Tēnā koe

I acknowledge receipt of your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request below.

Your reference number is IR-01-23-28160

You can expect a response to your request on or before 3/10/2023 unless an extension is needed.

Ngā mihi,
Jonelle
Ministerial Services - Police National Headquarters

-----Original Message-----
From: N Bromberg <[FYI request #24037 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 5 September 2023 8:11 am
To: Ministerial Services <[email address]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Official Information request - Number of times people with service dogs have been illegally removed from public places

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FYI request #24037 email]

Is [New Zealand Police request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to New Zealand Police? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

===============================================================
WARNING
The information contained in this email message is intended for the addressee only and may contain privileged information. It may also be subject to the provisions of section 50 of the Policing Act 2008, which creates an offence to have unlawful possession of Police property. If you are not the intended recipient of this message or have received this message in error, you must not peruse, use, distribute or copy this message or any of its contents.
Also note, the views expressed in this message may not necessarily reflect those of the New Zealand Police. If you have received this message in error, please email or telephone the sender immediately

hide quoted sections

Kia ora

Please find attached the response to your Official Information Act
request, received by New Zealand Police on 5 September 2023.

Kind regards, Brittany
Ministerial Services PNHQ

 

 

===============================================================

WARNING

The information contained in this email message is intended for the
addressee only and may contain privileged information. It may also be
subject to the provisions of section 50 of the Policing Act 2008, which
creates an offence to have unlawful possession of Police property. If you
are not the intended recipient of this message or have received this
message in error, you must not peruse, use, distribute or copy this
message or any of its contents.

Also note, the views expressed in this message may not necessarily reflect
those of the New Zealand Police. If you have received this message in
error, please email or telephone the sender immediately