Teenager may lose leg after bitten by police dog
Tristan Abraham, 17, was facing burglary, theft and driving charges when he was granted bail in Palmerston North District Court on Wednesday, the Manawatu Standard reported today.
When police did a curfew check at his bail address later that night, Abraham was not there.
Abraham was tracked to property in the early hours of Thursday morning, set upon by a police dog and arrested. Can't police officers do the "leg" work?
Uncle and legal guardian Darren Marsh said Abraham was unarmed and had complied with the handler's instructions to come out from his hiding place and did not deserve the injuries he sustained.
However, Palmerston North police area commander Inspector Pat Handcock said Abraham was armed with a piece of wood and refused to budge, despite repeated attempts by the handler. Maybe the guy was afraid of dogs?
The family said the dog was not called off and that the ensuing fracas prompted a neighbour to aid the teenager.
Why is it that police dogs can cause injury and the dog is fine, okay, will survive, not get fined, but a 'common' dog who protects won't? Well trained dogs are killed by city officials because they aren't 'police' trained. Ya know what I mean... as if only police trained dogs are okay because they were trained by police handlers (who's training, by the way, is suspect. I say that from reports from citizens witnessing how police handlers manhandle their dogs)
Besides, isn't there a taser gun, or pepper spray that police people say great things about ??
2 Comments:
At 2:01 a.m.,
Anonymous said…
your comments come across as very immature. Having been a police dog handler/trainer for 25 years in the UK, and knowing a number of Australian & New Zealand police officers, your comments on how they treat their dogs is unwarranted and unfounded.
in regard to comments such as: Can't police officers do the "leg" work" when the dog had tracked the suspect, if you knew anything about how a police dog worked, you would realise that the officer was acompanying the dog and that the dog was being used for its superior olfactory ability in following the suspects scent, something a human can't do.
Your comment of "Maybe the guy was afraid of dogs"? is a poor excuse to defend someone who was on property clearly with the intention of commiting crime. Had he complied with the officers commands he would have been arrested without confrontation with the dog, as the dog had already achieved its aim in tracking him down. However, he was armed with a piece of wood and a claw hammer, both wepons capable of killing. He got what he deserved.
Before you make such silly comments in the future please think about the number of police officers, and police dogs that die the world over every year trying to make the world a safer place for people like you.
if you prefer to reply by e-mail rather than in public you can contact me at steve@workingdoghandler.com
At 7:45 p.m.,
Blair Anderson said…
"He got what he deserved." says steve@workingdoghandler.com
And the Police reap the reward of 'disrespected the world over'.
If this was ONLY about dog handling it would be much simpler.
But to keep it to the thread, here is my pennyworth.
I have repeatedly witnessed Police handlers mishandling their charges.
Most recently, the handler on egressing his shepherd from the vehicle failed to keep it under control. It was not commanded in a manner of a dog trainer, rather it was brutalised into submission by aggressively being lifted into the air by its collar such that its entire body weight was suspended and when it came to ground, on asphalt, it did so on its hips. This dog was now unable to be controlled despite it successfully 'working' and finding discarded clothing. (suggesting an even smart er burglar)
On location of the said offender, by means other than dog, the dog was used in its most predatory of instincts, as an instrument of fear. The 'suspect' in this case was indeed proven guilty. But the entire exercise could have been conducted without an aggressive dog.
It may have made the arresting officers feel safer, but just as use of a ballistic weapon can have unintended consequences so does the use of FEAR.
It must be said that ANYONE loosing a leg is a serious unintended consequence.
The Public are absolutely entitled to have opinions and when unprofessional behavior is observed and the outcomes poor, no amount of "we're the good guys" will change these facts. Not ALL Handlers are bad, some are excellent some are good, some are mediocre, and even the most heroic, may be just arseholes behind the scenes.
We have had repeated overuse of TASER, Pepper-spray breaches, and even violence. We have had porn all over the police computers. We have had testilying and numerous rape while in uniform.. indeed a whole gamut of POLICING ISSUES of grave concern.
Some of that stems from the 'culture' of policing per se, some of it engendered in Trentham 'Basic'. (if you didn't come in with an attitude, you'll matriculate with one for sure)
As a (possibly former) sworn officer it is your duty to uphold public safety and well being. There is still some old concepts that predates today's militarised Policing - innocent until proven guilty, and punishment fits the crime.
Over use of Dog in modern Policing is systemic.
Such tactics were used successfully by the Stasi and the Nazi's, from lessons learned from the Romans. South Afrikaans's used dogs in ways that resulted in exactly the same injurious outcomes... but then we had a word for such practices and NZ reviled them for it.
I think Steve's attitude in challenging the listowner 'on this one' is frankly appalling PR.
As a handler YOU ARE YOUR DOG.
If it bites someone... it is as IF YOU DID THIS TO THAT PERSON.
If you do not have that control over your dog you are an ever present danger to the public.
It must be also said, I am on your side Steve. I am FOR the Police. I am not anti-police. I work cooperatively with Police. But in 40 years of doing so... not all is well. And we would all be wise to take stock and not be one-sided.
I have witnessed a young woman, innocent bystander have her calf muscle torn away from her leg, again by a dog handlers misuse of his charge.
These are operations matters, they lack scrutiny BECAUSE there is no effective public oversight. Police investigate Police. That Dog SHOULD NEVER have been put into a 'crowd' situation. It was problematic from the moment it was presented with the circumstance but the officer was under orders. POOR OUTCOME was a product of POOR POLICING POLICY. Bad news for everyone. Lesson learned, doubt it.
I suggest Steve,that in the memory of the very police and dogs that have died the world over making the place safer(purportedly) for people like us, it is ALL the more imperative you have US on your side.
You do not wield this sovereign power at your discretion, it is at ours.
Police is a function of Policy, it is where you get your name from.
I feel you have played your hand and demonstrated your prejudices. That in itself leaves this person with a very uncomfortable view.
Were you and your dog in a remedial handling class of mine.. I might well have you singled out for special attention and on attitudinal assesment likely, reassignment.
Consider: because someone has a claw hammer and piece of wood...is the very reason one ring-fences the problem and deals with it.. POLICE have time to resolve stuff. Its NOT ABOUT YOU vs THEM. Especially when it is a younger person.
Policing is not about expiditious event resolution "to clear the pad", it is about best practice.
This could have been a minor case of mental health issues.
It is now.. a very expensive rehabilitation and life long consequence of which POLICE are taking no responsibility. WHY NOT?
Because your 'at war', and war has casualties and acceptable collateral damage does not give you and yours the high moral ground here.
POLICE DOG TRAINING is highly suspect in producing anything but a Dog of War. Another weapon in the war on crime... and that is sad, very very sad. Because it is no longer 'in service' it is 'an asset' that when a situation looks like 'dog that bites' could come in handy - is is deployed.
Give a man a hammer and everything looks like nails.
Police need to have a good hard look at who they are and what they are becoming.. the way they treat their pets tells us a lot about who they will (and have) become.
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