Man charged after cop savaged by pitbull

The officer suffered moderate to serious injuries to his entire body during the attack.

A man will appear in court today after a police officer suffered numerous bite wounds to his head and cuts from a pitbull dog in Foxton yesterday.

A 40-year-old Horowhenua man has been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, failing to stop for police and aggravated assault after the incident at the Foxton Work and Income office yesterday.

The alleged offender will appear in Palmerston North District Court.

The officer had been called to the Work and Income office after reports a 40-year-old man had been acting angrily and causing issues about 11.30am.

Police said the man became aggressive as he was approached by the officer, who then pepper sprayed the man and his dog.

However, the pepper spray was ineffective, and the man allegedly punched the officer and set his dog on him.

The officer suffered moderate to serious injuries to his entire body during the attack. He had since received medical treatment.

Acting Manawatu area commander Detective Inspector Chris Bensemann said the officer had a cut around the top of his left eye and "numerous bite marks" across the top of his head.

He said he was appalled by the incident.

"Imagine being on the ground and you have a pitbull working its way up your body and then biting you around the head area. There is not many things more that I could think of that would be as frightening as that," he said.

"I think it's appalling."

Photographs taken after the incident showed there "was blood everywhere", he said.

Mr Bensemann said police officers across the country were called to these incidents every day.

But what happened to the officer was "unexpected, unprovoked and without reason".
"He basically arrived and he was just confronted by this person who was standing beside his vehicle."

New Zealand Police Association president Greg O'Connor said he was concerned by the number of police officers who had been assaulted in recent weeks.

"What we find most frustrating is we will hear politicians and the police administration say the number of assaults on police are going down.

"The general assaults are going down, or the minor assaults, but serious assaults have gone up by 30 per cent since 2009."

Mr O'Connor said Tasers should be made available to and carried by officers at all times.
He said the association would be providing assistance to the officer involved.

Mr Bensemann said the man involved was now in police custody. His pitbull dog was seized by local animal control officers following the incident.

Horowhenua District Council's customer and regulatory services manager Mike Lepper said typically, once a dog was impounded, the matter was investigated.

The same would apply in this case, he said.