Dog Squad in the dog box over complaint

The authority awarded $1,000 privacy compensation to the complainant for the breach of her privacy. Photo / TVNZ

A complaint against the television show Dog Squad has been upheld after the show identified a woman attempting to smuggle tobacco to her partner in prison.

The show, which follows dogs working for government departments like Police and Corrections, was investigated by the Broadcasting Standards Authority after the woman complained others would recognise her.

The episode in question aired on TV ONE and showed dog handlers searching visitors to a prison.

The complainant was visible on two occasions; firstly, her bag was searched when she was driving onto prison premises, and secondly, a sniffer dog identified that she was carrying contraband - tobacco - inside the prison.

She was shown surrendering this to Corrections staff. In both instances her face was blurred.

The authority found that the complainant was identifiable, despite the blurring, by her clothing, body type and voice, and possibly other details.

It found that the broadcast revealed private facts about her, including that she was taking prescription drugs and that her partner was in prison, and that the disclosure of these facts would be "considered highly offensive to an objective reasonable person".

In response to TVNZ's submission that the footage carried 'direct public interest' because it showed the consequences of smuggling contraband into prisons, the authority said, "TVNZ could have communicated these public interest messages without disclosing [the complainant's] identity."

"This could have been achieved, for example, by using pixellation that properly concealed the features of the complainant, avoiding full-body shots and masking her voice."
The authority awarded $1,000 privacy compensation to the complainant for the breach of her privacy.