Drug crackdown riles students
A group of Otago University students is 'outing' what they claim are undercover police on an anti-drug campaign on campus.
Posters showing photos, police numbers and names of plain-clothed officers have gone up around the university. But police say the students have got it wrong.
The posters have appeared online and around the university this week naming alleged undercover police and describing how to 'spot a nark'.
"Students are uncomfortable with being surveilled in their study space. It makes it hard for them to concentrate," says Norml leader Abe Gray.
"They're dressed as university students, and they're acting like university students, and we have reason to believe some of them are indeed enrolled in classes, posing as students," he says.
As Norml leader Abe Gray usually attends bi-weekly dope-smoking protests at the university.
But he was recently arrested and banned from trespassing on the union lawn where the group meets.
"Some bright students have taken it upon themselves, it appears, to lift these pictures of under-covers off of You Tube videos, and bring awareness to the campus," says Gray.
Police say as fast as the posters go up other students take them down.
"I don't think it's particularly right that we've got undercover police officers targeting a political group on campus, but at the same time. I don't think it's constructive to go out there and name those officers and target them. I think you can complain about the police tactics as a whole, but it's not fair to name individual officers for doing their job," says OUSA President Simon Wilson.
The police say there are no undercover cops lurking behind desks or hiding in lecture theatres.
Area commander Dave Campbell says plain clothes officers are often involved in police operations but there are no undercover cops at the university. He says the only police in lecture theatres are those actually studying.
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