The officer is said to have backed into a shop when trying to avoid Steven Wallace. I wonder how that happened when one can back down a street. Steven Wallace was shot four times. There are stories that he was denied care as he lay bleeding. These are concerns to the people of our country.
People also have concerns about the attitudes of some police officers.
The Prime Minister has referred to the report by Te Puni Kokiri and the police themselves recognise that there is racism in the police force, as there is in New Zealand society. Mr Prebble said that he did not see racism when he went to Waitara. There is a history of injustice in Taranaki, a history of land confiscation and of peaceful resistance leading to imprisonment and death. As a person who has experienced prejudice by police officers in my daily life, I have to acknowledge that. There have been times in my life when I have been pulled over by the police, stopped, and searched for no reason other than their not liking my appearance.