PM's minder in drink-driving chase

One of Helen Clark's police bodyguards was in the passenger seat of a Porsche that careered around a posh Auckland suburb with a drunk policeman at the wheel.

The mid-afternoon spin in the Porsche Boxter through Remuera was so fast that pursuing police pulled out of the chase leaving the Eagle helicopter to track the car.

The car reached speeds of at least 100km/h in 50km/h zones during the bizarre incident last Monday.

The driver was stood down from his duties and has since appeared in court, entering no plea to charges of drink-driving, reckless driving and failing to stop.

The actions of the diplomatic protection officer who went along for the ride are now under scrutiny.

The pursuit ended when the driver, a South Auckland constable, pulled into a driveway in Dell Ave off Orakei Rd around 2pm.

He got out of the car, which belonged to one of his family members, but the diplomatic protection officer stayed in the passenger seat.

The protection squad officer remains on duty during an internal police inquiry. He is not facing any criminal charges and has told investigators he asked the driver to stop during the chase.

A police source said questions remained about whether the passenger had been drinking, and what he could have done to stop his drunk colleague from driving and evading police. The outcome of an inquiry by Auckland City police professional standards is likely to be sent to the Office of the Commissioner in Wellington.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Helen Clark, who is out of the country, was not sure if she had been told about the incident. The employment of her protection staff was a matter for the police, he said.

Commissioner Rob Robinson has been fined $230 for doing 97km/h in a 70km zone last Friday.