A Whanganui father says he felt like his son had been "kidnapped" after police removed the four-year-old from his care under a Police Safety Order (PSO), a move later ruled unjustified by New Zealand's police watchdog.
According to a report by Stuff, the incident occurred in December 2024 when officers arrived at the father's home during dinner and took the child, referred to as Johnny, following allegations made by the boy's mother.
According to a recent ruling by the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA), police failed to properly investigate the allegations before issuing the order and removing the child.
The father, referred to as Steve, said the situation unfolded without warning.
“It was two cops, no Oranga Tamariki, that was a big surprise to me,” Steve says, as quoted by Stuff.
“Two police officers saying, ‘We’re here to pick up [my son], we can’t exactly tell you why, but here’s a piece of paper saying if you contact him, you will go to jail’,” Stuff has quoted.
Steve said he asked officers whether his son could finish eating before leaving.
“They made a phone call ... I found out later it was to his mother, and they said, ‘No, he can’t have dinner, we’re taking him now,’ as quoted by Stuff.
“He didn’t even have time to put his shoes on - he walked down the road barefoot.
“He was crying and upset; he didn’t know what was going on.
“He’s a kid, he sees the goodies and the baddies - cops pick up the baddies, as quoted by Stuff.
“It felt like kidnapping, to be completely honest,” Stuff has quoted.
The child was placed in the care of his mother, who was waiting nearby.
The IPCA report revealed that the mother had visited a police station earlier that day, claiming her son had disclosed that his father and the father's partner had physically assaulted him during a previous stay 11 days earlier.
However, the authority found police did not verify the claims with a kindergarten teacher identified by the mother, inspect the child for injuries, or speak with the father before deciding to issue the safety order.
According to Stuff, one officer later told investigators there was insufficient evidence to arrest the father but believed a PSO could be used to remove the child while further inquiries were conducted.
Police Safety Orders are intended to protect people from family violence and may require a person to leave a home. They are not designed to determine child custody arrangements or facilitate the removal of children between parents.
Steve acknowledged sending a message to his former partner, encouraging custody mediation.
“Unfortunately, that message turned into her thinking I was going to try to hold him here against his will, or something like that, and she’s gone to the police and claimed I’ve bashed him,” as quoted by Stuff.
Among the allegations were claims that the child had been slapped and that his hand had been shut in a car door.
Steve rejected the accusations.
Some of the allegations she made were that Johnny was slapped across the face and that Steve shut his hand in a car door and walked away, which Steve says are “outrageous” claims, Stuff has quoted.
No charges were ever laid against Steve, and police confirmed the mother was not charged or warned for making a false complaint.
Steve described the allegations as devastating.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m a bogan-looking dude ... but being painted as a criminal and a child abuser ... it felt terrible, as quoted by Stuff.
“I fully felt like a criminal.”
He also questioned why police removed only one child from the household while leaving three others behind.
“They’re trying to say they’re ‘doing it for the kids’, and then they left three kids there, Stuff has quoted.
“If I’m such an abuser ... wouldn’t I be bashing the other children?
“They said ‘We don’t have a case for them,’ Stuff has quoted.
“They only cared about [Johnny].”
After the three-day safety order expired, Steve worked with a lawyer and engaged with Oranga Tamariki to clear his name.
“I had to take my family down to OT because no-one was investigating, they wanted to write us off as abusers,” Stuff has quoted.
About 10 days after the incident, Oranga Tamariki informed him that the case would be closed without further action.
“OT cleared me, but it took me and my family a lot of legwork, we had to go in there every day - we were ringing them, emailing them, chasing it up,” as quoted by Stuff.
When reunited with his son, Steve said the experience was highly emotional.
“I picked him up from kindy. Man, it was an emotional pick-up.
“All the teachers were like, ‘We know this was wrong, we know this was a lie’,” Stuff has quoted.
In its findings, the IPCA concluded police lacked sufficient evidence to justify the order.
“We therefore consider that the PSO was unjustified,” Stuff has quoted.
The watchdog said the order had been used in a manner that “bypassed the strict legal safeguards governing child removals” and criticised both the investigating detective and supervising officer for failing to make adequate inquiries.
Authority chair Judge Kenneth Johnston KC stated that Police Safety Orders should never be used to transfer the care of a child from one parent to another.
The IPCA recommended policy changes, staff training, removal of the order from the father's record, and an apology to Steve, as reported by Stuff.
Although police initially defended the officers' actions and declined to apologise, they later acknowledged the distress caused and agreed to provide an explanation outlining changes made following the incident, as reported by Stuff.
Central District Commander Superintendent Dion Bennett said police had acted with the child's welfare in mind.
“Our officers acted on the information available to them at the time, with the child’s safety as their priority,” Bennett said in a statement, as quoted by Stuff.
“While we accept that further enquiries could have been undertaken before issuing the PSO to the father, the officers’ intent remained focused on the child’s wellbeing,” Stuff has quoted.
Police have since amended records to state the order was issued in error and that officers had erred in law. National guidance has also been updated to reinforce caution and encourage alternative approaches, including engagement with Oranga Tamariki.
Despite this, Steve says he has yet to receive any direct communication from the police.
“They are refusing to apologise. They say they are going to give me some reason and explanation, but I haven’t heard anything, no knock at the door, no phone call, no email,” as quoted by Stuff.
Reflecting on the incident, he said the experience permanently damaged his trust in law enforcement.
“I lost faith the moment when they took [Johnny] off the doorstep,” Stuff has quoted.
ISSUE
Leave a Comment