Police dog at the Police Dog Training Centre Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski
The Independent Police Conduct Authority has ruled that the use of a police dog to apprehend a young boy who required hospital treatment after being bitten was justified.
The incident which happened on the 4 January 2023 was reported to the watchdog after police responded to an alarm activated at a pharmacy in Te Awamutu, Waikato.
Police said they attempted to stop a car leaving the scene at speed without any lights on. The officers told the IPCA they believed that the occupants of the vehicle may have broken into the pharmacy.
According to the officers they decided it was unsafe to give chase but found the vehicle minutes later with sparks coming from the rear tyres before it came to a stop.
The two occupants were then seen fleeing the vehicle.
Investigators were told that a handler issued a warning to stop before deciding to release the police dog, which managed to bring one of the suspects to the ground by biting his leg.
Waikato District Commander Superintendent Bruce Bird said: "The IPCA found the officers had reasonable cause to suspect the occupants of the car had been engaging in serious offending and it was appropriate for the dog handler to release the dog to prevent them escaping".
"The staff involved acted quickly and professionally to a call for service and to apprehend the occupants of the vehicle.
"They were working with information available to them at the time and showed sound decision making during this incident with the safety of our community at the forefront of their minds," Bird said.