23 February 2011

25 ACT Police off to Christchurch

| johnboy
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Simon Corbell Tweet

I for one welcome our new tweeting overlords.

Simon Corbell has chosen the 140 character medium to announce that 25 ACT Police are off to Christchurch to assist in dealing with the devastation.

That’s a big chunk out of a small force. Without wanting to begrudge Christchurch at all it would be nice to get some detail on how ACT Policing is planning to cover this hole.

UPDATE: Simon Corbell’s media release is now online.

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Stevian said :

All very noble I’m sure, but while they are on a paid holiday. We, the people, are left defenceless against the roaming bands of hoodlums that infest the ACT.

I’m sure Christchurch will be a great holiday destination right now. A laugh a minute.

merlin bodega2:08 pm 24 Feb 11

Any chance they could stay there and become kiwis?

It would save a lot of wasted money that could otherwise be spent on something useful.

Stevian said :

All very noble I’m sure, but while they are on a paid holiday.

They’re stopping looting, not touring the country

Pommy bastard11:14 am 24 Feb 11

Stevian said :

All very noble I’m sure, but while they are on a paid holiday. We, the people, are left defenceless against the roaming bands of hoodlums that infest the ACT.

Not funny.

“Paid holiday” to deal with the devastation and ruined lives they will find in NZ? Not even approaching funny.

All very noble I’m sure, but while they are on a paid holiday. We, the people, are left defenceless against the roaming bands of hoodlums that infest the ACT.

So they weren’t hanging around the airport hoping to go to NZ? Damn.

Anna Key said :

EvanJames said :

There’s quite a few ACT Police (or those folk who look like them but aren’t really) hanging around the various entrances and roads accessing Canberra Airport at the moment.

Was that for the Mongolian PM? Got held up for the motorcade yesterday (obviously some bright spark thinks peak hour is a good time to move VIPs)

Yeah I think you will find it is the VIP’s that want that….

EvanJames said :

There’s quite a few ACT Police (or those folk who look like them but aren’t really) hanging around the various entrances and roads accessing Canberra Airport at the moment.

Was that for the Mongolian PM? Got held up for the motorcade yesterday (obviously some bright spark thinks peak hour is a good time to move VIPs)

So, we have had Wally point out it is less than 4% of the local constabulary heading over, yet making up about 8% of the Aussie contingent (300 total). That shows that ACT is putting in quite a contribution, and quite frankly it should be applauded. Not just for those going, who will invariably learn new skills, to employ in Aus if ever we had the proverbial hit the fan, but also for those staying that will have to increase their tempo to maintain capabilities.

Thumper would know, that with all these recent SES Task Forces that we have sent, we have been running up to 15% of the service’s members out of town, in QLD helping out. Then to top it off, we have had about 400 callouts locally, deployed people on Air Searches, numerous Community Events etc… The service, although having a few rather tired members, coped well. (and learnt a heck of a lotr about large scale emergencies, to make our response better, if it ever hit in Canberra).

So I say, well done AFP, well done SES, well done ESA.

As for having our troops in Afghanistan there and not here helping out – what about the 4000 or so troops, who have relevant skills such as building surveying, engineering, mapping etc.. who helped out in QLD. What will a bunch of SAS dudes with killing-people skills do here?

Can you see Corbell’s poodle Roman actually saying “This will leave a hole”? Me neither but It has to unless the ACT is chronically overmanned on an ongoing basis

JB.
Its actually < 4% of the sworn officers (according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACT_Policing).

I imagine capacity for extraordinary demand is built into their resource models. It would be only when there are several concurrent extraordinary situations that holes would appear.

“And where are some of the best trained, and best equipped, young men and women of our country for helping in these situations?”

Best trained in military matters, but in this instance they are sending the best trained people for it. The AFP identified 3000 or so bodies with respect to the tsunami, the military had nothing to do with it. The ES personnel are likewise specially trained, and, as for policing matters, the military aren’t effective.

“There’s quite a few ACT Police (or those folk who look like them but aren’t really) hanging around the various entrances and roads accessing Canberra Airport at the moment.”

Might have something to do with the fact the AFP is responsible for the policing of the said airport, as well as the other majors around Oz. Nothing special there

Pommy bastard3:25 pm 23 Feb 11

Let’s see now?

We’ve had the floods and cyclone disaters in Aus. Over in NZ they’ve had the mine explosion and the earthquake.

And where are some of the best trained, and best equipped, young men and women of our country for helping in these situations?

Fighting and getting killed in Afganistan, in a war they cannot win, against an “enemy” who has done us no harm.

It’s enough to make you puke.

BenMac said :

Just saw on 7 news that 50 AFP officers will be heading over as well. I’m guessing this is in addition to the 25 ACT Police.

25 ACT Policing + 25 others = 50 AFP

Just saw on 7 news that 50 AFP officers will be heading over as well. I’m guessing this is in addition to the 25 ACT Police.

There’s quite a few ACT Police (or those folk who look like them but aren’t really) hanging around the various entrances and roads accessing Canberra Airport at the moment.

They’ll be sworn in as special constables in NZ, just like was done for example for interstate police during the Vic bushfires. So they’ll have all the same powers as local police.

Roman Quad… was on 666 this morning and assured us that its not leaving a hole.

Which is why on the current issue it mentions yesterdays dispatch of four USAR officers:

http://the-riotact.com/act-firies-off-to-new-zealand/38700

Not sure how much power Australian police would have over in New Zealand. Seems it would be used as a deterrent rather than actual law enforcement.

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