A 39-year-old Brockville man has been charged with assaulting a child after allegedly smacking his 6-year-old son on the backside at the weekend.
Senior Sergeant Steve Aitken, of Dunedin, said the man was "sorting out breakfast" for his two children while his wife slept in on Sunday.
"His youngest child wasn't eating quick enough, and was told to hurry up.
"The child threw his plate at him, so the father pulled down the child's pants and smacked him.
"It left a mark. We acknowledge it was just one smack, but it was excessive use of force.
"We don't want children being assaulted in this manner."
Snr Sgt Aitken said the boy's mother called police after the incident and the man was arrested a short time later.
The man was released on bail to another address while government agencies investigated and put safety precautions in place.
The man will appear in the Dunedin District Court this week.
Snr Sgt Aitken said it was an issue which Dunedin police dealt with from time to time.
"There's a hell of a lot of kids get smacked by their parents, but it's not reported all that often."
