Qld: Police mistake steering wheel lock for gun
13 Apr 2009 3:29 PM
BRISBANE, April 13 AAP - A teenage Queensland driver may receive an apology from police after an officer mistook a steering wheel lock for a gun and arrested and handcuffed the youth.
Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson on Monday said the matter was under investigation and if the officer was found to have acted inappropriately, the police service would apologise.
Chris Hastings, 18, said he was pulled over by police last Thursday and breath-tested.
An officer accused him of carrying a firearm in the car, placed him under arrest and handcuffed him.
The situation was resolved with the arrival of senior officers, but the incident left Mr Hastings angry.
Mr Atkinson said the officers involved would be interviewed "and if we made a mistake and did the wrong thing, we'll apologise".
"It does seem the police believed there was a firearm in the vehicle. I don't think there's any argument with that," he said.
"They may have decided to exercise caution, but all of those things are yet to be determined.
"For now, let's just see if there's another side to this story."
The commissioner said police had to move quickly where there was danger of a firearm, to minimise the risk to all.
"If that means a person is very briefly detained, then as long as these actions are reasonable, then I think that's a fair call.
"Where a firearm is potentially involved, personally I think it's very wise to be cautious," Mr Atkinson said.
