Police have responded to findings from the Independent Police Conduct Authority, that two Hamilton officers exceeded authority during an arrest in 2023

The officers approached a 17-year-old who was in the driver's seat of a parked car in the early hours of the morning.

The youth struck out at one of them to stop the officer reaching in and taking his car keys - and was then placed on the ground in handcuffs.

The Authority concluded the officer crossed a line by taking the car keys, but say the force used was justifiable after the youth struck out.

Police say the officers made decisions and acted based on what happened as the incident unfolded.