Dance meant to humiliate alleged vandals

This still from the video posted on YouTube shows the two young men dancing. Photo / Supplied

Whangarei police are investigating claims that officers filmed two youths being made to dance by homeowners whose fence they had allegedly vandalised with graffiti.

A video of the pair dancing, made by the property owner and allegedly partly recorded while officers watched, has been posted on the YouTube social networking site.

The video clips posted on the internet to "humiliate" the youths had thousands of views.

Acting Whangarei police area commander Inspector Murray Hodson confirmed that an investigation had begun into the actions of the householders, the officers who attended the house and the alleged taggers.

Police were called to the High St address on Saturday night after a householder, who wanted to be known only as Izzy, allegedly discovered the pair had tagged his fence on Thursday.

Izzy and his partner, Tracey, made the pair dance while waiting for police, recording their moves on camera.

Izzy said that when officers arrived, they filmed the action on cellphones.

In the three clips on YouTube, the couple demand the two youths dance and repeatedly ask which one of them tagged the fence.

During the dancing, Tracey tells them they will be the laughing stock of Whangarei once the video is on the internet. "Hope you're proud of yourselves," she said.

Izzy said one of the YouTube clips of the dancers was taken after the police arrived at the house.

Izzy said on the internet: "If you look past these d**ks and look at the ranch slider you can see the reflection of the police ... That makes it even funnier. I told these idiots that they were not allowed to stop dancing just because the police were there ... They were even dancing for the police while giving their details."

Izzy told the Northern Advocate that he stood by his actions.

"These two idiots have done a stupid thing and they have to suffer the consequences.

"I made them dance to humiliate them and I think I've achieved that," Izzy said.

He wants the two dancers to return and paint the whole fence black again.

One of the dancers, an 18-year-old, said he had not sprayed the fence but had gone to apologise to the home owner.

He and the other youth went to Izzy and Tracey's house to continue discussions. He said he was annoyed officers had videoed the incident before he was taken to the police station.

The other youth said he was forced to dance. "I felt like a complete idiot and he wouldn't let us go until the cops got there."

Many people who have watched the clips have congratulated Izzy and Tracey on their approach.

A 20-year-old man has been charged with wilful damage. The case will be dealt with by the Whangarei District Court.

- APN