Dear New Zealand Police,

It was recently reported in the media that there have been a number of incidences where people have been illegally turned away from places they are entitled to be with a service dog. In the article it was mentioned that police incorrectly and illegally removed a passenger from an Auckland bus who had a service dog. It was reported that the officers were ignorant of the law. In order to determine if this is likely to be widespread miss-application of the law I require the following information.

- How many times have police been called to remove someone with a dog from a public place in the last 12 months?
- Specifically looking at Auckland Transport, how many people have police removed from buses, trains or ferries in the last 12 months?
- How many times have police been called about a service dog in a public place in the last 12 months?
- Of those times police have been contacted, how many have resulted in police intervention in the last 12 months?
- Of the times police intervention was required, how many times were people with service dogs asked to leave a public place in the last 12 months?
- How many trespass notices have been issued by police against people with service dogs seeking to access a public place in the last 12 months?
- How many officers have been disciplined or referred for further training for incorrectly applying the law when it comes to service dogs in the last 12 months?
- What additional training has been provide to frontline officers to advise them of the change in the law regarding service dogs in the last 24 months?
- What options are being considered by the police to address the shortfall in officer training regarding service dogs?

It should be noted that it is patently unacceptable for officers to be unaware of the law. It is incumbent of every member of the public to be aware of the law at all times. It stands to reason we must hold police officers to the same or higher standards. I hope the media reporting prompts the police to address these shortcomings so we don't have further incidents where the state fails to protect the most vulnerable, as has been reported in the media.

Yours faithfully,

N Bromberg