Another day, another story of police thuggery. This time, its off-duty cops randomly assaulting members of the public:
Two off-duty cops allegedly battered a group of students with a series of punches and kicks after forcing their way into a central Auckland apartment building, a court has heard.The victims had apparently insulted the accused, but this is no excuse. Words are no excuse for violence. And if these officers cannot understand that, then they have no place in our police force.Auckland City police constables Patrick Garty and Wiremu Bowers Rakatau are charged with common assault relating to the altercation that occurred about 1am on March 18, 2009,
Garty faces three charges and Rakatau one charge. The men are jointly charged with a further count of common assault.
The good news is that they're being prosecuted. Not that long ago, the police would have quietly swept things under the carpet. The message that we expect the police to obey the same laws they enforce on the rest of us seems to be slowly getting through.
