The Authority oversaw a Police investigation into an incident where an officer in the Waikato used force against a man after stopping his car.
At about 11.37am on Wednesday 10 January 2024, the officer was driving an unmarked Police car north on State Highway 3 between Te Awamutu and Ōhaupō and had cause to stop a man who he considered had overtaken him in a dangerous manner.
The officer sought to obtain the man’s car keys, which he was not lawfully entitled to do. When the man refused, the officer pepper sprayed him three times. Eventually the man got out of his car, where the officer placed him in handcuffs, arresting him for disorderly behaviour. By the time further officers arrived, the man’s handcuffs had been removed, and he was being treated for the effects of the pepper spray.
Other officers dealt with the man, which resulted in him being released and receiving vehicle infringement notices.
The man complained to the Authority, and we referred this to Police. The Police investigation resulted in the officer being charged for assault with a weapon, namely the pepper spray. He was later convicted. The officer then underwent an employment process but resigned from Police before this was completed.
The Authority agrees with Police action and this outcome.
IPCA: 24-21132