Police say officers may no longer use a Taser to capture an animal that's not attacking, after today releasing video of an incident in which a goat was Tasered 13 times before it was brought under control.
A vet attended and the goat was subsequently euthanised, after it was captured at a property in Oamaru on December 1, 2016.
Releasing the video today, police said a local Animal Control officer had unsuccessfully tried for an hour to secure the goat after it ran through peak morning traffic on the Thames Highway, almost causing vehicles to crash.
Police outlined the events of that day, saying children were walking to school in the vicinity, and the goat with horns jumped several property fences and was unable to be captured.
It eventually made its way into a garage, at which point police were called.
The police officer did not want to kill the goat and was also concerned about the use of a firearm in a confined area in a suburban street.
The officer then entered the garage and attempted to use a harness to secure the goat, but this was not successful and he opted to deploy his Taser with the intention to incapacitate the animal so it could be immediately restrained.
The goat initially fell to the floor on the first Taser discharge and the officer went forward to secure it with the harness, but the animal recovered almost immediately, increasing the risk to the officer.
In total the Taser was discharged 13 times before the goat was brought under control.
The Taser policy now includes guidance that states: "A Taser can be used to deter an attacking animal, but not to capture an animal that is otherwise not attacking."
An independent investigation by the Ministry for Primary Industries under the Animal Welfare Act determined that no charges would be laid.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority also reviewed the police investigation, and was satisfied that "Police have investigated this matter appropriately and reached reasonable conclusions".
“With the benefit of hindsight it is accepted that this incident could have been handled differently
Police say they had previously withheld the video as they considered the contents too graphic for public release, but say the Ombudsman has now provided clarification on that.
Southern District Commander Superintendent Paul Basham says he accepts there will be a range of reactions to the video.
"With the benefit of hindsight it is accepted that this incident could have been handled differently," Mr Basham said.
"The update to the Taser policy means that staff should consider other available options if faced with a similar situation again.
"However I reiterate that the officer involved was acting in good faith to manage a dynamic and exceptionally rare, if not unprecedented situation which posed a risk to the public.
"I stress that in many cases our officers cannot stand back and do nothing when they are faced with a public safety situation.
"We back our staff in their decision making, and we are committed to learning from every situation we face.
"Public safety will always be our number one priority." Mr Basham said.
“Publication by the media of video footage of animals being tasered did not result in any harm
Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says he welcomes the decision by Police to release the footage without him having to make a formal recommendation to do so.
"During my investigation, I carefully reviewed the original arguments made by Police to withhold the footage," Mr Boshier said.
"I note that they had previously released video footage of animals being tasered. This footage was subsequently published by TVNZ - this disclosure and subsequent publication by the media of video footage of animals being tasered did not result in any harm which, in essence, amounted to prejudice to measures protecting the public’s health and safety.
"Consequently, it is difficult for me to see how withholding the video footage is necessary or justified under the Official Information Act," Mr Boshier said.
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