Armed police were called out to a Christchurch suburb after reports of a man with a handgun, only to find he had a cologne bottle shaped like a pistol.
Police were called by a concerned member of the public at about 3.15pm today, after the man was seen walking around the St Martin shops, apparently holding a handgun.
Armed police cordoned off the area and confronted the man as he was exiting the New World supermarket, at which point police found he was holding a cologne bottle that was shaped like a handgun, with a black barrel and brown handle.
The 28-year-old man was arrested and has received a formal warning from police.
Senior Sergeant Vaughn Lapslie said it was a serious incident.
"Police would like to take this opportunity to remind people that toy guns and products that are made to look like real firearms, when carried in public and handled carelessly, cause a lot of concern in the community and get treated seriously by police."
