Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Use Of Dog To Arrest Car Thieves In New Plymouth Justified

The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that a Police dog handler’s decision to command his dog to restrain two young people while arresting them for attempting to steal a car was a justified, necessary and proportionate response in the circumstances and the arrests were legally justified.

In the early hours of 14 February 2021, a Police dog handler arrested three young people after he found them attempting to steal a car in New Plymouth. The arrests took place in the context of a large increase in the volume of vehicle thefts in and around the area, with young people routinely collectively stealing multiple cars at night then driving around together before abandoning the cars.

The dog handler encountered the young people in a car with a smashed window, less than 100 metres from where another reported stolen car had been abandoned. One young person was arrested at the car, while two fled. The dog handler released his dog to assist him in arresting the first of those young people. He then used his dog to track the second fleeing person into a bush area. The officer said he was 100 percent sure the person in the bushes was the fleeing young person and released his dog. That young person required hospital treatment for the dog bite.

Given the darkness and vegetation, it is likely that the dog did not positively sight the young person before it was released, in breach of Police policy, but given that no one else was in the vicinity who could have been bitten by the dog the officer’s actions were justified in the circumstances.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Authority Chair, Judge Colin Doherty said: “We have said in recent cases that the seriousness of the offence of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle is towards the lower end of the scale. This affects the assessment of whether the level of force Police use to effect arrest is reasonable and proportionate.

What distinguishes this case is that the young people appeared to be engaging in a mode of offending that had seen a significant recent increase in the New Plymouth area. This appears to have been a rare occurrence where Police had the opportunity to catch young people in the process of committing an offence of this class, and for this reason we found that the officer’s release of his dog on two offenders was justified.”

https://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/2301/31_JANUARY_2023_IPCA_PUBLIC_REPORT__Use_of_dog_to_arrest_car_thieves_in_New_Plymouth__justified.pdf

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On National’s Fantasy Trip To La La Landlord Land


How much political capital is Christopher Luxon willing to burn through in order to deliver his $2.9 billion gift to landlords? Evidently, Luxon is:
(A) unable to cost the policy accurately. As Anna Burns-Francis pointed out to him on Breakfast TV, the original ”rock solid” $2.1 billion cost he was touting to voters last year has now blown out to $2.9 billion. (That’s a 38% size error in the calculations.)
(B) unable to provide assurance that this handout won’t simply be pocketed by landlords
(C) unable to explain why Treasury (in research as recent as August 2023) wasn’t citing the loss of interest deductibility as a prime factor driving up rents.
More than anything, the Great Landlords Handout undermines the government’s alarmist talk about the state of the country’s books...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.