The Virender Singh case has prompted the Government to examine how police use their discretion when charging those who use force to defend themselves.
Justice Minister Simon Power asked for the report yesterday, saying there was considerable public anxiety about the police decision to charge Mr Singh for attacking someone trying to rob his liquor store.
The police case against Mr Singh was dismissed - the latest in a string of high-profile self-defence cases in which the prosecution has failed.
Asked yesterday if the law on self-defence needed a thorough review, Justice Minister Simon Power said "not quite yet".
Mr Power said he had asked his officials how the self-defence laws were being applied "in terms of how police exercise their discretion to charge".
He also wanted to know how often courts dealt with self-defence cases.
The relevant sections of the Crimes Act are Section 48, which says a person is justified in defending themselves in reasonable circumstances, and Section 55, which allows the use of necessary force to stop someone entering a home.
Mr Singh's lawyer, Greg King, said police had to make sure these sections did not apply before charging someone who was defending themselves.
Mr King said an amendment explicitly allowing the police to exercise discretion in self-defence cases - similar to that in the anti-smacking law that gives them the discretion not to prosecute "inconsequential" cases - could be a solution.
Mr Power was responding to questions in Parliament from Act MP David Garrett, who said the self-defence law needed to be reviewed because of violence in the community, particularly against shop owners.
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