From the land under the land down under
Who doesn't enjoy a good idiot-criminal story? You know the kind: some guy (or girl ... no discrimination on this blog) does something illegal, then follows that poor decision up by doing something just plain dumb that often results in this person's apprehension. And when I see one, I usually have a good chuckle, ask a bunch of rhetorical questions that only God and that criminal know the answer to (What was that guy thinking? How could she do that? etc.) and then move on with my day. But one of these stories caught my eye today for one reason alone: it's location. The dateline read "Wellington, New Zealand." And I realized I have a great opportunity to understand this story a little better. You see, I've got my very own New Zealand expert among this blog's readership. A former employee of its government, even. So, former Kiwi, enlighten us with your insight on the following:
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Man breaks into,
then out of jail cell
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A bumbling intruder broke into an empty New Zealand police station and accidentally locked himself in a cell, but managed to smash his way out again just before authorities arrived.
Sgt. Graham McGurk on Monday said the person broke into the deserted police station in the town of Matamata on North Island on Saturday night through the front office.
The intruder went to the cell bloc, and was accidentally locked in when a self-closing door clicked shut.
As police rushed to respond to an intruder alarm at the post, the intruder used a wooden chair that was inside the cell to smash through a window -- supposedly outfitted with shatter-proof glass -- to freedom.
Arriving officers could hear the intruder, but he fled through the front of the station as police were closing in from the back, McGurk said.
"It was quite unusual. The offender has almost done the job for us, getting himself locked in our cell," he said.
It wasn't known why the person broke into the police station, and nothing was stolen, McGurk said.
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So, now it's time for the rhetorical questions. Except, maybe this time I can get some answers, if my well traveled friend would be so kind as to ablige. First, what kind of police station these days is ever empty? Are the New Zealand jails so nice that this is how some guy might want to spend his Saturday night? And what's up with having a conveniently placed escape window in a cell? Is it common practice to make sure even the inmates have a view of the beautiful countryside?
So many questions, but I'm sure you all can think of the rest on your own. But lastly (I ask more rhetorically this time to no one in particular), what ever happened to a good, old-fashioned empty concrete jail cell surrounded by unshatterable iron bars? It might have made the New Zealand streets might have been a safer place today. But, judging by this guy's criminal abilities, I'm not going to lose much sleep worrying about what he might do next.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Man breaks into,
then out of jail cell
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- A bumbling intruder broke into an empty New Zealand police station and accidentally locked himself in a cell, but managed to smash his way out again just before authorities arrived.
Sgt. Graham McGurk on Monday said the person broke into the deserted police station in the town of Matamata on North Island on Saturday night through the front office.
The intruder went to the cell bloc, and was accidentally locked in when a self-closing door clicked shut.
As police rushed to respond to an intruder alarm at the post, the intruder used a wooden chair that was inside the cell to smash through a window -- supposedly outfitted with shatter-proof glass -- to freedom.
Arriving officers could hear the intruder, but he fled through the front of the station as police were closing in from the back, McGurk said.
"It was quite unusual. The offender has almost done the job for us, getting himself locked in our cell," he said.
It wasn't known why the person broke into the police station, and nothing was stolen, McGurk said.
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So, now it's time for the rhetorical questions. Except, maybe this time I can get some answers, if my well traveled friend would be so kind as to ablige. First, what kind of police station these days is ever empty? Are the New Zealand jails so nice that this is how some guy might want to spend his Saturday night? And what's up with having a conveniently placed escape window in a cell? Is it common practice to make sure even the inmates have a view of the beautiful countryside?
So many questions, but I'm sure you all can think of the rest on your own. But lastly (I ask more rhetorically this time to no one in particular), what ever happened to a good, old-fashioned empty concrete jail cell surrounded by unshatterable iron bars? It might have made the New Zealand streets might have been a safer place today. But, judging by this guy's criminal abilities, I'm not going to lose much sleep worrying about what he might do next.
posted by Jonathan at
12:41 AM
1 Comments:
This story was probably pretty big news over there, which is evident by the fact that the story ran in the Wellington paper (Matamata is a good eight hours from Wellington).
Not much happens in New Zealand, which is why reading the newspaper used to be so entertaining.
And I imagine jail cells really are that nice. Everything else is.
My limited experience with the police in NZ, involved a small-town officer sitting in his office in his boxer shorts writing a report, so really this story doesn't seem all that crazy.
By
Jaci, at 11:07 AM, May 15, 2007
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