The Authority oversaw a Police investigation where three Waitematā police officers allowed a man found slumped over his steering wheel to drive to a nearby address. He had admitted smoking cannabis the night before, had drug utensils in his car and had a learner licence. Police directed the man to drive to his partner's address nearby. The man sped off in the opposite direction, mounted the footpath and crashed into a parked vehicle shunting it forward ten metres.
It was determined during the course of the Police investigation that the field training officer who was supervising the two probationary constables who attended the initial incident was suffering from medical issues due to an assault at work a month earlier. Her decision making was therefore considerably influenced by symptoms she was experiencing stemming from that assault.
The Police investigation also determined that the field training officer's supervisor had not dealt with the prosecution file to the level required.
The Authority reviewed the Police investigation and agreed with the findings and the disciplinary outcome that followed.
IPCA: 18-0321