IPCA to conduct year-long investigation into police action at occupation

Thursday, 24 March 2022

An independent review of police’s actions and preparations relating to the Parliament occupation will be reviewed.

The police's watchdog will conduct a year-long investigation into action taken during the 23-day Parliament occupation which resulted in a fiery riot and more than 250 arrests.

An Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) will scrutinise planning and preparation of the police response, including staff selection, training, operational guidance, equipment, and technology provided to officers who policed the protest, as well as its powers used to keep the peace, maintain public safety, enforce the law, and provide community support and reassurance.

It will also include engagement with protesters, iwi, nearby businesses, local and central government, the courts and other stakeholders, the authority said in a statement on Thursday.

“It also includes how police balanced the rights of protesters with the rights of other people throughout the course of the protest,” the IPCA said.

Police restrain a protester on the morning on March 2, when a major operation saw officers clear the occupation.

The authority received nearly 1900 complaints as a result of the occupation.

* Labour MPs block justice select committee hearing on Parliament riot

Police and protesters violently clashed during a chaotic morning on Molesworth Street in Wellington on Wednesday (some of the language may be offensive). Video first published March 2, 2022.

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The authority anticipates the work will be completed and reported on by the end of March next year.

The authority received nearly 1900 complaints as a result of the occupation. Incidents that attracted public attention included videos appearing to show officers’ dragging a woman by her hair, and punching and eye-gouging a man during a battle between the two groups for Molesworth St.

The review would provide the public, police, and other key stakeholders with an independent assessment of the information police had, their decisions and tactics used, and whether the approach taken as the protest evolved was lawful, proportionate, and appropriate, the IPCA said.

“Individual complaints will be addressed as part of the investigation/review and complainants will shortly be contacted in accordance with the authority’s standard processes and informed of how their complaint will progress.”

“Many complaints are from individuals who were not present at the protest but are concerned about police actions or inactions. Some are from individuals who were physically present and made complaints about specific or more general police activities, such as the lawfulness of their powers, use of force or particular tactics, and treatment in custody.”

The authority anticipates the work will be completed and reported on by the end of March next year. This will include findings related to individual complaints and a final thematic review summarising key finding, recommendations or lessons learnt that may inform future police actions.

“The authority will not make any further public statement, but will from time-to-time report to the Secretary for Justice on the progress of the work,” it said.

In a six-page report of the scope of the review, the IPCA said given the unprecedented nature of the occupation, and the public debate and scrutiny, it was appropriate as the oversight body to undertake the review independently.

The investigation will not examine any other protests around New Zealand during the time of the occupation, unless they influenced or informed decision-making processes around the occupation.

The spread of misinformation/disinformation online and how it influenced people’s behaviour would not be part of the review, or the political or socio-economic motivation of any complainant or group of complainants, the IPCA said.