From the western edge of the cordon around the city formerly known as Christchurch you can look across the river at “The Strip” where all the bar-restaurants stand with their doors still wide open from hasty escapes. No one is allowed into the cordon area but we saw members of the army reserves sitting outside the cordon to maintain order and compliance. This is good.
The only problem is – they are sitting on seats under umbrellas that used to be outside those bars and restaurants.
Aw, you might say, they are doing a good job under difficult conditions. Give them a break.
So where is the line in the sand? At the end of a shift, if they feel like de-stressing with a drink, should they go over and grab a bottle of whiskey? If they need to get somewhere quickly, is it OK to take an abandoned car?
It is these people that I and others are relying on to ensure that there is no danger to persons and no looting of effects.
I have been unable to get to my apartment since the ‘quake’. And yes, like everyone else, I can walk away from 95% or so of what is in there. But everyone has that odd 5% of stuff that can never be replaced. Some of course is of sentimental value. There are some things, hand-made jewellery, say, or collectables where those items may be the only ones in the world.
Fortunately, any looters – and rest assured there have been some getting in and out – would probably only value the things that I do not.
So I guess there is a difference between looting and TWOCing. The looters keep quiet about what they have done.
Quis custodiet custodies?
* TWOC is the delightful UK expression for ‘taking without consent’.
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