For the second time in a week, I find myself defending the cops!
This time, it's the Kawerau shooting which is showing NZ cops up to be a class above most police forces on the planet.
We know for certain that you don't even need to be armed to get shot by the cops in USA, and that if you are a kid holding a toy gun, they will kill you in precisely one beat of the heart.
Despite having actually shot four cops, the bloke in Kawerau is still in his house over 12 hours after shooting them. He's texting his family and friends and the cops aren't firing tear gas canisters in to force him out.
As the news reports convey, the family is holding a karakia at the police cordon. It's therefore not much of an assumption to suggest the bloke inside is Maori.
Would the cops be showing the same patience if it were a white/Asian/Indian bloke in the house? Who know, but I suspect they may not.
My comment in defence of the cops last week was that they do not selectively target races. Today's example shows that they are likely to be the opposite and ensure that when there is any question of ethnicity or culture they will double up on the velvet gloves.
I'm betting the siege will end without another shot fired, but the hope that the shooter won't go to prison is just a little fanciful!
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