Rotorua CBD roof incident: Man returned to mental health services

A police cordon at the intersection of Arawa and Tutanekai Sts in Rotorua on Thursday. Photo /NZME

The man at the centre of an incident that closed a busy central city street in Rotorua has been returned to the care of mental health services.

Arawa St was closed between Tutanekai and Amohia Sts for several hours yesterday after a man wearing a Free Palestine T-shirt href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/police-incident-in-rotorua-cbd-person-on-roof/GU4M3SAL7VD6HK4Y6SMCCMMGXI/" target="_blank">spent hours on the roof of a single-storey building containing a Defence Force careers office.

Police were called about 12.40pm.

Rotorua police area commander Inspector Herby Ngawhika said the 29-year-old man had been in the care of mental health services two days before the incident but had left.

He said police closed the street when he went onto a roof, to ensure the man’s safety.

A frontline sergeant on duty, who is a member of the police’s negotiation team, was able to talk the man down from the building without any incident.

A Rotorua Daily Post reporter said the cordons were lifted just after 3pm.

Ngawhika said the man wasn’t charged with any criminal offence but was returned to the care of mental health services