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Problems of 2 NZEF

PUNISHMENT OF NCOs

PUNISHMENT OF NCOs

There is a theory, and a defensible one, that NCOs should not be punished, the reasons being either that their original selection has been so careful that they cannot offend, or that if an NCO is punished his usefulness has ceased. Whatever the rights and wrongs of this theory may be, it is a fact that military law made it difficult to punish an NCO at all except by court martial. For a regular army this may suffice, but for a temporary citizen army it hardly meets the case. NCOs are only human after all, and there is not time for that careful selection that would obviate later offences. It is undesirable that NCOs should go scot free for offences for which the man in the ranks is punished, for men are quick to note such things. One solution is to grant greater powers of summary punishment to COs or to Brigade Commanders, probably the latter. Whether or not the summary punishments should include reduction in rank is a matter of opinion. All that is suggested here is that there should be some better solution than having to send NCOs before courts martial for relatively simple offences, or where some punishment greater than a CO can award is thought necessary.