Police in New Zealand burning off seized cannabis were
left red-faced when a change in the wind sent smoke billowing over
a primary school, it was reported Tuesday.
Officers in the South Island town of Picton were destroying
cannabis and shredded paper in an incinerator at the local police
station when the incident occurred, the Marlborough Express
newspaper reported.
It said St Joseph's School principal Peter Knowles noticed the
smoke on Friday morning and complained to police, who immediately
extinguished the fire.
Senior Sergeant Peter Payne said a small amount of cannabis was
in the incinerator when the wind changed direction and unexpectedly
took the smoke over the school.
"A big gust just came and took it in a different direction. It
can't be helped, it's just an act of nature," he told the
newspaper.