Police have moved to reassure Auckland's Chinese community after cars displaying what appeared to be foreign police markings have been spotted on the city's streets.
By Liu Chen for RNZ
Four reports relating to two vehicles prompted officers to speak with their owners, Auckland Central area commander inspector Grae Anderson said.
The vehicles had reportedly unsettled some members of the Chinese community who had spotted the vehicles on the road.
A Chinese New Zealander spotted a vehicle that looked like a Chinese police car parked on the corner of Shortland and Princes Streets in central Auckland on 10 September.
The witness spoke on condition of anonymity due to a fear her ability to visit China might be compromised.
"There is quite an explicit logo on the side of the door saying 'Gong An', or Chinese police," she said.
"The patterns look identical [to the markings on real Chinese police cars]."
The witness said the markings would make some in the Chinese community feel uneasy.
"It's quite frightening, as over the years that we have heard rumours [about] Chinese police operating overseas," she said, noting that security forces in China carried enormous power.
"It's pretty intimidating [for] a Chinese person who understands the context behind it."
Anderson told RNZ on Thursday that police acknowledged the concerns raised by members of the public.
"The owners [of the cars bearing police markings] were made aware that the vehicles had caused some concerns and indicated that wasn't their intent," Anderson said.
Police: Vehicles have no official status
"We had a discussion with the owners and suggested that the removal of the decals would prevent the reoccurrence of further concerns and both parties indicated they would remove the decals."
Anderson reassured the community that the vehicles were not New Zealand Police vehicles and did not have any official status or authority on behalf of New Zealand Police.
He encouraged people with further concerns relating to the matter to get in touch with police.
The Chinese Embassy had earlier said the vehicles had nothing to do with China.
A variety of decals used to decorate vehicles are available online, with police markings from different countries among the options.
In addition to the cars displaying Chinese police markings, other images of vehicles in New Zealand bearing Japan and US police insignias have been shared on social media.
When first approached by RNZ, police said it was an offence for an ordinary vehicle to resemble a police vehicle, craft or conveyance under the 2008 Policing Act.
"A person commits an offence who, without reasonable excuse, represents any vehicle, craft, or other conveyance as being in the service of the Police in circumstances likely to lead a person to believe the vehicle, craft, or conveyance is in the service of the Police," the relevant provision in the act states.
Police clarified the legislation only applied to New Zealand Police.
Law professor says rules may need to change
Al Gillespie, a law professor at the University of Waikato, said decorating a car as a foreign police vehicle wasn't illegal itself, but more might need to be done in the area if the problem kept arising.
"I think it's going to cause ... problems, and you might need to have some rules around it going forward in future, especially if these are used to intimidate people," he said.
"But, at the moment, the law is about New Zealand police vehicles."
Gillespie said outlawing certain markings that were currently available as decals would need to be specifically banned by legislation in the same way as gang insignias.
He said it was good for police to raise concerns about intimidation with owners directly as a soft path going forward.
"This is a grey area, and it may be that we want law in this place so that no one can do it," he said.
Gillespie stressed that foreign agencies had no jurisdiction in New Zealand.
"Foreign police have no powers in New Zealand," he said.
"We are a sovereign country. We make our own laws. We have our own excellent police force and we enforce our own rules."
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