Media Release

For Immediate Release
14 March 2013

IPCA Taser report shows context is key

An Independent Police Conduct Authority Report, released today, which finds Police Taser use against a man in Christchurch in 2010 was justified, should serve as a reminder that media and the public need to be wary about jumping to conclusions before the full circumstances and context of an incident are understood, Police Association President Greg O’Connor said today.

“With cell phone footage showing snippets of police actions increasingly being released – often for unclear motives – onto the Internet, this case should serve as a reminder to viewers of the need to be wary of drawing conclusions about what the footage actually shows,” Mr O’Connor said.

“This case became controversial because TaserCam footage was obtained by TVNZ and screened, leading some to leap to the conclusion that the use was contrary to policy or not justified.

“As the IPCA report shows, relying on a ‘snapshot’ single piece of information – be that TaserCam footage, cell phone footage, or a single eye-witness – can give very misleading impressions of what actually occurred. Crucial context can be lacking, such as what may have happened before the recording started, what may be happening just out of shot, or what verbal threats may have been made or are being made.

“Police officers need to make their tactical decisions based on the whole situation as they perceive it, reacting to the threat they face and the necessity to act. That context is often missed when a single piece of evidence is released, as it was in this case. Invariably, subsequent inquiries ascertain and take the wider facts into account, and almost always show the decisions made were justified in the circumstances – as they were in this case,” Mr O’Connor said.

ENDS

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