[Ed] – We’ve had 3 stories submitted about the Canberra Guardian Angels. Damien Heffernan first wrote to RiotACT back in March 2009 asking for volunteers.
When I first read that the Guardian Angels had set up a chapter in Canberra, I dismissed the story as a beat-up: one sole whiner who likes the thought of wearing berets does not comprise a vigilante force.
But the New York-based organisation seems to be genuinely behind this push; it lists Canberra as its only Australian chapter.
Canberra? The only city in Australia in need of the Guardian Angels? I agree with Simon Corbell on this one: we don’t need it. The only time I’ve ever felt unsafe here is when I’m on the road near some Cro-Magnon who is about to explode because the traffic is only travelling 10km/h above the limit. I’ve never felt threatened in Civic, even in the wee hours.
But judging by talkback yesterday and the letters to the editor in the paper today, many disagree with me. So would the red berets be of any use in Canberra? Or would they just attract/cause trouble?
Other submissions below
From PBO
VIGILANTES! Woo Hoo
I was having a read of our great local rag when i came upon an article that made me giggle. We are getting “Guardian Angels”! Now it struck me as a bit over the top, being that Charnwood and Kippax are not at all like the movie “the Warriors” (70’s urban apocalypse gang flick).
I believe that the presence of these folk will only lead to games of keepings off involving red berets as opposed to making the streets safer.
Has anyone heard anymore than what has been reported?
From Moneypenny2612
The Goon Squad comes to town
Recently the Canberra Times carried an interesting story touting “vigilantism” with the Guardian Angels establishing a presence in the ACT.
Who are the Guardian Angels? Apparently they walked the mean streets of New York City and fought crime where police feared to tread. In the ACT, it looks like they’ve been putting it appearances at neighbourhood association meetings (if a recent Cook chapter meeting is any indication). Have they been promoting their wears in other neigbourhoods too?
But seriously. Is Canberra really comparable to NYC (c. 1980s) when it comes to violent crime and vulnerable law abiding citizens?
Do we really need to form gangs to take the law into our own hands? Discuss.
Charnwood was, circa 1980’s. not now, nor is kambah a hotspot, nor is the causeway. interested to learn where these bad areas are. I certainly haven’t seen any for some time, unless there is a dark side to yarralumla or red hill…
What we REALLY need is a group of vigilantes protecting Intoxicated Persons from police in civic.
If you are drunk and walking around in civic the police can do anything they want to you based on you being drunk and – according to them, if they wish – disorderly.
If you’re drunk and if you say anything that a police officer would find inappropiate, even if its not directed at police or a random, they will beat you and send you to the watch house.
I have seen too many times police using physical violence against those that are only verbally “violent”.
When did it become some kind of crime to speak?
The people need protection from the conservative bullies that roam civic during the night out time.
Hahahaha, oh dear. Are these people serious? Canberra is about as dangerous as soup. I think these vigilantes are going to get a bit bored of wandering about Kippax and Charnwood doing precisely nothing.
Wouldn’t it be easier for them just to get an Xbox live subscription- then they can bust gangsta ass in the comfort of their own home..
Juice Terry said :
I once had soup from a shop (will remain annon) in Canberra one Christmas lunch and I got very ill from it… I would consider that dangerous
Oh and I live in Charnwood (heights) and your spot on, nothing too bad happening round the area nowdays…
Why not. If people want to get out and about and provide eyes on the street, good for them. The Police can’t be everywhere and too many people don’t want to get involved so turn a bling eye.
Nothing but some profile raising for Mr Heffernen to assist his tilt for the next Legislative Assembly elections.
So does that mean Canberra will have its own Gestapo?
Will that also mean the the Security Officers that get $15 an hour to do the same thing may be out of a job?
And will it mean that 3 RAR will be upset that someone else will be wearing a red beret?
If this takes off i can see a conversation like this taking place down the track:
Jim Gordon: What about escalation?
Damien Heffernan: Escalation?
Jim Gordon: We start carrying semi-automatics, they buy automatics. We start wearing Kevlar, they buy armor-piercing rounds.
Damien Heffernan: And?
Jim Gordon: And sigh, *you’re* wearing a beret and jumping off rooftops. Now, take this guy: armed robbery, double homicide. Got a taste for theatrical, like you. Leaves a calling card.
[Gordon presents Damien Heffernan with a clear plastic evidence bag containing what appears to be a single playing card; Damien Heffernan turns it over to reveal a "Massey-Joker face"]
From this point on ACT criminals will start wearing costumes and using stupid code-names like Ultra-Massey Man or Ice-Bitch.
See what costumed crime fighting does Damien?
P.S. Get a chinstrap for your beret or you WILL lose it to some kids/adults/whomever who have a taste for keepings off.
look at the bottom of this page http://www.guardianangels.org/index.php Its the all seeing eye, so they have got a secret… maybe they are mason’s?
With their little hats on, I hope they don’t become targets.
colourful sydney racing identity said :
ROTM (Right on the Money)
An interesting. article from The New York Times 1992.
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/27/opinion/curtis-sliwa-s-confession.html
Special G said :
agreed. with the amount of thuggery going on of late etc in the ACT it probably cant hurt
Maybe they can help the cops find and stop speeding drivers.
What are the laws concerning dressing up in uniforms and roving the street in groups? Since they are going out with the stated intention of being involved in issues of social disturbance, will they be held to a high standard then the average citizen when they wind up in court after a game of keepings off goes wrong?
they could be used to book police cars parked where dvaey doesn’t like them to be…
If they (The Guardian Angels) intend to execute a “Citizens arrest” on suspect perpetrators of violence and crime then they will be spending a lot of time in Court defending their actions. Could be a very expensive little exercise if things go wrong as in this article from the Northern Territory News .
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2009/02/28/36331_ntnews.html
I am now trying to figure out what is going to stop me taunting them when I’m drunk.
sloppery said :
Maybe they will stop cops from parking in Murulla Lane…
p1 said :
maybe they are bikies in disguise and not The Guardian Angels ?
I’ve more respect for people who put their money where their mouths are, and get out and do something to try to improve our city, than a bunch of keyboard heros…
dr phil said :
Who sells berets these days? Probably the only benefit to society could be increased sales at disposal stores but I don’t think we have any in Canberra anymore. Shame, I love a good disposal store.
astrojax said :
They could start a “citizen’s registration” system for cyclists who ride on the road.
Mutant Ninja Turtles will also be around due to the gas leak at the CSIRO today.
http://www.esa.act.gov.au/ESAWebsite/content_esa/home_page/esa_home_page.html
I can swing a sack of door knobs. Do they require you to supply a your own knobs?
If it wasn’t still 4 months till April 1st id be suspecting this was a joke, but zomg they really are serious. Although from the looks of it, if they tried this in sydney or melbourne where the “real” violence occurs regularly, they would probably get the snot beaten out of them so quickly they would all be in hospital within a week I suspect. My guess would be its only quiet places like Canberra where they can roam around pretending to do good while being safe in the knowledge that their likelihood of interrupting a real crime in progress is extremely minimal.
Deadmandrinking said :
This ^^^^^^ LOL
gospeedygo said :
I believe they supply the knobs, but you must supply the sack though.
i think having something like a strong regular presence in areas such as woden, civic, around the dodgy housing complexes (yes especially the red hill ones) is a good idea – as long as they don’t think they are the police.
canberra has a lot of crime – unfortunately mostly drug related or youth being d/hds – canberra just knows how to hide it well.
Mordd said :
canberra quiet! obviously don’t know the real canberra.
peterh said :
umm, yes most defianately a dark side to red hill. it’s the flats near the shops – dodgy as anything
Why don’t these guys join the police if they want to fight crime?
I have memories of them having a chapter here in the early 90’s.
Sunshine
Most people in Canberra walk around with rose coloured glasses on, it’s like having a Claytons lol
Well it isn’t the greatest idea, but does highlight Canberra’s chronic shortage of police officers, despite Corbell’s best bullshtting. Very rarely do you see any police patrolling any area of Canberra and if you call for Police attendence you’re lucky if they show up 3 hours later, if not the next day.
When the police do patrol, such as the operation down at Lanyon last year, you actually see the results occurring. The same with money being pumped into extra RBT resulting in a “record” number of people getting caught. If Corbell pulled his head out of his ass and put enough police on the streets, then he wouldn’t have to spend his time whinging in the media when people create these groups.
NickD said :
‘Cos they can’t get in.
If they want to do it properly they have to wear the MC Hammer pants, like the NY mob did in the early 90s.
Stop…………………Hammer time!
PBO said :
A+ post, Well done PBO, wish the site had more content like this.
Pommy bastard said :
where are you living? where are the trouble spots these people seem to think are here? if it is so bad, why don’t we call for policing numbers to be increased, increase the AFP’s budgets and hire more coppers? what can a vigilante do? if they break up a fight, and someone gets seriously injured, chances are they are going to get sued… that really helps canberra.
You people need to get your heads out your arses get out of your house after dark. Roaming groups of gangs on the Southside, three cars stolen in my street in two years numerous break and enters.
IF THE PISS ANT LITTLE WANKERS THAT ROAM AROUND LOOKING FOR TROUBLE KNOW THAT THEY ARE PEOPLE WATCHING THEM THEY WONT STEEL OR WRECK MY STUFF.
WAKE UP PEOPLE ):
andy pandy said :
What happened to it? Did they get bored?
sunshine said :
Come out to Gungahlin and you’ll see those youth!! I remember reading somewhere that the ACT had the highest rate of juvenile crime in Australia.
Sigma “IF THE PISS ANT LITTLE WANKERS THAT ROAM AROUND LOOKING FOR TROUBLE KNOW THAT THEY ARE PEOPLE WATCHING THEM THEY WONT STEEL OR WRECK MY STUFF.
WAKE UP PEOPLE ):”
I hate being woken with insults and bully boy tactics.
What you are saying is that you want another gang of violence trained adults, roaming the streets, to pick on the neighbourhood children. Sorry not pick on, watch the neighbourhood children. I’m awake but I still don’t see how that is actually going to foster respect of your stuff from the piss ant wankers, whoever they are. I’m pretty sure it will just reinforce that adults are not to be trusted. Your such a shinning light to our youth.
Sigma said :
so why don’t you get a petition together to get more funding for the coppers, and more coppers in the community? vigilantes create problems. and I don’t want a bunch of blokes who think they are quasi coppers, and above the law…
if ppl want to get our and try to help our community rather than sit there winging doing nothing about it then I say good on them!! Ppl are so quick to judge other ppl and what they do with their life around here when they should be worrying about their own. Majority of crime that happens is never heard about it so nobody really knows how much crime canberra has and if these Gaurdian Angels stop the slightest bit of crime in our community then im more than happy to have them here!!
Somewhere_between said
“I remember reading somewhere that the ACT had the highest rate of juvenile crime in Australia.”
Must be true if you read it somewhere!
Sigma said :
Angry person on internet makes empty threat of vigilante justice … news at 11
I hope they will be wearing asbestos pants to protect themselves when the go after Todd Carney
Sigma said :
So I take it that you have not roamed the streets yourself and taken any initiative to stop local crime? Waiting for someone to put on a beret and do it for you? Seriously though, we should not need to have such a thing purely because not looking out for your neighbour is Un-Australian.
dr phil said :
No. they wear a cherry beret, Military Police wear the red one, so i think that the Guardian Angels think that people will take them more seriously.
If you read some of the articles that are one some of their websites, you can find many examples of the Guardian Angels infringing on peoples civil liberties. One example was that they stopped a person on the street and said raise your arms, you’re getting a pat down. Now if some random in a dodgy shirt tried to do that to me I would laugh in their face as they have no power whatsoever to enforce such a thing.
Also, is there not a law regarding local militias in Canberra? They certainly have a lot of paramilitary aspects about them.
I would suggest something like this would be more productive…
http://the-riotact.com/?p=13569
How quaint, Canberras own little tribe of S1W’s
Love the red beret look by the way.