Police 'right' to shoot armed addict

Police "did the right thing" in shooting dead armed drug addict Lee Mettam, but her death was still a tragedy, says anti-drug campaigner Brett Sawyers.

Mettam robbed Sawyers' Whangarei Vodafone shop at gunpoint before being shot by an armed offenders squad member on October 23 last year.

In findings released today after an independent investigation, police said the officer involved, known as Constable A, acted legally in shooting Mettam.

He was justified because he was concerned for his safety, that of other officers and the public, said Northland police district commander Superintendent Mike Rusbatch.

"If the officer had not taken this defensive action then he would have been neglecting his duty through not protecting himself and other people in the vicinity."

Mettam was gunned down when she opened the store door and pointed her gun, which turned out to be an air rifle, at the officer taking cover across the street.

Mr Sawyers said it was important to learn from the incident in the hope such a thing would not happen again.

"Lee's death was a tragic thing that should never have happened but, having said that, the police did the right thing," Mr Sawyers told NZPA.

He is putting his words into actions, having become an anti-methamphetamine campaigner since the shooting.

The Northland P Project is a community-based initiative fighting the spread of the highly-additive drug. It was set up as a direct result of Mettam's death.

Its first goal is to raise $400,000 to pay for a DVD educating locals about the perils of `P'.

It is due to be delivered to all 55,000 households in Northland from November 28.

Fundraising had only just begun but locals were enthusiastic about the cause, Mr Sawyers said.

"I have people walk in my shop with cheques for thousands of dollars."

He said it was important that something positive came out of the "tragic incident" that he was unwittingly caught up in.

While the criminal investigation has been completed, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) is yet to complete its investigation, which involves looking at police policies, practices and procedures.

The matter has also been referred to the coroner for an inquest into Mettam's death.

- NZPA