21 Aug 2014

IPCA backs police dog handler

8:08 pm on 21 August 2014

A police dog handler was justified in setting his dog on a man he wrongly believed was involved in a burglary, the Independent Police Conduct Authority has ruled. The man suffered bite wounds.

The victim, who was innocent, sustained multiple wounds to his leg.

The decision relates to a late night incident in November last year when police were called to a burglary at a central city address.

The police dog tracked the offender to a nearby carpark.

The dog's handler saw a man he believed was the suspect running, and shouted for him to stop.

But it was an innocent person, Kyle McArtney, who initially failed to stop, and was bitten when the and the handler released his dog.

After about thirty seconds, the officer was able to remove the dog and he called for an ambulance.

The IPCA ruled that, while it was regrettable, the handler's actions were reasonable and the only tactical option.

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