An abusive wannabe lawyer has confronted New Zealand police in a misguided fight for the right of children to huff glue.
The video, apparently shot in the central Auckland suburb of Sandringham, shows two officers stopping a group of youths. The man quickly springs into action, capturing the events on his cellphone.
"Here we go. Cop, harassing kids. On the street," he says, on his quest to challenge the law.
"What do you think you're doing buddy? You know you're not allowed to talk to children without their parents. Get lost, you can't stop me!"
The officers' attempts to calm him down fail.
"I don't need to listen to you c**tstable. No, c**tstable!" he shouts.
One of the police officers shows him the evidence - bags of glue apparently confiscated from the children - but the man is unimpressed.
"That's legal in this country! It's legal in this country! It's legal in this country a**ehole," he shouts.
"That's glue. That's a legal product in this country. Abuse of solvents and glue is legal in this country!"
"It is legal," the children agree.
"They're huffing glue, mate. Under Section 48 of the CYFS Act we're just making sure they're alright," an officer responds.
Under Section 48 of the Children's and Young People's Well-being Act, where police find a child in a situation where their physical or mental health is likely to be impaired, they have the right to stop them and take them home.
But the man is unimpressed, and continues his fight for the right of children to get high on solvents.
"Get in your car and f**k off!" the man says.
"I think that any responsible member of the public would agree that police officers have an obligation to check on the welfare of any person that they see sniffing glue or solvents, no matter the age of the person," a police spokesperson told Newshub.
"I would also suggest that this video is a fine example of our officers doing an outstanding job remaining calm and professional when confronted with aggression."
"I am sure our community would stand with us in saying that the behaviour and language of the individual filming is unacceptable. Nobody deserves to be treated in that manner for simply trying to do their job," says Inspector Regan James.
"Sniffing glue is a breach of Auckland Council bylaws, the officers were acting in a duty of care under Section 48 of the Oranga Tamariki Children's and Young Persons Well-being Act 1989 in protecting the youths' wellbeing.
"It is disappointing the individual who made the video posting was unable to see that sniffing solvents is detrimental to a person's well-being and hindered their care and protection."
Newshub.
