Law-breaking gangs ‘getting away with it’
! PA Wellington A former policeman has alleged that policemen and traffic officers pick on individuals who break the law but leave law-breaking gangs alone. Mr Denis Duggan retired this year after 24 years in the police. He said that the lawenforcement agencies were i arresting far too many (persons when a caution and greater accent on prevention should be followed. At the same time, the police were reluctant to act against gangs. ■‘lf a teen-ager urinates in a street, he is arrested and ■ charged. If a gang does the I same thing, they get away with it,” Mr D’uggan said. As a result, teen-agers flocked to join gangs; because there appeared to be safety in numbers. As a constable in 1977, Mr Duncan won the “policeman of the year” award for his community work with youth. Last year he was Labour’s candidate for the New Plymouth seat at the 1 General Election. Police-training methods I produced policemen trained:
|in law but without a : practical knowledge of how i to deal with people, he said. I Mr Duggan also blamed traffic officers for over-: [zealousness in issuing: ' “tickets.” Parents became; 'disenchanted with the lawi [when they saw a son: prosecuted for driving at 881 km/h but a bikie gang' riding at 96 km/h and;
getting away with it. Mr Duggan also said that! hundreds of persons were) not coming forward to give) evidence at trials for fear of! ! reprisals by gangs. Many) witnesses were intimidated; near the court before the) case was ' heard. “I have) watched it happen in New! Plymouth,” he said. “This is a breakdown of! the law,” said Mr Duggan.! “Many persons, are escaping justice because of it. These) gangs are getting away with) things the normal person) would not get away with.” : Mr Duggan said that if the police did not change their methods, there would soon be no alternative to using firearms to restrain gangs. “But already, a lot of policemen would only be too happy to carry a gun,” he said.
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Press, 28 May 1979, Page 7
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342Law-breaking gangs ‘getting away with it’ Press, 28 May 1979, Page 7
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