Oh FFS.
Regardless of the racially charged headline… the only reason to arm police with sidearms is to make it easier for them to kill people extra-judicially. That’s the only function a side arm has.
Police already have easy access to firearms in their vehicles.
Apparently 68% of police see Judge Dredd as an idol.
God rnz is such a shit outlet. Its so stupid to put headlines like this because it reinforces so many stereotypes while missing the actual reason why it’s bad.
They copped a lot of criticism for not having enough Maori on staff, not enough Te Reo in their broadcasts etc, and I think they’re overcompensating a bit.
Also, why exactly will so many Maori men be having negative interactions with the police?
It’s not specific to RNZ, it’s a cancer in all our domestic journalism. “You need to engage the reader with the headline”, a factual headline isn’t ‘enough’ anymore.