The New Zealand Police have had a "rough time" of it in the last few year. Police officers have been charged with raping very young women. Two, Brad Shipton and Bob Schollum, were convicted of raping and kidnapping a 20 year old woman. She was gang raped by five men and two of them, Shipton and Schollum, were police officers at the time. Other women said that they were raped by police however their cases did not result in a guilty verdict. The justice system decided that their group sex was consensual, or at least they couldn't bring a judgement of guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
So... you get the picture. The police need to work on their behaviour and their public perception - they need to be seen as trustworthy officers of the law. They need to be seen to be people who you can trust and be safe with, especially if you are someone who has suffered a sexual assault. This means that the police should be bending over backwards to present themselves as having purged the sick corruption that led police officers to feel comfortable with having group sex with teenage girls (whilst in police uniform and using police handcuffs and batons) and kidnapping and gang rape.
Therefore, why would the New Zealand Police run advertising like this?
Dear New Zealand Police,
I know advertising executives will use sex to sell everything, from beer and burgers, to music and motorbikes, but if you want to "sell" the New Zealand Police as a career for young people it might pay to lay off the creepy adverts that insinuate you want to have sex with them. This is especially important given police officers have had a habit of groups sex with young girls and even on occasion have raped them.
Please fire your advertising agency and maybe run some focus groups with some women since you can't seem to work out when you are being sleazy.
Just an FYI.
Yours hopefully,
Muerk
