Police racism claims spark ahead of election

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Mon, 03 Oct 2011 6:34a.m.

Maori are up to three times more likely to be searched, arrested, and jailed (AAP, file)

Maori are up to three times more likely to be searched, arrested, and jailed (AAP, file)

Suggestions of racism within the police have sparked a race-row just in time for the election.

Maori Party Co-leader Pita Sharples launched a stinging attack on the New Zelaand justice system over the weekend, accusing police of targeting Maori and Pacific people for "stupid crimes".

Maori are up to three times more likely to be searched, arrested, and jailed, but the Police Association says it's got nothing to do with race.

Professor of Indigenous Studies at AUT University, Rawiri Taonui, says people aren't prepared to be honest about the problem of racial targeting.

Rawiri Taonui says the problem won't go away, until it's given proper acknowledgement by Government institutions.

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Comments

16 Oct 2011 12:13a.m.

epere kauere wrote:

hey waco and ddfrmhll,your comments are typical of your hatred toward maori,get your heads out of the sand for a second and acknowledge what is truly there,institutional bias for whites and institutional hatred for maori,in all areas,i support what pita has to say because i have seen for myself the attitude of the police toward our youth,and it is shocking,what happens in south auckland streets,happen also in remuera and herne bay but you wouldn't see police trolling those areas,and yet i have seen white kids walk these streets intoxicated and out of control in any given night of the week and yet no arrests,what about preferential treatment for maori..what a joke where is there any preference,health haha..jobs haha..education haha..blah de blah blah,the only preference we get from the goverment agencies is a free ride to jail,and another tick or cross on the stats against maori,what!!no white gangs,just like the finance company directors a slap on the hand and you'll be right mate,if your white your'e right,if your'e black get back hah! what a joke,get your'e facts right we didnt want your system or your inventions look at the disaster in tauranga,there is nothing the pakeha has made or invented that is of any good to mother earth or to people whatever it may be it is destructive especially your lack of respect for anything but material gain,and horror of horror's if it is expected of you to spare a little of it with the people who wanted no part of it to begin with.

06 Oct 2011 04:02p.m.

Hemi Manley wrote:

Tis was talk about among us Maori in 1970 and it has not change today Pete is right

05 Oct 2011 03:14p.m.

Maori view wrote:

Wow this is crazy... racist is a word that gets everyone going as we all can see by the comments above... could I say that many Police are extremely extremely extremely bias... let me give you an example... a few weeks back I was getting out of my car in Roseneath in Wellington... a Police car drove pass as I got out... it quickly stopped, reversed and then asked me what I was doing... I replied getting out of my car... that asked me is that your car? obviously I said yes and then they proceded to question me about the contents of the car.... I'm not sure how often this happens to people of lighter colour skin... but I'm ashamed to say that this often happen to me...... makes you wonder doesn't it!!!!!

05 Oct 2011 06:25a.m.

jan.. wrote:

Working for the Law shouldn't be allowed to be racisum as the world humans are all in mixed colours, Aotearoa New Zealand Law is to serve all New Zealanders and none of the racisum attitudes otherwise they weren't supposed to be Lawman in the first place.. Bare in mind that our continents are natives and a mixture of the arrivals..

03 Oct 2011 02:30p.m.

Wills wrote:

The police aren't racist - just useless

03 Oct 2011 11:54a.m.

James J.Read wrote:

I totally agree Margaret. I too have little time for people who lack the courage of their convictions. A look down comments each day shows that the vast majority are unwilling to put their full name beside their comment. Bob or Betty can be sure that there is no danger of friends identifying them and asking them to justify their comments.

03 Oct 2011 11:49a.m.

natalie wrote:

And the radio commentators and the media will agree once again because Peter Sharples said it. I wish the media bias toward maori in NZ would stop. Maori get everything on a plate and then complain in order to get even more. I wouldn't mind but there's not one single maori left, so who's maori? I know some maori who are whiter than me and have at best one part in 64 where 63 parts are white, yet they call themselves maori to get all the financial benefits that it brings. Our 'non maori' children suffer now because maori get first refusal for everthing, and for free just because they have some miniscule bit of maori in them. I wish the politicians in NZ would grow some spine and not kowtow to maori whenever they say jump.

03 Oct 2011 11:00a.m.

John wrote:

They commit 3 times the crime

03 Oct 2011 10:43a.m.

john wrote:

Why does the bias media have to jump anything this halfwit says? Dr Sharples! Is the doctor some joke or something?
If maori stopped committing crime they wouldn't end up in prison period! I expect Willy Jackson, the white hating extremist that says what he wants with impunity, will jump on this on his show today. This is what's damaging maori, and making most people who never really thought about it turn against them in their droves.
It amazes how these people can say anything they want while if a white man said it he'd be hounded from his job and ruined for life.

03 Oct 2011 10:34a.m.

Dave wrote:

This is typical of Pita Sharples. He is more racist than Hone Hatfield. How come he gets so much air time in our media? How about maori commit less crime, then they wouldn't fill the jails? What a disgusting individuel this peace of dirt is, he makes anyone with any decency sick.
Always playing the race card all the way because there's a sickness in his own race that he wants to blame everyone else for. I heard on the rodio earlier of how brave Pita is to highlight an issue that no one else wants to touch. How about he raises the issue of why most child killings in NZ are perpetrated by his race. No, the silence is deafening as usual.