Inquiry into protest actions finds officers were let down by top brass

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority has given the officers involved in the riot that ended the 23-day occupation of Parliament a year ago a general clearance. However, police hierarchy has come in for some strong criticism with claims their misjudgments could even have cost a life.

The authority’s main finding after investigating nearly 2000 complaints was that police showed remarkable restraint, but there were flaws.

It said the plan to clear protesters was inadequate and police officers feared for their safety on the final day; they were not adequately equipped to deal with the occupation’s violent end and were initially told not to wear hard body armour. However, the authority found that most police force was justified.

Authority chairman Judge Colin Doherty said that while the overall police conduct was restrained, the plan to clear the protesters on March 2 was inadequate. The plan had not properly addressed clearing the grounds, how police would hold the ground they had already reclaimed, how the protesters’ property would be managed and how evidence would be collected.

Police were initially told they could not wear hard body armour such as shields and long batons for the operation due to concerns that fully armoured police would aggravate the protesters and negatively affect the public’s perception of police.

The report says officers burst into laughter when told before the operation they wouldn’t be given helmets, pepper spray or tasers despite also being told safety was a priority. One said he feared they would die when people started throwing bricks at them. Police actually borrowed helmets from firefighters.

Eighty-two police officers were treated for injuries with six taken to an emergency department for serious injuries, including fractured bones, head and chest injuries and a suspected spinal injury.

More than 1800 police staff, one in eight of the total force, were seconded to Wellington for the operation. The total cost of the occupation is close to $9 million, with police costs estimated at $3.6m. Police made 301 arrests; 26 of these people are still going through the courts.

The authority’s findings will not satisfy everyone and there were filmed instances where police force looked excessive, but that has to be balanced against the overall situation in which what began as a peaceful protest had spiralled into something entirely different on the final day.