Narkiology Incident

The Otago University NORML Narkiology Incident was a media event in Dunedin, New Zealand that came to a head in July 2008, generating considerable media attention throughout the country, and eventually becoming part of popular culture within the Otago University student community.

Initial confrontations with authorities

Members of Otago University NORML (Otago NORML) came to the attention of the New Zealand Police after a series of incidents involving the Otago University private security force Campus Watch. The Campus Watch had attempted to prevent club members from congregating on the Otago University Union Lawn and smoking cannabis throughout late 2007 and early 2008 [cite web|url=http://tvnz.co.nz/view/video_popup_windows_skin/1256786|title=Dope Heads on Campus|date=27 July 2007|publisher=TV One Close Up] . As the Campus Watch has no legal authority, their only possibility of removing NORML members was through intimidation, however this was unsuccessful, and as a result Otago University administrative authorities called in the Police [cite web|url=http://www.odt.co.nz/on-campus/university-otago/14609/university-backs-police|title=University backs police|date=24 July 2008|publisher=Otago Daily Times] .

Beginning of Undercover surveillance

Otago NORML members had suspected police surveillance of their twice weekly '420 smoke-up protest' group from as early as February 2008 [cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI8kbHFcTOs|title=Undercover Cop surveilling Otago NORML 420 protest Feb 2008|date=February 2008|publisher=Otagonorml's YouTube] . This suspicion was officially confirmed in June of 2008 when a contingent of uniformed Police visited the 420 protest for the first time [cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H06nPEnRUPU|title=Otago University NORML Wednesday 4:20 Protest - 11/6/08 Pt.1|date=11 June 2008|publisher=Otagonorml's YouTube] . During this June incident several members of the public were trespassed from the University campus. When one of the people who had been trespassed attempted to re-enter the campus, three plainclothes police officers emerged from within the 420 protest group to enforce the trespass order [cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHwa9eWPp2A|title=Otago University NORML Wednesday 4:20 Protest - 11/6/08 Pt.2|date=11 June 2008|publisher=Otagonorml's YouTube] . This was met by shock and outrage from the wider protest group, eventually resulting in the officers being photographed and forced to provide official identification, at which point the officers quickly retreated [cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lzyjxTkEOM|title=Otago University NORML Wednesday 4:20 Protest - 11/6/08 Pt.3|date=11 June 2008|publisher=Otagonorml's YouTube] .

Arrests

In July 2008, the leader of Otago NORML was arrested by uniformed police officers for allegedly smoking cannabis at a Market Day on the University Union Lawn. The search powers of the officers was contested at the time by the arrestee, and the ensuing verbal altercation attracted considerable attention from the Market Day crowd. The large crowd began questioning the police and demanding clarification about the basis for the arrest. The police would not engage the crowd in a discussion and several students attempted to physically prevent the officers from conducting the arrestcite web|url=http://www.odt.co.nz//on-campus/university-otago/12872/campus-arrests-follow-marijuana-complaints-video|title=Campus arrests follow marijuana complaints|date=11 July 2008|publisher=Otago Daily Times] . At this point several plainclothes officers emerged from the student crowd and began to assist with the arrest and crowd control as they waited for additional police units to arrive. These officers were also photographed and forced to provide official identification [cite web|url=http://ch9.co.nz/content/university-otago-students-arrested-campus|title=University Of Otago Students Arrested On Campus|date=10 July 2008|publisher=Channel 9 News Dunedin] .

The arrest and clash between students and police was covered on the front page of the local newspaper, the Otago Daily Times, with a large colour photograph and banner headline, causing the incident to be covered on the national TV news programmes, which read out the headlines from the major cities newspapers each day.

Posters

Several weeks later, posters titled 'Narkiology 101 - How To Spot a Nark' began to appear around the Otago University campus showing the pictures, names and badge identification numbers of the five plainclothes police officers dressed up as students that had so far been identified. This new development was again covered on the front page of the Otago Daily Times, with a near full page colour photo montage and a recap of many of the events that had lead up to the creation of the posters [cite web|url=http://www.odt.co.nz/on-campus/university-otago/14478/norml-exposes-undercover-cops-campus|title=Norml exposes cops on campus|date=23 July 2008|publisher=Otago Daily Times] . Again this came to the notice of the national television, radio and print media, and over the next 24 hours a media whirlwind descended on Dunedin, with the story eventually being covered by several national TV news programmes [TV One News] [TV 3 News] [TV One Breakfast] , radio talk shows [cite web|url=http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Audio/AudioPlayer/tabid/183/Default.aspx?articleID=8028|title=Marcus Lush interviews Simon Wilson about Narks on campus|date=24 July 2008|publisher=Radio Live] and national print publications [cite web|url=http://www.aus.ac.nz/Publications/tertiaryupdate/2008/No%2025.asp|title=AUS Tertiary Update - Undercover police exposed at Otago|date=24 July 2008|publisher=Association of University Staff] , including the country's most widely circulated newspaper the New Zealand Herald [cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10523111|title=Police deny undercover after 'Narkiology' posters|date=23 July 2008|publisher=New Zealand Herald] .

As a result of the intense interest in the idea of undercover police dressed up as University students, sent by the University to surveil their own student body, a webpage was created on the Otago NORML website to keep track of the photos and identities of police officers that had been identified and to allow Otago students to report sightings and discuss the issue [cite web|url=http://www.otagonorml.com/node/256|title=Undercover Police dressed as University Students on campus - Narkiology 101|date=23 July 2008|publisher=Otago NORML] .

Pop Culture

Since the story was covered by the mainstream media, 'Narkiology' has become a reference within the popular culture of the Otago student community. In August and September the popular Tui beer brand ran one of their well known 'Yeah Right!' billboards near a liquor store in the predominantly student neighborhood that referred to 'Narkiology' [cite web|url=http://www.otagonorml.com|title=Otago NORML - Overgrowing Dunedin with cannabis truth!|date=September 2008|publisher=Otago NORML] .

References

External links

* [http://www.otagonorml.com/ Offical Otago NORML website]
* [http://www.odt.co.nz/ Otago Daily Times website]
* [http://www.critic.co.nz/ Critic Te Arohi Magazine website]