Drinking is no excuse for behaving violently, says Senior Sergeant Andy Livingstone. Photo / Josh Olalde, Unsplash
OPINION
What is your personal best?
I have no doubt in the wake of Ironman the term “personal best”, or “PB”, has been uttered many times in conversation throughout Taupō.
Fittingly, PBs are also the theme of your latest police report, as I provide a brief snapshot of some of the incidents we have been dealing with in the last few weeks.
Firstly: When your personal best is not good enough.
Police were recently called to one of our local retailers after a male entered the store and stole $3850 worth of GPS-tracker running watches. The would-be athlete, on seeing our staff, kicked off his jandals and attempted to outrun one of our constables across the length of a field.
The good news is our constable won the race, retrieved the stolen property and this male is now before the court.
Hopefully, he will consider setting a personal best in hard work and paying his own way.
Sporting similes aside, the effect of crime and such offending on retail staff is not lost on us.
If you witness intimidating or suspicious behaviour while out shopping, phone us and monitor them. Let’s support our retailers and keep our town centres safe.
Secondly: When drinking isn’t your personal best.
Two men were arrested for assaults at this year’s summer concert.
This started with a serious assault in the corporate area, followed by a second male thinking retaliation would help the situation.
Both are now before the court on assault charges.
My message is this: It is not the alcohol.
It’s a reflection of choices and your mindset before you drink, and then how you drink.
I am not a health professional, but I feel qualified to say that based on years of seeing and dealing with the carnage of intoxication.
One punch to the head can have serious consequences.
These types of assaults are now being described as “coward punches”, a fair description.
If, on any level, you think acting like this is a good idea when drinking, then alcohol is not leading you towards your personal best.
Thirdly: When our personal best is to ask schools to go into lockdown.
The week before last, we had a rapidly unfolding situation in the Hilltop area, where a risk assessment determined schools in the area of operation needed to go into lockdown.
I want to pass on my thanks for the professionalism and skill of our teachers and their leaders, who managed this situation so well.
Thanks also to the parents who listened and worked with the communication and instructions they received from their schools.
Remember, these situations can be prompted by anything from a swarm of bees to a wandering dog, or a situation like we had that Thursday.
Please follow the instructions of your school.
We did have a minority of parents who ignored these communications and gathered around their respective schools. Doing this puts yourself at risk in an unfolding situation.
It is not always possible to immediately communicate the details of a situation, and I ask that you go on the basis of “no news is good news” and await further instructions.
Anyone thinking they are the exception and somehow can be treated differently is not demonstrating, you guessed it, them at their personal best.
Finally, what is a great PB?
Listening to a podcast the other week, I heard a guest being asked the best advice they have ever been given.
The reply was certainly a PB for all of us to aim for.
“The way you treat others is a reflection of your self-worth, not theirs.
“Treat everyone as important.”
Stay up to date with the Waikato Herald
Get the latest Waikato headlines straight to your inbox Monday to Saturday. Register for free today - click here and choose Local News.
The 19-year-old was found in a remote area in the hills of Upper Hutt.