Police frustration recounted at CTV inquest

7:55 am on 30 October 2012

The first police officer on the scene at the collapsed CTV building has told an inquest of his frustrations when search and rescue teams arrived.

The Coroner's hearing into the deaths of eight people who initially survived the collapse during the February 2011 earthquake has resumed in Christchurch.

It is investigating the work of emergency services, and why rescuers failed to reach those who were trapped, starting with the initial police response.

Sergeant Michael Brooklands told the hearing on Monday that the rescue effort slowed when urban search and rescue staff began to take over from volunteer rescuers.

He says he and other volunteers became increasingly frustrated by their instructions.