ENCOUNTER. 05/08/1988

Angela d’Audney fronts a programme in which studio audience members ask questions of the panel. “Tonight, the public challenge is Acting Police Commissioner John Jamieson. His career has spanned more than 30 years in the force, and his rise in the ranks was fast. From Constable on the beat at 18 to the youngest Chief Superintendent in New Zealand’s history at the age of 39. He’s travelled overseas on a United Nations fellowship to study relationships between police and ethnic groups. He’s been involved with police training. But it was his appointment to the position of Field Commander during the 1981 Springbok Tour protests that brought him to public attention. Today, his problems include criticism of the force from many communities around the country, and that’s addressed by our first question tonight.”