Police force used against a pregnant woman, her husband and her sister has been backed by an independent investigation.
File photo. Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
On 11 September last year, a man was arrested for assaulting a relative and damaging property in Waharoa, Waikato.
The man's wife alleged police went into her home without a warrant and slammed her to the ground while pregnant.
Her sister said she was shoulder-charged by an officer and injured, and the man said police slammed him on the ground, pepper-sprayed him and assaulted him.
But an investigation led by the Police Conduct Authority found police were in fact assaulted - and they used reasonable force for restraints.
Judge Colin Doherty said there were "significant material conflicts between the versions" of the women "that cannot be reconciled".
"In the circumstances of the incident the force used was both justified and reasonable."
Police did not know one woman was pregnant at the time.
A police statement this morning said the man had "struck a relative over the head with a glass bottle, and also broke windows at the house by punching them with a bare fist".
Waikato District Commander Superintendent Bruce Bird said the incident was just one example of situations officers are in every day.
"I am proud of the way our officers conduct themselves in often confronting and difficult situations."