law
4 May 2020

Questions over police powers in lockdown

From Midday Report, 12:17 pm on 4 May 2020

Police are adamant they enforced lockdown rules appropriately, despite advice from Crown Law they had little to no power to enforce them early on.

Leaked emails show a Crown Law opinion warned the police they had little to no power to enforce the Level 4 lockdown, and officers should be operating as though the country was at Level 1.

Māni Dunlop speaks with public law lecturer at Wellington's Victoria University, Associate Professor Dean Knight.