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Auckland Task force must be stopped

Recently the Auckland anti-racist group Acord published a report summarising the first six months of activity by the Auckland police Task Force. Despite Auckland's remarkably low crime rate a well organised campaign supported by the local press resulted in a 'highly-trained, tightly knit and mobile squad of policemen to attack violence and disorder on the streets' — the Task Force.

Since that time there has been little change in the rate of serious crime in Auckland but there has grown a strong body of opinion against the Task Force and its methods. The Task Force has made 90% of its arrests over trivial antisocial behaviour. It has provoked by its presence and its actions a large number of these arrests.

The Task Force has disproportionately arrested Polynesians. 60% of its victims are Polynesians while they comprise only about 15% of the population. The Task Force has done this firstly by concentrating its forces on areas where the Polynesian population congregates. By making a large number of trivial arrests wherever it goes the Task Force creates 'trouble spots'; it then gets license to continue to patrol these trouble spots. Also Task Force members deliberately single out Polynesians for arrest. For example 50% of the arrests for obscene language ('piss off will do), are for Pacific Islanders yet no explanation has been made as to why a section comprising only 5% of the population is responsible for 50% of the obscene language arrests.

While the Task Force excuses its large number of arrests for trivial offences as 'nipping trouble in the bud' the rate of serious crime has not changed in Auckland since the introduction of the Force.

A demonstration of how the Force operates is given in this excerpt from the Acord report:

pp8-9 of report.

the Acord report:

'On the evening of December 19. 1974. the South Auckland Task Force, with the assistance of police dogs injured four innocent people and arrested five outside a South Auckland Hotel. All were Maoris. The two eye-witnesses who were passing and who had not been in the hotel, have described the incident in detail to Acord.

'It all began when two car-loads of police plus police dogs arrived at the hotel on a 'routine visit'. At the time there was no trouble at the hotel at all. The dogs were immediately taken from the car and remained outside while the Task Force went inside. One man, 'A' is alleged to have shouted 'Fuck the Task Force'. He was immediately arrested, taken outside (where a small crowd had gathered) and placed in a police car. Outside the hotel 'B' a friend of 'A ' went up to the police to ask why 'A ' had been arrested, and told the police that 'A ' hadn't shouted the comment. 'B' was grabbed by the police who tried to force him into the car. He resisted and the three police officers got him face down on the ground and kneeled on his back and held him there. He was handcuffed and put into the police car. Another friend 'C' also a bystander, asked the police why 'B' had been arrested and was himself grabbed and pushed into the police car.

'Meanwhile, the police dogs were creating confusion and alarm by lunging and snarling at people. One managed to reach another bystander 'D' who was doing nothing but looking on when the police dog attacked him, ripped his trousers and bit his leg open. His leg was bleeding and he asked the police why he had been attacked and what would happen about his trousers being ruined. He was told, 'these things happen' and was arrested. Another bystander, a woman, was badly bitten in the lower abdomen but escaped being arrested.

'About the same time, two men were standing between a couple of cars watching what was going on when a constable with a dog on a leash walked between them and the dog suddenly lunged at 'E' and bit him on the leg. He said to the police officer 'what's going to happen about me being bitten on the leg?'. He was told 'these things just happen' and another constable called out 'Grab him — arrest him' and 'E' was then arrested.

'Another bystander, 'F' who was upset at what had happened asked a constable why 'D' had been arrested. A witness stated 'The cop just spun around and hit him. So 'F' said 'You hit me first, so ...' and punched the constable. 'F' took off and wasn't seen again'.

'As usual, none of the arested men were told why they had been arrested until they were being 'processed' at the Otahuhu Police Station. The men were not released on bail until the next morning (two at 6am and two at 9am). In court the next day 'B' was charged with 'resisting arrest' and the other three with 'disorderly behaviour'. 'A ' had taken advantage of the confusion outside the hotel, and had escaped from the police car — he wasn't recaptured and so didn't appear in court. The other four all pleaded Not Guilty. 'B', 'C' and 'D' were convicted and fined and 'E' was acquitted. But the police still weren't satisfied. 'B's wife, also a Maori, who had been a onlooker received a summons for 'obstructing' over a month after the event. She was convicted and received a suspended sentence. The only person who escaped unscathed was a young white woman who shouted insults and 'obscene abuse at the departing police, pointing out their blatant racial discrimination, without being arrested.

'A regular drinker at this hotel, not a witness to the above events, has stated 'the people who drink in the corner bar of this hotel have got to a point where they would shut the doors and 'do' the Task Force. They are talking about this now. It's going to blow up soon with the Task Force. They'll 'do' them, no doubt about that. It's only a matter of time'.'

While the Auckland Task Force has arrested hundreds on drunkenness charges even inside public bars no licensee has been prosecuted for supplying liquor to an intoxicated person — strange behaviour if the Task Force wants to stamp out drunkeness. In fact it should be fairly obvious why the Task Force fails to arrest and prosecute licencees who sell liquor to intoxicated persons. The Task Force is not after stopping crime, it is after stamping on Polynesians.

The continued existence of the Task Force represents an unwarranted attack on Polynesian people in New Zealand. It is no suprise that the Task Force was brought into being at a time when groups like Nga Tamatoa, People's Union and Polynesian Panthers had been set up to end their oppression and to fight racist attacks. The Task Force continues in existence only because of a determined campaign by the press to blame Polynesians for violence on Auckland's streets and by the strong 'law and order' policy of the present Labour government. We must demand the abolition of the Auckland Task Force.