Police kicked teen in head during arrest

A boy was kicked in the head by an officer but, after a rare disagreement between police and its watchdog, it is unclear if the offending officer will be reprimanded.

An Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) ruling released yesterday said that, after a car chase on January 4, police kicked the 13-year-old with ‘‘unnecessary and excessive use of force’’ as he lay on the ground.

What wasn’t clear is which officer’s boot delivered the kick.

But, police came out within minutes of the report’s release claiming the boy’s injuries were only sustained during the necessary process to restrain him.

They acknowledged the IPCA findings, but not that officers were wrong. Stuff asked police if the officer involved had been reprimanded. Police would not elaborate on their statement.

Police had pursued a stolen Mazda in Napier for about 25 minutes, during which time they deployed road spikes to deflate the car’s tyres, the IPCA report said.

The driver lost control and the vehicle crashed into a boulder before coming to a stop.

The front passenger, a 13-yearold, got out and ran away. A police officer chased after him and shouted at him to stop. The boy kept running, but then turned around and faced the officer with a hammer in his hand. The officer attempted to Taser him but the device failed. The IPCA was satisfied this was a reasonable and proportionate response.

The boy was subsequently restrained by three police officers, during which he felt kicks to the head. A witness also saw the teenager being kicked in the head by an officer.

‘‘The boy initially presented a threat to police when he confronted one of the officers with the hammer. However, once he was restrained on the ground by three officers, that threat diminished,’’ IPCA chairman Judge Colin Doherty said.

‘‘There was no reason to kick the boy in the head area and this was an excessive use of force. However, the authority is unable to determine which of the two arresting officers administered the kicks.’’

Within minutes of the IPCA release, police released a statement, acknowledging the findings.

‘‘Through our own robust investigation based on evidence available, police were not able to establish the boy’s injuries were as a result of any use of force other than the force the officers stated they used to restrain the boy during his arrest,’’ the police statement said.

‘‘Following this incident, our staff were debriefed, and lessons learnt have been implemented.’’

The IPCA report also noted the 13-year-old was tall and would have passed as an 18-year-old.