Tēnā koutou,

NZ Police have previous released under the OIA their TASER (Electronic Control Devices) manual (v9.0 released in January 2017) and tactical options reporting data containing some information in how tasers are used by NZ Police.

This TOR data, and media reports of actions such as a taser being discharged on a youth operating a tractor (https://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-n...), have revealed potential breaches of the TASER (Electronic Control Devices) manual. I have some questions about how such breaches are monitored and responded to by NZ Police.

Please release the following information:

1. If the TASER (Electronic Control Devices) manual has been updated since v9.0 was released in January 2017, please release all subsequent versions of this document and the dates on which they came into effect.

2. What system(s) does NZ Police use to monitor and investigate potential breaches of the TASER (Electronic Control Devices) manual or other misuses of a taser?

3. When a breach of the TASER (Electronic Control Devices) manual or other misuse of a taser is identified, what actions may taken by NZ Police in response (e.g. verbal warning, additional training, termination of employment, prosecution)?

4. A list of all potential breaches of the TASER (Electronic Control Devices) manual or other misuse of a taser investigated by NZ Police, broken down by month from January 2014 until the most recent month for which information exists, including:

4a. The nature of each of these incidents (e.g. taser used against a person offering only passive resistance); and

4b. The outcome of each of these investigations (e.g. whether or not the investigation found there was misconduct)

4c. The actions taken by NZ Police in response to each of these instances.

Please also explain any relevant caveats that should be kept in mind when analysing this information, including the licence under which it is released.

Please provide all information, including the response letter, in an accessible, searchable format. Please provide any tabular data in a machine-readable spreadsheet format, such as CSV or XLSX.

As I’m not familiar with the systems used by NZ Police in this area, if any of my questions are worded in a way that is inconsistent with these systems, I hope you will consult with me to revise my request.

I expect the type of information I am seeking is clear, even if the specifics may not be correct. If any part of my request is unclear, please don't hesitate to contact me for clarification.

If any of the information that I have requested is unavailable or would be difficult to retrieve, but similar information might be readily available, I would be happy to discuss altering or refining my request.

Ngā mihi,
Mark Hanna

Tēnā koe,

Thank you for the partial response sent yesterday, and for the notice of extension for the remainder of my request I received just now. I appreciate that splitting my request in this was allows for some of the requested information to be released earlier, instead of waiting for all of it to be ready, and I am grateful that NZ Police have taken this approach.

I see that the three attachments to yesterday's response are all image-based PDFs, which seem to have been created by printing and then scanning documents. In my request, I expressed a preference that all information, including the response letter, be provided in an accessible, searchable format.

Section 16(2) and 16(3) of the Official Information Act requires that information be released in the way preferred by the person requesting it unless there is one of three specific reasons for not doing so, and that if a different format is used the requester should be told the reason for not providing the information in the way they preferred.

Please provide me with the three attachments to yesterday's email in an accessible, searchable format. I expect that the original format, before these documents were printed, will be suitable for this. No information appears to have been withheld in any of these documents, so I don't anticipate that there will any difficulty in providing this.

As I have said in previous correspondence with NZ Police, it should be considered good practice to use accessible formats by default, and I would recommend NZ Police review their practices in this area. I have emailed the Minister for Disability Issues about this issue, and she responded with the message that “Providing OIA responses in accessible format should be standard practice as part of an open and transparent government”.

If there is a reason under section 16(2) of the OIA why NZ Police will not release accessible copies of this information, please tell me what the reason is.

Ngā mihi,
Mark Hanna

Tēnā koe Holly,

The attached response letter mentions "The attached spreadsheet", but I don't see any spreadsheet attached to the email. Could you please send through the spreadsheet again?

Also, I see that the response letter is an image-based PDF, which seems to have been created by printing and then scanning a document. In my request, I expressed a preference that all information, including the response letter, be provided in an accessible, searchable format.

Please provide me with a copy of the response letter in an accessible, searchable format.

I reiterated this part of my request in an email I sent you a week ago, when I asked for accessible copies of the other attachments I have been sent. I have not yet received any response.

Section 16(2) and 16(3) of the Official Information Act requires that information be released in the way preferred by the person requesting it unless there is one of three specific reasons for not doing so, and that if a different format is used the requester should be told the reason for not providing the information in the way they preferred.

As I have said in previous correspondence with NZ Police, it should be considered good practice to use accessible formats by default, and I would recommend NZ Police review their practices in this area. I have emailed the Minister for Disability Issues about this issue, and she responded with the message that “Providing OIA responses in accessible format should be standard practice as part of an open and transparent government”.

If there is a reason under section 16(2) of the OIA why NZ Police will not release accessible copies of this information, please tell me what the reason is.

Ngā mihi,
Mark Hanna