A shopper was "gobsmacked" after the officer held his Taser behind his back while questioning the group.

A North Canterbury man was "gobsmacked" after a police officer questioning him for allegedly breaching social distancing rules unholstered his Taser inside a supermarket.

Footage shows the officer holding one hand behind his back with his Taser removed from its holster as he speaks to the men in question.

One of the shoppers, a gang member who asked to not be named, said he was "blown away" and "upset" by the "confronting" situation and felt he had been unfairly targeted by the officers and supermarket staff.

GOOGLE MAPS/SUPPLIED Three men waiting for fried chicken at Pak'nSave Rangiora were confronted by two officers just after 1pm on Friday. (File photo).

He said he drove to Pak'nSave Rangiora about 1pm on Friday.

He was waiting in line for a fried chicken meal when he bumped into a friend, who was with someone else, and the three waited about 30 minutes for their meals.

During that time, a supermarket staff member allegedly approached them and asked if they were "ready to leave".

SUPPLIED One of the officers holds his taser behind his back while talking to the Pak'nSave shoppers who were allegedly breaching social distancing rules and refusing to leave.

"He (the staff member) was trying to usher us off and I said 'mate we're waiting for our food' and then all of a sudden the police just roll up on us," he said.

"Not even a 'hey how's it going?' it was a straight, 'what's your name? who are you?' and if you approach us like that, of course I said 'I'm not going to give you my name and what's this about?'"

He said during the discussion one of the officers pulled out their Taser and held it behind their back.

"I'm not perfect I have a whole rap sheet of history, I've been out of jail for almost three years and it just upsets me the way people look at [me].

"They see a big dude with tattoos and think he's a gang member, yes I'm a gang member but I'm just like everybody else I'm entitled to buy chicken. We get judged all the time and I understand that … but we still deserve to be treated like everybody else."

Canterbury rural area commander Inspector Peter Cooper said the three men allegedly refused to leave the store after being asked to do so by store management.

He said the officers offered advice to the men on the importance of social distancing.

"Officers respond to evolving situations that can escalate quickly," he said.

"In this instance, one of the attending officers held his Taser behind his back. The Taser was not presented during the incident and no arrests were made."

Cooper said members of the public should stay apart if they are not in the same bubble and they should not congregate at supermarkets or other public spaces.

"It's important to stick to the two-metre rule to prevent the spread of Covid-19."

The shopper said they were not told to leave the store and believed they had been "profiled".

"It just upsets me because we were not asked to leave and then to turn up and remove your Taser and I've always thought for them to remove it from their holster there must be a threat…

"I just don't understand how they can turn up like that and do that and then think it's all good."

A police spokeswoman said frontline staff can only use a Taser in accordance with strict instructions and approved training.

"An officer may use a Taser as a visual deterrent when there is potential for the situation to escalate to the point where there is an imminent threat of physical harm to any person.

"The Taser may be discharged only once the officer has an honest belief that this threshold has been reached or exceeded," she said.

A Pak'nSave Rangiora duty manager said no-one was available to comment on the incidenton Saturday.