Drink-driver fled after dialling 111

A woman who drove away from her violent partner after waiting 45 minutes for police to respond to her 111 call has escaped disqualification for drink-driving offences.

The Christchurch District Court case yesterday follows claims by MPs that widely publicised failures have eroded confidence in the police 111 emergency system.

Tina Seil made her emergency call after a heated domestic dispute. Fearing for her safety, she left the house and waited outside for the police.

After three-quarters of an hour, Seil - who had been drinking - got into her car. She was backing the vehicle up the driveway when a patrol car arrived.

In court, Seil admitted charges of refusing a blood sample, refusing to accompany police and giving false details. Judge Michael Crosbie ordered her to do 100 hours community work. 

Police told the Press newspaper it would take some time to search through logs for details of the incident involving Ms Seil, so they could not immediately comment on the case.

Police aim to respond to 111 calls within 10 minutes in urban areas.

Last month, figures released to the Press showed that nationally in the six months to November, police made it to just 69 per cent of emergency priority one calls in under 10 minutes - a 2 per cent decline on last year's figures.

Meanwhile, Police Association president Greg O'Connor says funding complexities are contributing to criticism about poor response times and questionable performances from officers.

A law and order select committee report made public yesterday pinpointed downfalls in the service.

The report noted complaints about road patrols apparently ignoring emergency call-takers' requests to attend nearby emergencies and added to concerns about traffic-policing overkill.

Mr O'Connor yesterday told NZPA he had not yet seen the report, but said funding structures leading to under-resourcing in the frontline was a concern.

- NZPA