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

Man sustains broken arm during arrest - Canterbury District

10 March 2022

The Authority oversaw a Police investigation that Police used excessive force when arresting a man for obstruction when he entered a cordoned off crime scene after an officer told him not to.

Officers arrested the man, put handcuffs on, and put him in the back of a patrol car. The man then moved the handcuffs under his legs, so they were in front of him. The officers took the man from the car and reapplied the cuffs. The man sustained a broken arm at this time.

The Police investigation found the man was struggling and resisting the officers when they tried to reapply the handcuffs. Police found the officers used reasonable force while dealing with the man. The officers phoned the custody unit and arranged for the Police doctor to assess the man’s injury on arrival. Following that initial assessment, he was taken to hospital for treatment.

The Authority agrees with the Police findings and outcomes.

IPCA: 20-5748

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