New police road spikes could save lives in pursuits

New police road spikes. Photo / Daily Post

Police are introducing a new type of road spikes designed to save lives during police pursuits.

Calls came to replace the existing road spikes after 14-year-old Rotorua boy Pehi Tahana died in February.

He lost control of a stolen car after driving over police road spikes during a chase and crashed into an oncoming van.

Police revealed in the latest Police News magazine that a bulk order of US-made Stinger road spikes had been made and would be deployed nationally by March next year.

Coated in plastic, the Stinger spikes can penetrate all tyre types and are designed to prevent blowouts by allowing for the slow release of air - allowing drivers to come to a safe and controlled stop.

One hundred sets of the Stinger spikes were trialled in the Counties-Manukau region for 12 months and favourable results spurred police to order a national supply.

In the past year 650 sets of the new spikes were distributed nationwide and another 1227 sets were currently on order.

Prior to introduction of the new Stingers, police had access to just 200 sets of road spikes.

Rob Morgan, national adviser operational policy and standards for road policing, said spikes were another tactical option for police to use during a pursuit.

"Pursuits are dangerous for everyone and this is a way to minimise risk to the public and police," he said.

"The idea with the new spikes is to have as many frontline vehicles as we can equipped with them."

The Stingers can stretch up to 10 metres and weigh a tenth of their predecessors.

They were also easier and safer to deploy.

The chase involving Pehi began when he and his two young passengers drove off from a Papamoa petrol station without paying.

The boy lost control of the car after running over police spike strips laid across the road on State Highway 28 near Te Poi, between Matamata and Putaruru.

He collided with an oncoming van and died inside the vehicle.

His two passengers were injured and taken to Waikato Hospital along with the driver of the van.

- NZPA