The Authority oversaw a Police investigation into allegations that an officer used excessive force when arresting a 14-year-old young person in Lower Hutt in April 2024.
The young person was one of five occupants of a stolen car, which collided at low speed with a Police car on a hill road. The officers ordered the young people (who were uninjured) out of the car and required them to sit on the ground. Other officers arrived in support.
The young people became disruptive, and Police decided to separate them. One officer took charge of a 14-year-old, told them to stand and walk towards a Police car in front of him. The young person was uncuffed, but the officer had his hand on their shoulder to guide them, which the young person said pulled their hair through their clothing.
There is a dispute about exactly what happened next and why. The young person said they tried to move the officer’s hand but accidentally dislodged his Taser. They kicked back at the officer’s groin and struggled. They say the officer then punched them in the face causing part of their tooth to break off.
The officer said he thought the young person deliberately tried to take the Taser to escape, and he feared further assault. He put the young person in a “gentle headlock” while manoeuvring them to the Police car. He did not realise the young person’s tooth was chipped.
Police investigated after other officers raised concerns about what happened. Police accepted that the officer applied a headlock to the young person, although it was not well executed, and found the use of force was reasonable. However, Police found the officer did not properly record the use of force in mandatory post-incident reporting and that the officer’s verbal conduct towards the young people was elevated and disproportionate.
We disagreed that the level of force the officer applied to a young person, whether a punch or a headlock, was reasonable or proportionate in the circumstances.
Police addressed the concerns identified in the investigation in a confidential employment outcome.
The Authority is satisfied that Police adequately investigated the matter.
IPCA: 24-22551