The organisers of an Auckland charity motorsport rally say a police officer was unaware a toy gun was being pointed at his head while he was posing for a photograph.
The photograph, taken at the Cannonball Run event in Auckland at the weekend and posted on social networking sites, shows a uniformed policeman bent over his car, arms pulled behind his back as two men, one brandishing a toy gun, restrain him.
Police bosses were unamused with the photograph, saying it was inappropriate and they were looking into how it happened.
Rally organisers say participants complete various challenges as part of the run, one of which is to get a humorous photograph with a police officer, who was at the event to give a safety talk.
Auckland Motorsport managing director Vaughan Philip said it was unfortunate some of the competitors got carried away trying to win the photograph challenge.
Mr Philip said the officer declined other inappropriate poses.
"In this instance, the police officer agreed to a joking mock reverse arrest but during the photo a second person had entered the shot posing with a toy firearm pointed at his head," he said.
It was clear the officer was not aware of the man and would not have agreed to the photo had he been so, Mr Philip said.
The rally organisers did not condone the photograph and said it was the first time the challenge had been abused.
Police are not commenting further.
NZN