Bad to worse?
#1
Bad to worse?
Nz has been attracting some very negative talk about the gun crime that is on the rise. We have had 2 police officers killed in the last 12 months and a number more wounded. I heard someone on the radio say today that NZ is no longer has that 'bastion of peace and order' it used to have.
I still feel very safe here and love life here but you can't help thinking things are going to shit. Last week a very respectable farmer was murdered just 15ks from here on his driveway. The same week he same thing happened in Albany (Auckland). A bunch ofteenagers are awaiting trial for the murder of a pensioner recently and the seemingly endless list goes on.
It is a shame because whilst it was no where near perfect when I arrived 5 years ago things seem to have gotten way worse in those last 5 years..or at least that is the perception. The murder league of the world puts us at 52, the UK is 46th.
We may well see many more officers on the front line armed with guns routinely.
Off on a tanget unemployment is 6% and the population clock time is 4,369,696 as of 2 mins ago.
I still feel very safe here and love life here but you can't help thinking things are going to shit. Last week a very respectable farmer was murdered just 15ks from here on his driveway. The same week he same thing happened in Albany (Auckland). A bunch ofteenagers are awaiting trial for the murder of a pensioner recently and the seemingly endless list goes on.
It is a shame because whilst it was no where near perfect when I arrived 5 years ago things seem to have gotten way worse in those last 5 years..or at least that is the perception. The murder league of the world puts us at 52, the UK is 46th.
We may well see many more officers on the front line armed with guns routinely.
Off on a tanget unemployment is 6% and the population clock time is 4,369,696 as of 2 mins ago.
#2
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: bottom of the world
Posts: 4,533
Re: Bad to worse?
oops double post
Last edited by Justcol; Jul 15th 2010 at 7:10 am.
#3
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: bottom of the world
Posts: 4,533
Re: Bad to worse?
I'm not sure it was ever the peaceful haven its painted as.
I work in mental health and around every 2nd person i deal with
has a history violent abuse. I generally see 3 or 4 new people each week
so you can see the ratios are pretty high. The greater proportion of these
people come from the rural/farming communities that many would have
us believe are the mainstay of good old fashioned kiwi life. The number of
people i've dealt with from small towns like matamata or morrinsville is unbelievable. T
here is a very dark streak running through the native kiwi
population both white and maori and with this amout of hidden acceptable
violence bubbling just under the surface it only natural more sever acts
are going to surface occassionally. when you add to this the gang, drug, race
related incidents then you can see where increases come from.
I work in mental health and around every 2nd person i deal with
has a history violent abuse. I generally see 3 or 4 new people each week
so you can see the ratios are pretty high. The greater proportion of these
people come from the rural/farming communities that many would have
us believe are the mainstay of good old fashioned kiwi life. The number of
people i've dealt with from small towns like matamata or morrinsville is unbelievable. T
here is a very dark streak running through the native kiwi
population both white and maori and with this amout of hidden acceptable
violence bubbling just under the surface it only natural more sever acts
are going to surface occassionally. when you add to this the gang, drug, race
related incidents then you can see where increases come from.
#4
Life is what YOU make it.
Joined: Oct 2009
Location: Christchurch
Posts: 3,312
Re: Bad to worse?
I'm not sure it was ever the peaceful haven its painted as.
I work in mental health and around every 2nd person i deal with
has a history violent abuse. I generally see 3 or 4 new people each week
so you can see the ratios are pretty high. The greater proportion of these
people come from the rural/farming communities that many would have
us believe are the mainstay of good old fashioned kiwi life. The number of
people i've dealt with from small towns like matamata or morrinsville is unbelievable. T
here is a very dark streak running through the native kiwi
population both white and maori and with this amout of hidden acceptable
violence bubbling just under the surface it only natural more sever acts
are going to surface occassionally. when you add to this the gang, drug, race
related incidents then you can see where increases come from.
I work in mental health and around every 2nd person i deal with
has a history violent abuse. I generally see 3 or 4 new people each week
so you can see the ratios are pretty high. The greater proportion of these
people come from the rural/farming communities that many would have
us believe are the mainstay of good old fashioned kiwi life. The number of
people i've dealt with from small towns like matamata or morrinsville is unbelievable. T
here is a very dark streak running through the native kiwi
population both white and maori and with this amout of hidden acceptable
violence bubbling just under the surface it only natural more sever acts
are going to surface occassionally. when you add to this the gang, drug, race
related incidents then you can see where increases come from.
#5
Re: Bad to worse?
Are you describing a NZ trend or maybe what is happening in every country in the World........always has been the trend.......and no doubt always will be! We are all buying time by moving to quieter less hostile locations.....most likely why most Brits moved to NZ in the 1st place. Take your concerns and multiply them by 15 and try to imagine what the UK is like for peace and tranquility!....especially when the latest Government has announced massive cut backs in the police force!
#6
Re: Bad to worse?
Much as I support the right to have firearms for normal folk I would prefer to outlaw ownership than to arm the police TBH.
#7
Re: Bad to worse?
We wouldn’t have this problem though if we made firearms legislation more comprehensive and had every firearm registered along with its owner. Have a mandatory prison sentence for anyone who “loses” a firearm or owns one unregistered.
Much as I support the right to have firearms for normal folk I would prefer to outlaw ownership than to arm the police TBH.
Much as I support the right to have firearms for normal folk I would prefer to outlaw ownership than to arm the police TBH.
"Registration" isn't an issue for the outlaws in any case, and as we don't know about all guns in the first place there will always be those weapons permanently outside any registration.
Anyhow a fatality is a fatality, RTA's will still happen as long as there are cars but no-one is going to outlaw them anytime soon...
#8
BE Enthusiast
Joined: May 2007
Location: Western Sydney For Now
Posts: 434
Re: Bad to worse?
Sadly it is the way of the entire world, however what we see here would not even make the press in many places like the UK.
#9
Re: Bad to worse?
According to this article, with data that is admittedly a few years old, murder rates have dropped in recent years;
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10565563
From what I understand violent crime levels have actually reduced in a number of western countries in recent years, (maybe as a result of the long period of economic growth we've benefitted from- so maybe things will change), it's just reported better so we all hear about it.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10565563
From what I understand violent crime levels have actually reduced in a number of western countries in recent years, (maybe as a result of the long period of economic growth we've benefitted from- so maybe things will change), it's just reported better so we all hear about it.
#10
Re: Bad to worse?
And something a bit more current, about crime rates "back home"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/ju...-wales-figures
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/ju...-wales-figures
#11
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: homeless
Posts: 1,756
Re: Bad to worse?
Nz has been attracting some very negative talk about the gun crime that is on the rise. We have had 2 police officers killed in the last 12 months and a number more wounded. I heard someone on the radio say today that NZ is no longer has that 'bastion of peace and order' it used to have.
I still feel very safe here and love life here but you can't help thinking things are going to shit. Last week a very respectable farmer was murdered just 15ks from here on his driveway. The same week he same thing happened in Albany (Auckland). A bunch ofteenagers are awaiting trial for the murder of a pensioner recently and the seemingly endless list goes on.
It is a shame because whilst it was no where near perfect when I arrived 5 years ago things seem to have gotten way worse in those last 5 years..or at least that is the perception. The murder league of the world puts us at 52, the UK is 46th.
We may well see many more officers on the front line armed with guns routinely.
Off on a tanget unemployment is 6% and the population clock time is 4,369,696 as of 2 mins ago.
I still feel very safe here and love life here but you can't help thinking things are going to shit. Last week a very respectable farmer was murdered just 15ks from here on his driveway. The same week he same thing happened in Albany (Auckland). A bunch ofteenagers are awaiting trial for the murder of a pensioner recently and the seemingly endless list goes on.
It is a shame because whilst it was no where near perfect when I arrived 5 years ago things seem to have gotten way worse in those last 5 years..or at least that is the perception. The murder league of the world puts us at 52, the UK is 46th.
We may well see many more officers on the front line armed with guns routinely.
Off on a tanget unemployment is 6% and the population clock time is 4,369,696 as of 2 mins ago.
#12
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2007
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Posts: 239
Re: Bad to worse?
Having lived in NZ for 4years and recently moved to Canada and having worked closely with the corrections department the crime is rising and rising very quickly in NZ.
When I moved there it was mediocor crime compared to the western world, however the domestic murders, child abuse both sexual and physical is atronomical.
Need I go on.
I was more concerned about letting my teenage son and my young adult daughter go down to the small town we lived in than I do in letting them ride the public system here in Toronto.
Its a shame a real shame but a reality as well. It will get worse and its a rapid process..
When I moved there it was mediocor crime compared to the western world, however the domestic murders, child abuse both sexual and physical is atronomical.
Need I go on.
I was more concerned about letting my teenage son and my young adult daughter go down to the small town we lived in than I do in letting them ride the public system here in Toronto.
Its a shame a real shame but a reality as well. It will get worse and its a rapid process..
#13
Re: Bad to worse?
Having lived in NZ for 4years and recently moved to Canada and having worked closely with the corrections department the crime is rising and rising very quickly in NZ.
When I moved there it was mediocor crime compared to the western world, however the domestic murders, child abuse both sexual and physical is atronomical.
Need I go on.
I was more concerned about letting my teenage son and my young adult daughter go down to the small town we lived in than I do in letting them ride the public system here in Toronto.
Its a shame a real shame but a reality as well. It will get worse and its a rapid process..
When I moved there it was mediocor crime compared to the western world, however the domestic murders, child abuse both sexual and physical is atronomical.
Need I go on.
I was more concerned about letting my teenage son and my young adult daughter go down to the small town we lived in than I do in letting them ride the public system here in Toronto.
Its a shame a real shame but a reality as well. It will get worse and its a rapid process..
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cr...ers-per-capita
#14
Re: Bad to worse?
I think at times there can be a 'rose tinted perspective' by immigrants. In all honesty it probably takes you all a few years to 'realise' that crime is a fact of life in New Zealand. I do feel that some people are a bit naive about the crime levels, murders do happen, gangs are prevalent in some areas, child abuse is rife....but what matters to most people is whether it is on their doorstep or not.
I have been away from New Zealand for 8 years and before I left I was certainly under no illusion that I lived in a perfect country, especially in relation to child abuse and domestic violence.
Every country has crime, it is a reality of living in 2010 and to think that other countries are immune to serious crime is just stupid.
With regards to guns, what good would increased regulation do? Yes, I agree that all guns should be licensed, BUT we have just had a mad man kill 12 people in Cumbria with a licenced gun. Systems are not infallible.
Genesis, I don't think things have just gotten worse in the past five years Isn't the reality that things are always getting worse or do we just always think things are getting worse. The generation(s) before us always remind us of how good things were when they were younger, each generation have their struggles - just as each country does!
I heard someone on the radio talking about the crime survey - crime is apparently down compared to 30 years ago. Is this most people's reality?
Colondros, sorry you are talking crap - there are mad, bad and sad people everywhere. A "dark streak running through the native kiwi population..." if you believe this you are in trouble. Really, honestly, is this not true of all populations Give me some factual statisticial information that backs up that claim. I appreciate your anecdotal experience is extremely valid, I work with the scum of London - the underbelly, it does affect me but I don't for one minute believe that this reflects the wider population or society as a whole. It is a small percentage of people, magnified because I work with it everyday.
I have been away from New Zealand for 8 years and before I left I was certainly under no illusion that I lived in a perfect country, especially in relation to child abuse and domestic violence.
Every country has crime, it is a reality of living in 2010 and to think that other countries are immune to serious crime is just stupid.
With regards to guns, what good would increased regulation do? Yes, I agree that all guns should be licensed, BUT we have just had a mad man kill 12 people in Cumbria with a licenced gun. Systems are not infallible.
Genesis, I don't think things have just gotten worse in the past five years Isn't the reality that things are always getting worse or do we just always think things are getting worse. The generation(s) before us always remind us of how good things were when they were younger, each generation have their struggles - just as each country does!
I heard someone on the radio talking about the crime survey - crime is apparently down compared to 30 years ago. Is this most people's reality?
Colondros, sorry you are talking crap - there are mad, bad and sad people everywhere. A "dark streak running through the native kiwi population..." if you believe this you are in trouble. Really, honestly, is this not true of all populations Give me some factual statisticial information that backs up that claim. I appreciate your anecdotal experience is extremely valid, I work with the scum of London - the underbelly, it does affect me but I don't for one minute believe that this reflects the wider population or society as a whole. It is a small percentage of people, magnified because I work with it everyday.
#15
slanderer of the innocent
Joined: Dec 2008
Location: Vancouver, BC
Posts: 6,695
Re: Bad to worse?
IMO NZ has always been violent.
When I was growing up in Palmy Nth, we all knew the Square was a no-go area at night, esp. if you were Pakeha.
Domestic and child abuse have always been issues...it's just more out in the open now. A lot of stuff was swept under the rug, so to speak.
I grew up with guns (hunter dad) I don't see how registering them is going to stop gun crime. They've tried it in Canada and you know what? People still get shot.
There are plenty of shootings here in Van too -largely drug/crime related. Don't know about domestic abuse etc. I do think there is a culture of tolerance of abuse that's been in NZ for a long time. It's good that it's finally being addressed. I just hope the NZ police, social workers etc. have become more professional than they used to be.
When I was growing up in Palmy Nth, we all knew the Square was a no-go area at night, esp. if you were Pakeha.
Domestic and child abuse have always been issues...it's just more out in the open now. A lot of stuff was swept under the rug, so to speak.
I grew up with guns (hunter dad) I don't see how registering them is going to stop gun crime. They've tried it in Canada and you know what? People still get shot.
There are plenty of shootings here in Van too -largely drug/crime related. Don't know about domestic abuse etc. I do think there is a culture of tolerance of abuse that's been in NZ for a long time. It's good that it's finally being addressed. I just hope the NZ police, social workers etc. have become more professional than they used to be.
Last edited by ExKiwilass; Jul 15th 2010 at 8:01 pm.