A witness took a video, screen shot here, as two police officers restrained a man on the ground with the aid of a police dog. Photo: Supplied / Stuff
Enquiries are under way after two police officers were filmed making an arrest in Auckland on New Year's Eve.
In a video filmed by an onlooker, two police officers can be seen wrestling with a man lying on the ground.
Throughout the video a police dog can be seen biting the man as he lies face down.
The videographer said the man being restrained could be heard screaming in pain during the arrest.
"The officer grabs the handcuffs and whacks him on the head hard, I was like 'what the f...'."
Acting Superintendent Trevor Beggs said police responded to a suspected burglary at a property on Hillsborough Road on Saturday.
Two men were disturbed and fled from the property when police arrived, he said.
A 41-year-old was located and arrested at the scene.
The second man fled on a dirt bike and was located nearby, by the Police Eagle helicopter, but continued to evade police and proceeded to jump over fences through a number of properties, Beggs said.
"This man was called upon to stop but continued to evade Police and resisted arrest. Subsequently, a police dog was deployed to stop the man. He was transported to hospital for treatment.
"Police note footage or images captured through various phases of a response to an incident does not always capture the full context of what our staff are dealing with."
The man who fled was arrested for an outstanding warrant and found to be in breach of bail conditions, Beggs said.
Enquiries are currently under way with the police staff involved in both the tracking and the arrest of the offender, Beggs said.
In New Zealand, it is legal to video police making an arrest.
Police do not hold the power to force a member of the public to delete any footage.
* This story originally appeared on Stuff.