Probe into beach `brutality'

By Mary Jane Boland

Police will investigate claims they used brutality against teenagers at Waihi Beach.

They said the teenagers had caused mayhem early yesterday after New Year's celebrations turned to street riots.

The officer in charge promised a tough line would be taken should any of his staff be found at fault.

A TV3 News item last night showed police kicking and using batons on young people. One officer was shown repeatedly bashing and kicking a youth prone on the ground.

Local teenager Ben Phillips was interviewed and said he had been beaten "like an animal" by police.

The 17-year-old received welts on his back and bruising to his head when he was pulled from a car and beaten.

About 1500 people were at the beach. Many of them were involved in fights with police, which ended in 15 being arrested and police and party-goers injured.

Twenty police were initially in the area. Just before midnight a further 27 were called from Whangamata, Ngatea, Paeroa and Waihi.

Last night, the head of police for the Coromandel and Thames district, Detective Inspector Lex Denby, said he would ask TV3 for all its cameraman's footage.

Mr Denby, who had not seen the news item, understood only 90 seconds of film out of three hours had been screened.

Force had to be used on people who resisted arrest, said Mr Denby, and he had been told Mr Phillips threw a bottle at police, then tried to escape in a car.

"There's no justification for the use of excessive force but what we don't know is what happened before and after that particular snippet TV3 have chosen to air.

"With selective editing anything can be portrayed."

The director of news and current affairs for TV3, Mark Jennings, said he would supply footage filmed immediately before and after the incident.

"From the footage, you can see that this guy is lying on the ground and the policeman goes to him and pokes him with the baton. It's hard to understand what the reason might be."

Mr Jennings said three minutes of footage had been shown - not 90 seconds - and several attempts were made to get comment from police about the incident.

Mr Denby said several officers were injured during the riot, which began when a car was set alight.

He planned a full debriefing and action could be taken against police if necessary, as well as the rioters.

"If there's any evidence that a police officer used excessive force and that force was unwarranted we would look into it."

Waihi Beach locals last night defended the police actions. A man who witnessed the drama from his bach but would not give his name said the "young louts deserved what they got."