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Mana Whanonga Pirihimana Motuhake

Home / Investigation Reports & Media / 2022 Summaries of Police Investigations

Force used to arrest man at boy racer event justified

27 January 2022

The Authority oversaw a Police investigation into a compliant that an officer used excess force when attempting to arrest a man in the Central Police District.

An officer discovered a large informal car meet and witnessed a burnout. Onlookers attempted to stop the officer from driving forward to intervene by blocking his path. One man reached into the Police car and tried to grab the steering wheel. The officer attempted to arrest the man by grabbing him while driving forward slowly. The man was carried a short distance and fell on the road. He received superficial injuries. Footage of the incident shows bottles and exploding fireworks were thrown at the officer as he attempted to make the arrest.

The Police investigation found the force used by police was reasonable and proportionate. The officer did receive an employment outcome for his decision making and failure to complete internal reporting requirements.

The Authority agrees with the Police findings and outcomes.

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