Cops illegally stopped car because of passenger’s facial tattoos
Police officers broke the law when they stopped a car based on the facial tattoos of a man in the vehicle, the police watchdog has found.
According to a recently released decision by the Independent Police Conduct Authority, police officers in the Waikato acted illegally when they arrested a man in a Hamilton car park “based on his facial tattoos”.
The officers also illegally used a head lock to wrestle the man to the ground and pepper sprayed him before handcuffing him - but are still employed by NZ Police.
On June 10, 2022, three on-duty officers and one off-duty officer used force to handcuff a man after arresting him for obstructing them, while trying to carry out a vehicle check.
The man’s partner was also briefly arrested, as was a shop owner who came out to film the incident, the IPCA said.
No-one was charged following the arrests.
The IPCA found that the officer who stopped the car did so because he had profiled the man based on his facial tattoos because he “believed them to be gang related”.
“For this reason, the vehicle stop was unlawful, as were the subsequent arrests and use of force.
“Even if officers had lawfully arrested the man, the force they used to do so was excessive,” the ruling said. The officers used a head lock to wrestle the man to the ground and pepper sprayed him before handcuffing him.
According to Waikato District Commander Superintendent Bruce Bird, police “acknowledge the report”.
“The staff involved in this matter have shown genuine remorse for their actions and have reflected on the impact of their decision making on that day, particularly the initial officer who made the decision to stop the vehicle,” Bird said.
The officer underwent an employment process of which the outcome is confidential, he said. Three officers have also undergone a training programme led by NZ Police Iwi and Communities “to strengthen their cultural competency as well as further tactical communication training”.
“New Zealand Police is an organisation dedicated to fair and equitable policing and this incident did not reflect fairness.
“We are disappointed that on this occasion we fell short of our standards,” Bird added.
The officers involved remain working for New Zealand Police “and have grown and learnt from this incident”, he said.