ALCP urge kiwis to oppose surveillance bill
Tuesday 27 September 2011, 6:13PM
By Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party
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The Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party is calling on all New Zealanders to make a submission to the Video Camera Surveillance, Temporary Measures Bill which is being debated under urgency today.
The legislation will overturn a recent Supreme Court ruling which found the use of hidden cameras by police in the 2007 Urewera raids was illegal.
The ruling will affect 40 trials and over 50 investigations many of which are drug cases.
Operation Lime, which involved over 500 Police staff monitoring 35 businesses and homes from Invercargill to Whangarei, relied heavily on covert video surveillance.
Police used proceeds of crime legislation to freeze the assets of Switched on Gardener owner Michael Quinlan, including his $1 million home at Whangaparaoa and $189,000 in his bank account.
ALCP are calling for Mr Quinlan's charges to be dropped and his assets to be returned to him.
The best way for New Zealanders to show their support for those arrested in Operation Lime is to make a submission to the 36 hour select committee on Video Camera Surveillance.