Tiki Taane performs with dancers dressed as police during last year's New Zealand Music Awards. Photo / Richard Robinson
Tiki Taane performs with dancers dressed as police during last year's New Zealand Music Awards. Photo / Richard Robinson
Police say they won't charge singer Tiki Taane after deciding it was a coincidence that officers walked through a hotel at the same time he was performed the song F*** the Police.
Police confirmed today they would not pursue charges against the singer for a repeat of the performance thatsaw him arrested last year.
Senior officers were earlier considering a charge of disorderly behaviour likely to cause violence or disorder following Taane's show at Palmerston North on May 26.
He was accused of chanting "f*** the police'' and pointing at patrolling officers.
At the time, Taane said police had "their knickers in a twist'' over him performing the song by American group NWA at the same time officers were in the building.
Area commander Inspector Pat Handcock said today he had made the decision not to prosecute Taane.
He said "parts of what actually occurred'' remained unclear but based on the reports of officers who were present, police were not confident charges would be successful.
"And it was, to a degree, coincidental that police staff were present at the time,'' Mr Handcock said.
"At the end of the day, is there sufficient evidence for us to ... secure a conviction? And the answer is no, so it's not worth ... initiating a prosecution.''
Taane's troublemaking lyrics last month came as an encore to the almost identical performance that saw him arrested during a gig at Illuminati Superclub in Tauranga last year.
Charges were later dropped in that case after he explained he was singing the same NWA song.
Mr Handcock said officers had done the right thing by reporting what had happened at Taane's performance last month.
