bludging criminal, rather than a taxpaying citizen) are so important. But we’ve had those rights before, and will take them back again!

  5. Darin says:
    September 24, 2014 at 08:58

    The town folk should form a mob and go bust the man jailed for assault out of jail.His property was violated and a sizable chunk of his working life was taken from him.

    Then insist on a dawn to dusk curfew for under 18 year olds unless they have a job or a class to attend.
    Anyone caught vandalising or stealing property should be Caned in the town center in public and given 90 days to make restitution or get Caned again.If after another 90 days restitution still hasn’t been made,then a one way trip to the Gallows is in order.

    Tough,but fair IMHO.

    • Andrew Berwick says:
      September 25, 2014 at 08:21

      Caning doesn’t make up for $30,000 worth of damage to nett-taxpaying citizens property by some bludging crim. I’d just string him up.

      Pour encourager les autres.

      • the conservative says:
        September 25, 2014 at 19:09

        A good caning may deter other would be offenders though, Andrew.

        • Darin says:
          September 25, 2014 at 21:26

          That’s why I said caning AND restitution.How I was raised restitution was expected if you damaged someone else’s property even if it was accidental.

          • The Gantt Guy says:
            September 26, 2014 at 05:21

            Yeah, but you’re just a racist redneck throwback, basking in your unearned privilege.

            “They” (everyone who *isn’t* a hetero-normative WASP) are your victims.

            Geddit now?

  6. Brown says:
    September 24, 2014 at 13:23

    Gallows? They are living in Waitara for goodness sake. We want to punish them not put them out of their misery.

  7. George Romero says:
    September 24, 2014 at 18:35

    Obviously Pentergrast is a traiterous imbecile who only holds the decent hard working people of the district in complete contempt.
    In a perfect world this bastard would be strung up with the (i bet ya a milli0n bucks) brown pavment apes that run amok in this town, and all our other country towns.
    Not racist-just a realist , its a damn shame :evil:

  8. Michael in Nelson says:
    September 24, 2014 at 20:29

    If vigilante justice is the answer for police not doing their job, I wonder what military justice will do to this POS when the time comes?

  10. Richard Jefferies says:
    September 25, 2014 at 14:21

    Perhaps the message didn’t get through the first time with the Wallace shooting