In the early morning of June 6, 2022, a member of the public phoned police after hearing a gun shot outside their home, says the IPCA in its ruling released today.

They provided camera footage to police which showed an unknown person in the driver’s seat of a silver coloured station wagon firing a handgun out of the driver’s window.

About 15 minutes later, a police dog handler saw the vehicle being driven at high speed. The vehicle fled from police and later came to a stop after it drove over road spikes.

The dog handler says he saw five people get out of the vehicle and run away. He yelled for them to stop, and warned he would release his dog if they failed to do so.

The five occupants continued to run away, and the dog handler released the dog. The dog bit a 15-year old youth on the arm. The other occupants surrendered without incident.

Police took the youth to hospital where he was admitted for treatment. Police did not locate the firearm.

The Authority has concluded that the use of the dog was a proportionate use of force in the circumstances.

“In this case, the officers had reason to believe at least one of the occupants of the vehicle was in possession to a firearm,” says Authority Chair Judge Kenneth Johnston KC.

“The dog handler made a sound assessment of the risks, and releasing the dog was the most appropriate tactical option available to him.”

In response to the report, Hamiltin City Area Commander Inspector Will Laoughlin says they accept the IPCA's findings.

“Our staff members made the right tactical decisions in order to bring this incident to a conclusion.

“There were several elements of risk here, including a firearm and a high-speed fleeing driver event, and appropriate procedure was followed to mitigate those risks, keeping the public and our staff safe.”