March Against the Police State

From: The Campaign to Stop the Search and Surveillance Bill
 
'There will be an urgent protest march on Saturday, October 1st at 2pm
starting from Cuba Mall stage to oppose the government's plan to
retrospectively legalise illegal video surveillance by the police,' said
Batch Hales, member of the Campaign to Stop the Search and Surveillance
Bill.
  
'The State is set to legalise unlawful video surveillance by police to
cover cases already before the criminal courts.  In doing so, they are
validating illegal conduct deliberately engaged in by the police. They
plan to pass this law under urgency within the next week. This is an
outrage. People across the country are deeply concerned about this issue.
We must stop this further fundamental assault on our freedoms and roll
back the expanded police state.'
  
'Most people will have heard that John Key wants to legalise police
breaking the law and planting secret surveillance cameras inside people´s
homes so that it applies retrospectively - eg. to cases that have already
been investigated and are now being prosecuted. That is, quite simply,
contrary to fundamental constitutional principle and a serious violation
of individual human rights. It is the police who should be prosecuted.'

Police run operations on political activists

A recent document released under the Official Information Act (OIA) shows that the Police are heavily spying on and running operations on protest groups. In the Police annual report for the year ending 30th June 2009, a reference was made to “84 operation orders” made in relation to “public demonstrations”. An OIA request for a list of all these operation orders made in October 2009 has now finally been answered by Police National Headquarters and the results are chilling.

Surveillance of Activists – Amateur and Dangerous

"...we came across a poster a few years ago. The poster contained about 50 photos of activists  ...  At the bottom of the poster is a caption reading “If you have any information on any of the mentioned Activists/Protesters, then forward all details through to Detective Mike Cartwright, Harlech House, 482 Great South Road ”. ...  Despite being 16 at the time and having no convictions then or since I was included on the poster. Many of the other people on the poster had never been to an animal rights demo and were shocked to see themselves on it...."

Rob Gilchrist - police informant for 'anti-terror' unit

Rob Gilchrist, a Christchurch-based man has spied on activist groups for more than 10 years. He worked for the NZ Police and was sending information to Detective Peter Gilroy and Detective Sergeant John Sjoberg. They are both members of the Special Investigation Group (SIG).

The SIG has groups in Auckland (headed by Aaron Lee Pascoe), Wellington (headed by Brian Woodcock) and Christchurch (where Gilroy and Sjoberg are based). Gilchrist, also know as balaclava, was spying on various groups including the Save Happy Valley Coalition, Peace Action Wellington, Auckland Animal Action and many other groups and individuals.

Police spies caught in the act.

On Tuesday 16th September, 2008, as an October 15 Solidarity meeting was winding up at Oblong/Freedom shop, attendants were alerted to the presence of half a dozen suspected plain-clothes police positioned outside in Left Bank pedestrian mall. One was noticed pacing back and forth past the front door, looking in on the meeting.