Police acknowledge the findings by the Independent Police Conduct Authority regarding an incident involving three young people in Napier in November 2023.
A Senior Youth Aid officer was out patrolling when she came across a distressed 11-year-old child who was running down the street, kicking over rubbish bins. The officer tried to speak with her and called for backup.
The next two officers who arrived had limited knowledge of the situation and when they saw a 12-year-old boy nearby, they thought he was connected to the situation. A police database search showed he was the subject of a custody order, so he was detained and handcuffed.
The officers then located the girl and took both children, who are siblings, back to the Oranga Tamariki office.
After the girl’s handcuffs were removed, she spat at an officer, who then used force to briefly restrain her.
The IPCA found that although the officers were acting in good faith, they had no lawful grounds for detaining the children. Police accept this finding and additional training has been carried out with the officers.
The Authority also found the use of force by the officer who was spat on was excessive, but they did not recommend a criminal prosecution or an employment process in this instance.
Eastern District Commander Superintendent Jeanette Park says an investigation was carried out and the matter was self-referred to the IPCA after Police received a complaint.
“The three officers involved in this matter were all acting with good intentions — to ensure the children were taken somewhere they would be kept safe.
“Our staff experience unpredictable, and sometimes appalling behaviour from people we encounter every day.
“We know that our responses can directly impact people clearly experiencing stress or unhappiness.
“We acknowledge that on this occasion, our communication with each other could have been better.”
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre
