Outrage in New Zealand after 11-year-old girl sent to psychiatric ward and drugged in identity mix-up (My Thoughts)   So far, There have been many reports that have been written on 2 April 2025 of an incident of a young female who was mistaken for her age and identity mix-up. This young woman was just a young female at the age of 11 non-verbal autistic and was mixed up for a 20 year old. One of the local papers such as The Guardian article reads that An 11-year-old girl was restrained, injected with anti-psychotic drugs and placed on a mental health ward after New Zealand police mistook her for a missing woman, a report found on Wednesday. What was she doing during this incident happened to her? Health officials and police have scrambled to explain the mix-up, which has appalled political leaders and stoked outrage across the country. The girl – who displayed “limited verbal ability” – was crossing a bridge in northern Hamilton city when a passing police car mistakenly identified her as a missing 20-year-old female hospital patient, the review said. Police drove the girl to hospital, where she was admitted to an “intensive psychiatric care unit” despite one nurse suggesting she “resembled a child”. “Patient A lives with a disability that means she was not able to tell people about herself,” said a review by the Ministry of Health, referring to the girl. After refusing to take drugs offered by staff, the girl was restrained and injected with anti-psychotic medication that is “rarely administered to children”. “Staff were working on the assumption that they were administering medication to an adult, not a child,” read the damning review of the 9 March incident. Police were called to Fairfield Bridge in Hamilton about 6.40am on March 9, after a person described as a female in her 20s was seen walking in distress. Acting Waikato district commander Superintendent Scott Gemmell told the Herald the 111 caller reported that the woman appeared to be intoxicated and that city cameras captured her climbing up the rails of the bridge. Gemmell said police units, including a police boat, responded immediately, fearing her safety. “She was repeating the questions that the officers had asked her. They weren’t able to form an identification of her at that point, but she looked by virtue of the wider circumstances of someone that needed care and it progressed from there.” The Herald understands the girl is autistic and non-verbal. How did a child come to be misidentified as an adult? Superintendent Scott Gemmell, Acting Waikato District Commander has described the events that led to the 11-year-old being misidentified. Gemmell said police were called about 6.40am on Sunday 9 March to the Fairfield Bridge after a person described as a female in her 20s was seen climbing onto the railings. “Fearing for her safety, police units, including a police boat, responded immediately, and staff attempted to speak to the female. She was unable to give the officers any details and did not have any personal identification on her.”Police were concerned she was suffering from a mental health episode and took her to Waikato Hospital for assessment’s “The female got into a patrol car without requiring assistance or force and was not handcuffed,” Gemmell said. On arrival at the hospital officers decided to put her in handcuffs when her behaviours caused further concern for her safety, he said. Later speaking to Checkpoint, Gemmell said when the girl was taken to Waikato Hospital, “identification was of primary concern”. “We took a photo of her and we distributed that amongst our staff on one of our distribution lists. “One of our staff came back with a nomination of a person who was residing in a community based mental health facility approximate to the Fairfield bridge.” Police then spoke to a carer and sent through a copy of that photograph for identification purposes. “We did that and the carer did come back to say they thought it was this person as well. “Based on that knowledge, we went into the emergency department at Waikato Hospital, and based on that information that we have to hand, we believed this to be another person. “We are really disappointed and gutted by what has subsequently happened.” Gemmell said he had seen photos of the two, and they had similar face, hair and complexion, but officers at the time were relying more heavily on someone who dealt with the 20-year-old more often. Gemmell said the 20-year-old woman was not in a mental health facility at the time of the incident. A local woman was thought to be a possible identity and police sought to confirm this with a mental health service provider who knew that person. Based on that advice they told Waikato Hospital staff, including their rationale for the nominated identity, he said. “The incorrectly nominated person was not involved in any earlier occurrence and was not being sought by police.” About 6pm that evening, a woman reported her 11-year-old daughter missing, and a staff member recognized her as the female picked up on the bridge. Police staff immediately disseminated information about her, including a photo to all staff, as she was considered a vulnerable missing person due to her age and several other factors. One staff member recognized her and her family was contacted. Reported missing At around 6pm, almost 12 hours after the incident on the bridge, a woman reported that her 11-year-old daughter had gone missing. “Police staff immediately disseminated information about her, including a photo, to all staff, as she was considered a vulnerable missing person due to her age and several other factors.” One member of police staff recognized the girl as the one who had been picked up by police earlier that day, and her family was “immediately” notified and given her location. Police took a family member to pick up the 11-year-old.”We know that the events of that morning were likely distressing for the young girl, and her family. We are working with Waikato Hospital to