8 Sep 2011

Lawyer says police may be forced to apologise

9:53 am on 8 September 2011

A lawyer who represents a person previously charged during the police raids in Te Urewera ranges in 2007, says the police may be forced to apologise to the people caught in the operation.

Charges against 13 of the 17 people who were facing arms charges have been dropped.

Police issued a statement saying they have not ruled out an apology to the people of Tuhoe who were affected, but there will be no apology to those who were charged.

Annette Sykes, who represents one of those who is to have his charges dropped, says complaints have been laid with the Human Right Commission, the Independent Police Conduct Authority and a United Nations Special Rapporteur.

She says one of these agencies may make the police apologise.