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JASON DORDAY/STUFF
A police dog handler’s decision to use his dog to apprehend a Hamilton teen was justified (file photo).
A police dog handler’s decision to use his dog to apprehend a Hamilton teen was justified, the Independent Police Conduct Authority says.
It found releasing the police dog on the 15-year-old male was reasonable after shots were fired out of a vehicle.
Around 4.20am on June 6 in 2022, a member of the public phoned police after hearing a gun shot outside their home.
They provided camera footage to police that showed an unknown person in the driver’s seat of a silver coloured station-wagon firing a handgun out the driver’s window.
About 15 minutes later, a police dog handler saw the vehicle being driven at high speed.
He believed the vehicle was stolen, due to a broken quarter-light. It was later reported stolen.
The driver of the vehicle fled from police, and two other officers joined the pursuit. A third prepared road spikes.
The car was later stopped on Te Rapa Rd after driving over the spikes.
JUAN ZARAMA PERINI/The Post
Authority chair Judge Kenneth Johnston KC saidthe dog handler made a sound assessment of the risks.
The dog handler said five people got out of the vehicle and ran away, so he yelled for them to stop – saying he would release his dog if they didn’t.
The five occupants continued to run, and the dog handler released the dog.
It bit a 15-year-old male on the arm. The other occupants surrendered without incident.
Police took the teen to hospital where he was admitted for treatment, but the firearm was not located.
The teenager said the dog was on his arm for three to four minutes before it was removed, whereas two officers at the scene estimated it was 30 seconds.
The authority accepted the evidence of the officers, that the dog was engaged for about 30 seconds.
Tom Lee/Stuff
Hamilton City Area Commander Inspector Will Loughrin said staff made the right tactical decisions to bring the incident to a conclusion.
The dog handler did not believe the offenders would have been apprehended without the release of his dog.
The authority concluded the use of the dog was a proportionate use of force in the circumstances.The pursuit was also deemed justified, as was the use of road spikes.
Authority chair Judge Kenneth Johnston KC said officers had reason to believe at least one of the occupants of the vehicle was in possession to a firearm.
“The dog handler made a sound assessment of the risks, and releasing the dog was the most appropriate tactical option available to him.”
Hamilton City Area Commander Inspector Will Loughrin agreed with the findings. He said staff made the right tactical decisions to bring the incident to a conclusion.
“There were several elements of risk here, including a firearm and a high-speed fleeing driver event, and appropriate procedure was followed to mitigate those risks, keeping the public and our staff safe.”
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