MP upset over use of spray

A police trial of the Taser stun gun should be suspended as police are not using pepper-spray responsibly, says Green Party police spokesman Keith Locke.

Mr Locke's comment comes after the latest alleged police misuse of pepper spray.

The Taser stun gun trial is due to begin across most of the Auckland region in September.

"If frontline police cannot yet be trusted to use pepper-spray appropriately, how can they be trusted with a 50,000-volt stun gun?" Mr Locke said.

An inquiry has been launched after a 5-year-old Auckland girl was sprayed during a domestic dispute on Saturday.

Police were called to the West Auckland address at 3am to help settle an argument between the girl's uncle and his partner.

Police used pepper spray as they were arresting the uncle outside and Desharna Soloman, 5, walked into a cloud of it, the Herald on Sunday reported.

Desharna's family said one officer sprayed three other family members watching the arrest, two of whom were pregnant.

The family said they intend to lay a formal complaint to the Police Complaints Authority.

Mr Locke has asked the Police Commissioner to urgently investigate alleged police misuse of pepper spray.

He said Saturday's incident had parallels with the pepper-spraying of 35-year-old Scott MacDonald in handcuffs outside the Fight for Life event in Auckland in May.

The act was caught on camera by a television cameraman and sparked a public outcry.

"There seems no evidence that those pepper-sprayed, two pregnant women and a man, were a serious danger to the police," Mr Locke said.

Police Association president Greg O'Connor said he had looked into the incident and he believed the use of spray was justified.

"I've spoken to police officers from West Auckland who absolutely reject the allegations.

"The family's version of events is quite frankly not right."

He said there would be an inquiry.

Instead of blaming police the family should ask why pepper spray needed to be used, he said.

"That would be our main comment on this."

- NZPA