Friday, September 28, 2007

TASER STUN GUN ISSUE WOULD HAVE SAVED THE LIFE OF CHRISTCHURCH POLICE SHOOTING VICTIM

A one year Taser trial in New Zealand is ending; but opponents believe the Taser stun gun will be used regardless of the findings,

The controversial year long Taser trial is drawing to a close, but opponents believe police will use the device regardless of the outcome.

The latest issue of the NZ police magazine Ten-One says police have used the stun gun device 19 times in 111 deployments.

Criminal lawyer Marie Dhyrberg from the lobby group Campaign Against the Taser says the trial has not been transparent or independent. She claims that throughout the trial period police have refused to give her group detailed information about the situations where the Taser has been used, preventing monitoring and assessment of whether the gun is reasonable or necessary.

Ms Dhyrberg says opponents understand police need to use an immobilising device to help defuse difficult situations, but believe a safer alternative should be used.

The attitude of the New Zealand Government will be very interesting; will they be critical of the Taser trial itself, or will they want to be seen supporting frontline police officers. It has to be remembered that New Zealand police are an unarmed police force like the British police; firearms are available only when the need arises.

While the police and New Zealand Government continue to evalute the controversial stun gun, its need was never more understated with the shooting and killing of an out of contol man by a policeman in the South Island city of Christchurch in recent days.

The victim who was under the influence of party pills and had not slept for four days had run amok with a hammer, and directly threatened the policeman who was armed with a Glock pistol. He fired twice at the man, in the leg and chest; he was killed instantly. His life would have been spared if Christchurch police had access to Tasers.



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Wednesday, September 26, 2007

LITTLE 'PUMPKIN' IS REUNITED WITH HER GRANDMOTHER IN NEW ZEALAND

Little 'Pumpkin', Qian Xun Xue, the Chinese girl abandoned by her father at a rail station in Melbourne, Australia, about a week ago, has been reunited with her maternal grandmother in Auckland, New Zealand, yesterday. She was brought over to New Zealand by Australian child welfare authorities.

The elder half sister of the little girl, Grace Xue who lives in Auckland, they have the same father, has pleaded with him to give himself up to US Marshals who are closing in on him in California, after he fled there after allegedly killing his wife and mother of the three year old in Auckland.

The family wll be meeting with New Zealand child welfare authorities, 'Child Youth and Family', to decide the future custody of the little girl. The grandmother is believed to want to take the girl back to China, while the older sister may be keen to look afer her in New Zealand. However,this wll be resolved after a family group conference in coming days. In the meantime there is a family reunion.

United States authorities have allegedly received new sightings of the father of the girls and have met with NZ police in Los Angeles. A US marshal would not give details but said the fresh leads were positive and being investigated.

Ms Xue said she had been abandoned by her father as well when brought to NZ as a nineteen year old, just two months after arrival and left to fend for herself in a strange country. She pleaded with him because she was struggling financially, but he simply rejected her. History repeated itself with the abandonment of little 'Pumpkin'.

Ms Xue said she hadn't met her little sister yet, as she was waiting for the go-ahead by child psychologists.

She had no preference for which country Qian was raised in, only that the persn who raised her would bring her up to be a beautiful person. But she was adamant she would be part of Qian's future, whatever it may be, and to be a positive role model for her.

Ms Xue has set up a "Little Pumpkin Trust" to ensure her financial wellbeing, with anything extra going to the other 'little pumpkins' who get abandoned by their parents, or become destitute by accident or through criminal offences.

A close family source said the mother, Anan Liu's funeral would be a small private affair.

The trust in New Zealand has a website, www.littlepumpkintrust.org New Zeland phone 0900-40000

Once the father, Nai Yin Xue, has been arrested by American police and handed over to their New Zealand counterparts, there will be some closure for the little girl and her family.

Pete's Life and World Event