Internal police documents from its elite anti-terror specialists expressed concern its assault on Kim Dotcom's mansion would be seen as "heavy-handed'' and "over the top''.
Details of the planning of the raid on Dotcom's rented Coatesville mansion in January were revealed in evidence to the High Court at Auckland today, along with a rejection of claims by the internet tycoon that he was assaulted during the raid.
The testimony came from a sergeant in the special tactics group (STG) who was in charge of leading the search for Dotcom.
The officer, whose name is suppressed, talked about the lead up to the raid, including the security evaluation that was done before the raid. The officer confirmed a STG document which said there was a need to balance the execution of the warrants with the "heavy-handed'' tactical approach.
The document, referred to by Dotcom's lawyer Paul Davison, also described the use of a helicopter as being "over the top''.
