Watch: Police officer praised for response after men jump in patrol car

A police officer has been praised by the public and his superiors alike after video emerged of him keeping a cool head in a potentially volatile situation.

The video shows the officer calmly asking two young men to hop out of his patrol car after they jumped in during a rowdy party to play with the lights and sirens.

Originally filmed in 2019, the video recently resurfaced on social media, attracting attention for the raucous behaviour of the men and the low-key manner in which the office defused the situation.

Described in a comment online as "quite possibly the greatest clip from a crate day in all of human history," the video was shot in December 2019 in the Western Bay of Plenty.

Although the video was shared by a man claiming that the events took place in Northland, tell-tale signs such as the consumption of Tui beer and the wearing of a Waikato Draught singlet placed the video further south.

The video shows a police officer speaking with a group of young drinkers by the side of the road.

As the officer speaks with the group, two people take it upon themselves to enter the patrol car, eventually turning the lights and sirens on before the policeman calmly walks over to the car and opens the door.

What is said to the young men is not audible, but they soon both emerge from the car and calmly walk away.

Commenters online noted that the interaction was a particularly Kiwi way of dealing with things, saying that in overseas jurisdictions the men would be lucky not to get Tasered - or worse.

In a statement to the Herald, Senior Sergeant Rob Glencross, from Western Bay of Plenty police, said the officer had acted calmly and sensibly and revealed how the men were able to enter the vehicle.

"The officer had locked the vehicle when he got out to speak with the group. However, the two men were able to access the vehicle because the officer was close by, and the locking system detected his proximity via his key fob, allowing the doors to be opened," he said.

"While they were able to turn the lights and sirens on, the system works in a way that had any attempt been made to move the car, ie putting it into gear, the vehicle engine would have shut down and the vehicle would have been immobilised.

"The men were spoken to and no further action was required.

"This incident was dealt with calmly and sensibly by the officer who was able to quickly resolve the situation without any further issues.

"Policing can be unpredictable, and this incident demonstrates some of the challenging situations officers encounter while out doing their jobs. We are satisfied this officer handled the situation well, and there are no concerns with police vehicle security."