Bishop’s view of violence 'alarms’ P.M.

Press, 15 October 1981, Page 2

Bishop’s view of violence 'alarms’ P.M.

Parliamentary reporter The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) said yesterday that comments by the Bishop of Christchurch, the Rt Rev. W. A. Pyatt, that riot squads and violent protests might be here to stay were "alarming.” Mr Muldoon said, “I would not wish to describe the comments as incitement but I do regard them as alarming, especially as they could well be misunderstood by naive or, immature people or young people. Often, through force of circumstances not of their own making, these people need little urging to challenge authority to take out their frustrations.” Bishop Pyatt was reported as saying at the opening of the Diocesan Synod in Christchurch earlier this month, that it might have to be realised that “violence, once having been experienced by a few, and riot squads with long batons,” had come to stay. Mr Muldoon, speaking at the annual conference of the Police Association, said that the term “riot squad” was an invention of the news media. “He (Bishop Pyatt) should have known that New Zealand police do not have riot squads but that the name was applied to three groups set up for the duration of the tour to escort and protect the Springbok team. They have been disbanded and the members have returned to their home areas and normal duties. “It is correct they carried

the long baton but there are more than 2000 such batons available to the police and carried extensively by several units. The so-called riot squads wore protective gear because the risks they ran in performing their duty required just that.” Mr Muldoon said that protest groups would continue to complain “loud and long” about the police’s handling of the Springbok tour but that the “real” majority of New Zealanders had shown what they thought by subscribing almost $150,000 to the police “thank you appeal”. No protesters would have gone to Africa to join guerilla groups fighting for their rights because guerrillas laid their lives on the line. It was much safer to “stay here and take a swipe at a tolerant police officer, deface a wall, or hold up traffic.” The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling) said at the conference that most New Zealanders did not want to see any -escalation of the crowd-control tactics evolved during the Springbok tour. He said, “By the same token, people must be prepared to accept that they will have an even greater responsibility as taxpayers and citizens, for the structure of security and law in this country.” Mr Rowling conveyed the “very sincere appreciation of the Labour Party for the over-all performance of the police during the recent traumatic weeks.”