Story: Ombudsmen and officers of Parliament

Constable Mike Smith is tasered by Sergeant Darrin Putt during a 2006 demonstration of the effectiveness of the weapon in incapacitating criminals. In 2009, after tasers came into use by the New Zealand police, Television New Zealand requested footage of an incident recorded by a taser camera (an attached camera which was activated when the taser was fired). The police refused on the grounds that supplying the footage would compromise an accused person's right to a fair trial. TVNZ then complained to the ombudsman, who investigated and ultimately found in favour of the police.