An investigation by the police watchdog has found that the arrest of a man for disorderly behaviour in Rotorua in 2019 was unlawful.
On 18 November 2019, police stopped a man riding his bicycle without a helmet.
The man became abusive towards the officers and resisted arrest, leading an officer to restrain him with a headlock.
However, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) found that the man’s behaviour was a direct response to the police stopping to talk to him and that there were insufficient grounds for either the arrest or the headlock.
The IPCA also found some unnecessary and excessive pressure was applied to the handcuffs, which caused injury to the man.
“The actions of the officers were not only unlawful but undesirable and counterproductive to the Commissioners intent of ’policing by consent’ and ’to have the trust and confidence of all," says Authority chair, Judge Colin Doherty.
Police have acknowledged the IPCA's findings and say staff involved in the arrest were spoken to afterwards.
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