The Authority received a complaint in August 2018 alleging that Police Officers unlawfully conducted a search of the complainant, her car and her family home when they suspected her of being in possession of fraudulent loyalty cards in the Wellington District.
Police conducted a full investigation into the matter. The investigation found that the Officer in charge of the searches was mistaken in his belief that he had the power to conduct the searches under section 8 of the Search and Surveillance Act 1988. The officer received training to remedy his misunderstanding of this legislation.
The Authority found that the searches were unlawful and agreed with the outcome.
IPCA: 18-0333