Attribute to Acting Counties Manukau District Commander Superintendent Shanan Gray:
Police acknowledge the findings of an Independent Police Conduct Authority’s (IPCA) report into the handling of a detainee in the Counties Manukau Custody Unit in June 2021.
Police had been dealing with an agitated detainee in the Custody Unit who had to be restrained after she slipped past staff and ran out of her cell.
The IPCA found the use of force when restraining the detainee to be excessive and her post-injury care to be inadequate.
Police acknowledge and accept these findings.
Police place high expectations on our staff and how they perform their duties.
We manage thousands of people that come into our custody, of which we provide a high standard of care.
In this instance we have fallen short of these expectations and standards.
As an organisation we are always open to learnings and systems used in our custody units are continuously reviewed to find improvements to better inform Police and other key decision makers around the management of detainees.
Custody Officer A has since left New Zealand Police.
ENDS.
Imogen Neale/NZ Police