The Authority oversaw a Police investigation into complaints that Police had failed to properly handle a dispute between neighbours that culminated in a non-fatal shooting.
The neighbours lived in a rural area of the Bay of Plenty. They had been in an ongoing dispute for at least two years, and both had made prior complaints to Police about the other’s behaviour.
This dispute came to a head in 2020, with one neighbour shooting the other as the latter drove by the shooter’s property. The shooter also fired shots in the direction of Police responding to the incident. This came after a day of escalating tensions, in which the shooter and his partner had called Police several times over a number of hours, complaining of harassment, threats and acts of trespass by the other neighbour. No Police units responded to these calls.
Police concluded that in the months and years leading up to this incident, they had missed opportunities to intervene and take actions that might have de-escalated the situation. They had also failed to provide adequate service in response to the calls for service on the day of the shooting. Police dispatchers failed to reassess the situation as circumstances changed and variously did not dispatch units to attend, did not escalate the matter, or otherwise did not take any constructive action to resolve the neighbour’s dispute.
Police have held debriefings with dispatch staff and have reviewed relevant policies to ensure they are fit for purpose.
The Authority was satisfied the Police investigation into the non-response to the escalating situation was thorough, and the actions taken were appropriate.
However, while the shooter was charged, the Authority considers that Police failed to give due consideration to any criminal responsibility of the other neighbour for actions on the day of the shooting.
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