The police watchdog has ruled it was "justified" for an officer to use his dog on a 14-year-old boy who had allegedly been speeding through Tairāwhiti/Gisborne streets in a stolen car.
The incident occurred at night on February 10 this year, when the stolen car was later found abandoned at the end of an "isolated, dead-end road".
No-one was inside, but a gang-related tag was found on the centre console and the ignition had been damaged.
The alleged offenders — the 14-year-old and a 15-year-old boy — were tracked along a stop bank.
A police dog handler found the pair sitting on the bank, but he told the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) when he shone his torch on the 14-year-old, dubbed Mr X, and said "Police dog handler, stay where you are or I'll let the dog go", the boy tried to flee.
He was described as "scuttling" back up the stop bank and that was when the dog was released.
However, the boy lost his footing and he and the dog rolled down the stop bank.
The IPCA noted the boy received multiple bites to his lower body as a result. A doctor at the station later noted the bites to his hip, leg and buttocks weren't serious and there had been no penetrating wounds.
The bites to the boy were described as grazes and were dressed. He was given antibiotics and pain relief.
The other boy was found nearby and was also arrested.
Mr X's mum had complained to the IPCA about the use of the dog and that her son had no legal guardian with him while he was in custody.
She also alleged derogatory language had been directed at her son and claimed she had been discouraged by one officer about laying a complaint in the first place.
The IPCA ruled in the police's favour, but noted officers had failed to comply with police's notification policy for youth arrests.
A report should have been sent to the police commissioner within three days.
"Although apprehension of the occupants of a stolen car by use of a police dog will not be warranted on many occasions, we do believe that the officer here was informed in his decision and this apprehension was justified," the IPCA concluded.
Police said they agreed with the IPCA's findings.
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