Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Another day, another police abuse of power

RNZ reports on some casual police brutality:

A police officer used excessive force when he put an intoxicated woman in a headlock and pulled her to the ground in Invercargill last year, the Independent Police Conduct Authority has found.

The authority said the officer was "retaliating in anger" against the woman, who had been drinking in a liquor ban area.

The full report is here. It finds that the officer used unprofessional language, and that the use of force was unjustified. Of particular concern is the fact that the officer wrenched his victim up off the ground by the handcuffs when her hands were cuffed behind her back - which is getting close to strappado, a torture technique. They also appear to have consistently lied to the IPCA in an effort to excuse their behaviour.

Naturally, they weren't charged, despite the force being serious and unjustified and causing injury. They will supposedly face an employment investigation, but of course that will all be done in secret and result in nothing. We all know the police bend over backwards to protect their bad apples, which is why the whole barrel is rotten.