Man barricades himself inside hospital

A stand-off at Tauranga Hospital ended after police stormed a ward where a man had barricaded himself for almost two hours.

A Tauranga police spokesman said the stand-off began about 4pm when the 39-year-old local man, who had been a patient at the hospital, threatened to cut himself and damage his hospital room.

Police officers were seen entering the hospital with riot shields and body armour.

"When police arrived he had barricaded himself in the room and was threatening to cut himself with a razor and a pair of scissors as well as set his toilet area alight," the spokesman said.

After an hour of police negotiators trying to talk him out of the room, police stormed the room, he said.

A Police Northern Communications spokesman said no one was injured in the stand-off.

"I understand a man who was not very happy and had locked himself in a room has been removed.

"Police forced the door to the toilet area that he was in and took him into custody. He was transferred to a more secure ward in the hospital."

Police would not be laying charges, he said.

The man said he had no plans to hurt himself or anyone else, and just wanted to be heard.

He told the Bay of Plenty Times he had made numerous official complaints about his treatment at the hospital and wanted people to listen to him.

He said he locked himself the hospital toilets with enough provisions to last four days.