Police humour unappreciated

The Police Association is disappointed that an apparently light-hearted remark by a police officer seizing on an Irish accent has resulted in an official complaint.

Irishman Frankie Morgan reportedly complained to police that when he approached an officer manning a cordon at a bomb scare in central Christchurch last week to ask what was happening, the officer said: "You should know with an accent like yours".

Police confirmed a complaint would be investigated.

A Police Association spokesman believed the officer's remark was simply intended as light-hearted banter: "If we can't have a sense of humour at a situation like that, where are we going to be?"