A police officer has escaped prosecution for starting a fire which closed down an Otago bar for the evening.
The fire started when the off-duty officer threw an associate's hat on a gas fireplace.
The hat ignited and a member of the bar’s staff had to extinguish the flames.
Fire and Emergency NZ and police were called and the venue had to close for the evening.
The incident was investigated by the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) which backed the decision to not prosecute the officer.
In the summary of its investigation, the IPCA said when emergency services were called, the off-duty officer had already left the bar but was identified using CCTV footage.
Aware their actions had caused disruption, the officer contacted the bar manager a few days after the blaze and provided their name and contact number.
They also let their police supervisor know about the incident.
A criminal investigation into the incident decided that the off-duty officer’s actions amounted to disorderly behaviour, and the IPCA ruled that it was not in the public interest to prosecute them.
Police also completed a confidential employment investigation and determined that the officer’s actions were contrary to Police Values and the Police Code of Conduct.
The IPCA agreed that an alternative to prosecution was appropriate in the circumstances and they were satisfied with the outcome.
