Road warrior: man wants to arrest police officer

The officer co-operated fully with the man who was in an 'elevated state'. Photo / Facebook

Police have praised the calm response of an officer who was confronted by a driver accusing him of cutting him off.

A 54-second clip was posted on Facebook on Friday and depicts the moments after a man stops a police officer and accuses him of cutting him off. It is unclear what exactly happened because the video starts after the alleged traffic offence happens. The man approaches the police officer in an unmarked car and says: "You know that you're supposed to follow the road rules, right? You can't just pull out on people like that."

The officer instantly apologises, gives his badge number and first name when the man requests it. The man then said he would have been given a ticket if he'd "done that".

The officer replies: "Not necessarily."

The man, who lists his hometown as Manukau City on Facebook, returns to his car and says he will take further action.

The clip has quickly gone viral -- it has been viewed more than 230,000 times, has 4001 likes and has been shared almost 2200 times.

Counties Manukau Police weren't able to check whether an official complaint had been made because headquarters were closed today because it is Wellington Anniversary Day.

But senior professional conduct manager, Inspector Tracy Phillips, applauded the manner in which the police officer conducted himself.

"He apologised straight away, he admitted the mistake, he gave his name, he gave his number and stayed really calm in the face of someone who was in a little bit of an elevated state."

Ms Phillips intended to contact the officer in question and congratulate him on his reaction and behaviour.

"We accept that police officers occasionally make mistakes as well."

Ms Phillips said there were a number of ways to make a complaint against an officer, including through the police website, the Independent Police Conduct Authority or at a police station.

Once a file has been created for a complaint, the relevant authority will investigate it and determine what action needs to be taken.

Ms Phillips said this could range from a warning to criminal proceedings.

Police welcomed videos of interactions with officers because it helped them assess the encounter "from all sides". Ms Phillips said film could be included in complaints via a link or as an attachment.

Complaints about officers' driving were not made often, she told the Herald.

Police officers are subject to the same laws and penalties as all other New Zealanders, she said.

The man who posted the clip has not responded to a request for comment.