October 15th Solidarity - Remember the state terror raids

16th October 2007

Police Minister Annette King said people should withhold judgment on yesterday's police raids until cases go through the courts.

She was asked today if police had overreacted in their swoop and arrests as part of an investigation into alleged weapons training camps.

"Police have to do what they have to do, they have to decide how, when and where. It's not for me or for people standing on the sidelines to decide that," she said.

"We have to rely on their judgment to do that and we will see in the fullness of time what their actions bring."

Ms King said if police had made the right decisions or not would be revealed when cases went to court.

She said the Government had no role in the operation.

"I don't decide what call they make and it's not a political decision and it would be a sad day in New Zealand when the Minister of Police tells them who to arrest and who not to arrest. You'd really worry about a police state if that was the case."

The Terrorism Suppression Amendment Bill is before Parliament due for a second reading.

Some of the people yesterday may be charged under the Terrorism Suppression Act and Ms King was asked if the timing was favourable for the Government.

"There's no politics behind this action, in fact we were not aware there was an operation in place until the commissioner advised us that he was terminating an almost year-long operation," she said.

She did not think police's decision about the operation had anything to do with politics either.

"I don't believe the police are playing politics, I think that is a pretty unfair suggestion. They have to make decisions on the evidence they have and I suspect that anything had happened you would be standing here saying to me 'why didn't the useless cops do something about it'?"

Police arrested 17 people after executing search warrants carried out under the Firearms Act and the Terrorism Suppression Act in Wellington, Auckland, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Hamilton, Whakatane and Ruatoki, which is 20km south of Whakatane.

Police Commissioner Howard Broad said the raids were the culmination of a year-long investigation into weapons training camps alleged to have been held in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

Firearms and reportedly a napalm bomb were seized in the raids.

Fourteen people including high profile Maori activist Tame Iti appeared in court yesterday.

An Auckland man arrested as part of nationwide police raids on suspected weapons training camps yesterday was today granted bail.

Jamie Beattie Lockett, 46, of Takanini, in Manukau City, faces three charges under the Firearms Act.

Lockett, who represented himself and had waived his right to interim name suppression, was one of five people who appeared in Auckland District Court yesterday after the police raids.

The Crown opposed his bail application at the hearing this morning.

But Judge Josephine Bouchier said that on the evidence before her at the moment, Lockett could not be considered to pose such a significant danger to the public that he should be in custody.

The Crown argued against allowing Lockett bail.

The grounds for opposition included the on-going nature of the police operation, the prospect of further charges and the risk that Lockett might interfere with co-defendants and potential witnesses.

The Crown said police had also intercepted communications in which statements like the following had been uttered:

* "I'm training up to be a vicious, dangerous commando";

* "White men are doing to die in this country";

* "I'm at war. I'm declaring war on this country very soon".

It described Lockett as someone who was an active participant in a group that had the potential to make a violent impact on New Zealand society.

Judge Josephine Bouchier said it was difficult to assess the strength of the Crown's evidence.

However, she could not, on the evidence before her at the moment, consider Lockett to be such a significant danger that he should be in custody.

She added that she had dealt with Lockett on a number of occasions in court before.

Lockett was granted bail on conditions that included surrendering his passport, non-communication with some co-defendants, not applying for a firearms licence and not attempting to possess any firearms.

The charges Lockett faces relate to alleged offences in January, April and June.

He was remanded to reappear in court on Friday, along with the five other Auckland accused.