Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 13. June 11 1979

From the Courts — From the Courts

From the Courts

From the Courts

Photo from the film 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'

[ unclear: ew] Zealand taxpayers have a bill of [ unclear: $2000] to pay now that Winston Peters [ unclear: ettled] his person into parliament As [ unclear: aflilt] of a court decision Peters was [ unclear: victous] over Labours Malcolm Douglas in the contest for the Hunua seat (Salient 28 [ unclear: ma].

[ unclear: th] Peters and Douglas are entitled to [ unclear: $1000] each in pay since the general [ unclear: electic] Section two of the Civil list, 1950. [ unclear: en-til] Peters to claim back pay to the date of [ unclear: the] dection Despite the fact that Peters [ unclear: sh dn't] even be in Parliament it is ridicule to pay him for doing nothing. The [ unclear: t] decision has been expensive for New [ unclear: Zeand] Band both democratically and financially [ unclear: t's] obvious why Muldoon wants to cut [ unclear: ation] expenditure — the money is [ unclear: nee-de] for Ins MP's. Next year when you sit [ unclear: ring] in those lectures which are still [ unclear: he] heaters and half the lights off and [ unclear: n] enough bursary to buy tea that night, [ unclear: I] sure you'll be comforted to know that [ unclear: ston] Peters is very comfortable.

[ unclear: or] those of you who don't get enough [ unclear: dity] on the TV, here's some from real A man who spent four hours in the [ unclear: poli] station following a night's drinking took [ unclear: ttle] of grapefruit juice from a crate as he He said, when he appeared before Mr Hobbs SM that he was extremely [ unclear: thir-] and that he left 50 cents in the crate. [ unclear: A] juice which was the property of the [ unclear: Pocanteen] was worth 49 cents. The [ unclear: Podenied] that the man put the money in crate and that his friends did when the man was apprehended.

The man, aged 23, was also charged with obscene language. He was fined $50 for the obscene language and $30 for the theft of the grapefruit juice. An order was made for the return of the grapefruit juice.

What are the Police really trying to do? Imagine charging a man for such a petty, trivial thing. They got the money for it, and they even made one cent profit. Was it really necessary to put the man $30 out of pocket for it? Are the Police more interested in charging people than stopping crime — the two aren't synonomous. Whatever the case the police must be very hard up to resort to such measures — everybody ensure that they buy a ticket to the Police-mans ball — the cops need the money and there'll be plenty of grapefruit juice to drink.

Another man who stole a beer glass from the '1860' was fined $30. He had an interesting story to tell of police brutality e.g. dragged from his car, punched, not allowed to use the toilet after being arrested and so on. Perhaps it was the imagination of an intoxicated mind, apparently he was drunk at the time, but it could be a continuation of what happened after the march on Parliament.

The Police are getting a bad name. Not all of them are all [ unclear: th] it bad. It's just those whose ego's are bigger than their brains and who are in fact no better than gang members who use violence for the sake of violence. From what I saw of the march to Parliament the Police were just looking for trouble, the problem is that when the Police start lashing out with the boot it's in the line of duty and therefore 'legal'.

Who looks into allegations of police brutality? There is no unbiased tribunal which investigates these matters. When one remembers recent incidents in which large numbers of armed police were present such as Muldoons political meeting in Dunedin last year, it is easy to be concerned. If there were armed police at the march to Parliament, and no doubt there were then one might wonder what might have happened if one of them had got trigger happy. The way things are going in this country that event is fast approaching.

Those of you who think siphoning petrol is a good way of topping up the tank on a Saturday night had better reconsider. Mr Jaine SM informed a 23 year old man that a year ago such a crime was petty theft but this is no longer the case especially as one can't buy petrol at the weekends. The man was fined $100.00 — fair enough I wonder how the police keep their cars going all weekend — seen any suspicious characters in a funny blue uniform carrying a long rubber hose lately?

Chris Conway