Two officers at the centre of an investigation into a Whangarei police bar skirmish have returned to work.
The investigation is continuing and it is uncertain whether the officers will be charged. One needed medical attention after the incident.
The head of the investigation, Inspector Clifford Paxton, would
not confirm when the two senior staff members were stood down, but it is understood it was a few days after the April 27 stoush.
Mr Paxton said the matter was being investigated internally and the two policemen were back on the beat.
He would not confirm whether they had been on full pay while off work for nearly one and a half months, nor would he comment on the possibility of charges.
"Obviously the circumstances and the fact that it occurred in the police canteen have been investigated," Mr Paxton said.
"I'm not prepared to comment further than that."
More than 20 people in the bar during the melee had been interviewed, as well as staff on duty but not in the bar at the time.
Changes had also been made to the way the police bar operated.
Mr Paxton would not comment on what those changes were or whether the bar's opening hours had been reduced.
- NORTHERN ADVOCATE
