Walking with grandchildren near cliff edge 'incredibly dangerous'

A man who took his grandchildren for an "incredibly dangerous" walk at a popular Dunedin headland sparked a large emergency services callout yesterday, police say.

Constable Nick Turner, of Dunedin, said officers responded to reports of a man walking near the cliff edge at Lawyers Head about 1pm.

The man was with his grandchildren, Const Turner said.

The incident served as a reminder not to go over the barrier at the head, as the tussocks were very slippery in the area.

"[It’s] incredibly dangerous, really," Const Turner said.

The incident sparked quite a big callout, with members of the police negotiation team and the Land Search and Rescue cliff rescue team being notified.

"It tied up a lot of resources." 

The man was "educated" on the dangers of the cliff, Const Turner said.