Aspies quirky behaviour has been well defended before in Kiwi media – but not with the full inclusion of the?

Arie did the right thing: he tried to calm himself down. He apparently told the arresting officers he was Asperger — not in the hope of getting off, but in the belief they might do the right thing. In response, they are?

Quite -?

Jesus wept! If the case is anything LIKE as baseless and vindictive as it sounds...times have been tricky down here but the LAST thing we need is authority victimising our most vulnerable people.

– in the story Arie said (from memory) that he was too scared to lay a complaint – too scared to go out anymore, and very, very scared of going to?

WTF?

Yet 'nowhere' is somewhere as well.

All I can say is that this Police behaviour is somewhat typical; once on their high horse they are inclined not to get off the horse. The?

The real culprits with an empathy-deficit... Police National HQ.

Sunday Star Times had a readable and timely article written by a "low number". On empathy, Simon Baron-Cohen and quizzes.

I have considerable gifts at my disposal; unfortunately a sense of position and direction isn't amongst them.

#shockhorrormaleadmitstobeinglost

I have a tremendous, almost crippling*, anxiety about getting on the wrong bus. I'm OK with buses I catch every day, but ask me to catch a bus to a part of Auckland?

Easy: they deter people from making complaints against them in the future.

I think all they could get from the police was a repeated statement about the "seriousness" of the charge. They definitely went to?

This is not somewhere where you?ll be reproached for using English. It?s a perfectly good language, full of useful imagery and well-understood phrases.

It's high time a good old-fashioned light bulb or two went ON down at Police National HQ. I know of a guy, Arie Smith, who would have kindly given them a couple for nix. Nice bloke.

But Police bashed him and took the bulbs off of him.?

It appears to be the latter, unfortunately.

I'm not sure I can think of anything to say that is civil.

+1. The word seems to fit what you're using it for.

Well, burglary does carry a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment.

I won't presume to speak for "the public", but I'm a damn sight more afraid of law enforcement who seem to regard any criticism, any question of their actions as?

So say something uncivil. I think its more than justified.

(And Craig is right. This response by police to those investigating their conduct is downright dangerous. Its the sort of thing that happens in shitty third-world dictatorships,?

Oh, it certainly is.

But I might end up covering this story in the day job, and that would be more straightforward if I haven't called anyone a [redacted]. :-)

I finally got the video to work?

They're refusing to answer OIA requests because of them (which is fair enough insofar as it affects fair trial rights – but the rial rights in question are those of the thugs, and there's no?

Perhaps Inspector Erasmus is only concerned that Sunday ruined a pending perjury case... /me strains to be charitable

Yes Hilary, there's a way round it, but it's inconvenient ain't it! Hence my request for return to plain NZ time display, and see subsequent support and discussion with suggestion for option of?

No word on what the 'crime' in the criminal investigation might be?

+1. Plain?

Oh, shit.

Right.

Thanks, Russell, for another "that's what that was" moment or three. "Dissociation" being another term for that result, and?

Aw, dude. I'm sorry you had to go through that.

I've?

It hasn't changed them in the sense that I already think that in the Urewera case the police put substantial?

I don't think so – I don?t watch TV as a rule; however, the stream of the Sunday ?Tale of two light bulbs? is a great public interest piece.

The court?

"The items themselves were essentially valueless,"

"two old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs"

Which still leaves something to the imagination. Not being privy to all the details?

They also most certainly did try to buy guns with ineptly-forged gun licences-
the Urewera18 people I mean.
Some of them, perhaps, but thanks to a near-dysfunctional justice system we can pretty much ignore such?

Well yeah. The people who think the police should be dealing out summary justice need to realise that the police WILL make mistakes that can't be fixed as a result. Which ties in with?

Eloquent

Mind you, the noise a .22 makes...I'd prefer those silly bastards who shoot back up towards the Trig, or out?

Yup. Explains a lot for me too. Red mist, totally fearless but?

Today isn't one of those days.

The light bulbs (and switches) had no value to anyone but Arie (or someone like him).?

Yet the judge who recommended it must have been aware of the criteria.

Like the Australian bushfires (where there was a massive flurry of media/police arson accusations, but only one person ever charged), the media/police are quick to use a natural disaster to raise fears of the "criminals in?

Craig: dangerous

Abso-fucking-lutely right!

Sofie: So what about the jewellery maker in the flat in Wellington?

My impression, from my now rather attenuated links with the radical community in Wellington, is that the police used this as an opportunity to settle a few scores against people who?d?

Your mileage may vary on this, by the way. I?ve had students compare me to Heath Ledger?s version of the Joker, Hannibal Lecter and Tony Soprano in tones that suggested that they were saying so to compliment me.

Ae

At the very least, it's made me appreciate the importance for having totems, talismans and rituals in many so-called "primitive" cultures (so-called?

*Er, everything. Almost.

Can't emphasise that too much.

I?d agree with that ? a harder than usual response is no surprise in a mass emergency situation.

I see what you did there.

[[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-in/8395153/Japan-earthquake-Looting-reported-by-desperate-survivors.html|Considering the misery inflicted on the north-east coast of Japan the amounts seem low. But in a disciplined society where such incidents are rare, people said?

reckon

brilliantly

Ah, well, I guess that I?d call myself an existentialist along with everything else.

So?

Multi choice question.

What are the most likely outcomes of a guilty plea or being found guilty from the list below.

A – Discharge without conviction ? a release, no conviction and no criminal record.?

As that utter, utter idiot and scumbag working for TVNZ, Andi Brotherston, said of Paul Henry, ?he?s only saying what everyone thinks.? No, not everyone, but certain coppers.

Mind you, I?m still going for (e) as the primary motive with a major component of (d) and a dash?

There is a problem, perhaps, with the Guys "compulsion? being that it took a hold of him when he was?

Diversion isn't an admission of guilt by my understanding, Diversion?

Could that be the issue the police lawyers are gagging to test in court? Something about capacity, anyway.

Unlikely. It was reported Arie had already agreed to such an arrangement before it was refused by the Police, as Russell noted above (and on?

Arie entered a building he knew he wasn't allowed to, with the intent of taking light fittings he knew he wasn't allowed to. I don't think that's really in dispute.?

I eventually switched to a man-bag, once I realized I kept going through too many pants pockets. It was very hard to find an appropriate one, women have such an enormous range, but I?

"One of the fundamental requirements of the diversion process is that the offender needs to be able to make an informed admission of?

More likely just casually ableist – an assumption that Arie is incapable of making an "informed admission of guilt", that he's just saying what he's told to say. I'd prefer insanity, on the whole.

It did occur to me that that might be what they were saying. And then I?

But it's such a terribly and patently bad excuse, I can't get my head around the level of brain-death and/or incompetency needed to come up with it. Although the old saying about malice and stupidity applies, I?

Seems to me that you're giving more credit than is actually due. "Casual ableism" at least?

It also contains this rather creepy gem:
Inspector Erasmus says he has personally spoken today to the owners of the property which was?

Inspector Erasmus says under the Police Adult Diversion Policy the defendant had the right to have the decision reviewed. This was done at a district level and later confirmed by Police Prosecution Service, at National Headquarters and the decision stands.

If the decision not?

'Capacity' of both parties, perhaps?

Unless I?m missing something, this seems insane.
Keeping us safe by locking us up. Doubleplusgood.

[Shudder]

If this is true, then there?s a much bigger fight to be had.

If this is?

But uninformed overprotectiveness wins.

Dear Mr XXXX

The Hon Judith Collins, Minister of Police, has asked me to acknowledge and thank you for your correspondence 11 July 2011 concerning a prosecution against Cornelius Arie Smith-Voorkamp.

The?

Oh, that inspires confidence. Not.

I was kind of thinking the Cuckoo's Nest. Or even Arkham Asylum.

Just curious, What do you measure?

They're completely denying the content of the emails people are receiving, and saying the minister does not get involved in individual cases.

WTF?

Not that it'd matter to me if Arie was straight instead. I still believe we should request a?

Of course! There's only one thing I've never used in my bag – the foldup raincoat. It's never that rainy...yet.

My tape measure is most often used to keep my son amused. It clicks on the?

I briefly checked out the Policing Act 2008 (no formal legal expertise and I'd welcome pointers to other relevant legislation) in which Clause 16(1) states that __"The Commissioner is responsible to the Minister?

bmk,

Agreed, would love that feature. Also, wrt the date/time thing, why not just have both on screen? There?s plenty of room beside the ?a day ago? bit to add ?at 8.54 pm 11?

That?s a terrible idea.

Better to have the IPCA actually have?

The Independent Police Complaints Authority. The problem as I see it is not that it lacks teeth, but that it can only operate retrospectively, when?

The point of the star map is to SHOW you what the sky would look like and the screen (and google star map) identifies the stars. You point the screen at the sky and the display shows what the sky should look like.

Using the camera will?

Yeh, and naming your demons is a term for that feeling. Learning more about Asperger's has been a slow process of understanding all the strangeness in my life. I suspect I'm done with that now, as I can't recall?

ETA. Also, point it at the ground,?

Edison Screw them I Say!

OTOH it seems like another great way for geeks to avoid going outside and looking at the sky. Where do I sign up?

LOL. Yes, my smartphone is like the sexiest piece of equipment I've owned in years, couldn't keep my eyes/hands off it for weeks. I realized it was going too far when I found it in my hand when I woke up one morning.

lol ... that is a sure sign of an addiction getting out of hand. I remember a friend realising his p habit had gotten out of hand when he would?

But, read this again ;)

The problem with transparency is that it has the side effect of reluctance by public officials to exercise any discretion ..

It may?

That first proposition was denied upthread, and I believe Russell was clear enough about the sequence of events about the plea, restated at Te Standard:

Erasmus has also said in a statement that?

Do you really believe after seeing that tv story that Arie is gagging for a court case?

Probably not, but it sure seems they could have granted diversion as the judge suggested.

Fuck up from day one

Agreed.

Not Arie, his brand new Pro Bono lawyer, Jonathan Eaton.
Eaton, who has conducted compensation bids before, said there were several hurdles to overcome before a claimant gained compensation.
Perhaps we?

Que? I know Collins?

This is a serious question and I'm truly not trolling for a fight, Steve, but what do you expect Collins to do? Engage in blatant, direct and (I believe) illegal?

She could?

That?s good to hear.?

To be even fairer?

In that case, I would expect her to seek resignations from such Assistant/Deputy Commissioners as were involved in the lying.?

True. And people don't vote for good work done behind closed doors. You'd think any party floundering in the polls a few months out from an election might grasp that. Doesn't have to upstage other policy either, just firmly demonstrate fitness to govern.

I'm in no doubt that the public strongly supported harsh action on looters after the quakes, so opposing that is not likely to help Arie's situation.

However, harsh policing does not preclude behaving decently when you?

Certainly not ? and if Labour decided that having Cosgrove stand up at Question Time and asking a question about the treatment of Arie would be a ?distraction? from the CGT drip-feed media strategy? Well? politicians wonder?

Maybe not, but we're talking about broad principles of NZ's culture, not specific incidents. As a whole, I think (hope) most NZers abhor the thought that cops dish out the bash to whomsoever they feel deserves it. If the Minister of?

Not what Sacha was saying, to be fair. Say "looters" to me, and my initial response is still "How can you convert this Olympic-sized swimming pool into a?

Not bashings – just firm apprehension with little discretion on the spot. And if you think that was not widely supported by the public then Labour is cruising to an easy election win and I have a bridge you might be?

I doubt Arie is that troubled by principles of culture. There's always a balance between resolving the particular person's needs and the broader lessons they teach us.

It might make more sense to have someone like Robertson doing that, to separate it out politically from the prevailing 'tough on crime' culture that the last government helped strengthen and which continues to make prisons one of the?