The Authority oversaw a Police review of an officer’s use of a dog to arrest a 14-year-old in Hamilton. The youth suffered minor injuries, including a dog bite to his leg.
The youth, who had run from Police, was found hiding in a member of the public’s shed. An officer believed he saw the youth holding a weapon, and deployed the dog as the youth came out of the shed.
Police found the force used by the officers was justified and lawful.
While the Authority agrees with the outcome, we consider a more comprehensive investigation should have been undertaken. The failure to do so meant opportunities were missed to obtain a fuller picture of the circumstances around this incident. We wrote to the Commissioner expressing our view, and Police accepted our feedback.
IPCA 22-14324