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Police not justified in unleashing dog on boy, 14, who led officers on high speed chase - IPCA • Source: 1 NEWS
It was unjustified for a police dog to bite a 14-year-old boy after he drove his friend s mother s car, the police watchdog has found. A German Shepherd police dog (file picture) Source: istock.com
The boy was staying at a friend s house in Cambridge in October 2019 when his friend, referred to as Y, took the silver Volkswagen Golf without her knowledge or permission.
Officers signalled for the vehicle to stop, thinking it was linked to the break-in of another vehicle, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) noted in a decision today.
Police signalled the driver to stop and, when he did not, they started to chase the vehicle. The chase lasted for 18 minutes and spanned over 30km, with the car reaching speeds of 150kmh in a 100kmh zone. It ended when the young person drove down a dead-end driveway in a rural area south of Hamilton, spinning out and almost hitting a house. He and his friend, who was in the front passenger seat, ran off into surrounding farmland. Four other young people who were in the back seat were caught almost immediately. An officer and a dog handler chased the driver and passenger through some paddocks before the driver was caught by the police dog and bitten.