Dunedin Police were justified in using a police dog to arrest a man who breached Alert Level 4 lockdown restrictions and tried to run from officers, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) has found. The IPCA report said the man had been arrested six days earlier for breach of the lockdown restrictions, but he escaped custody and was involved in a police pursuit. While the man avoided the dog’s first attempt to restrain him, this allowed the dog handler to gain ground and take the man to the ground. At the same time, the dog bit the man on his backside. Authority chairman Judge Colin Doherty found the use of the police dog was justified.

Source: Otago Daily Times September 20, 2021 22:30 UTC