Police made false theft report while tracking lockdown breakers

Just one month after the Privacy Commissioner warned police to do better when it comes to number-plate cameras and privacy, a detective pretended a car was stolen so they could track it.
OIA documents show the police made the false report while hunting three women who travelled to Northland last October, sparking a Covid-19 lockdown.
A month earlier, the commissioner had told a police deputy chief executive who was keen to expand use of the cameras, they had a lot to do to improve privacy culture, practices and management.
Phil Pennington is looking into this.