Police cleared over actions in car pursuit

The actions of three police officers during a car chase has been justified and seen as acceptable. File photo

An investigation into the handling of a police pursuit of three armed teen offenders has found a "technical breach" of policy was justified.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority report into the May 2014 incident in Rotorua found the actions of three police officers - that included driving on the wrong side of the road, at high speeds and using road spikes and dogs to apprehend the teens - were acceptable.

The reports said the incident involved three offenders aged 16-, 17-, and 18-years-old at the time, who had allegedly conducted two aggravated robberies and stolen two vehicles.

They were believed to be armed with an axe and a firearm.

The 21-minute pursuit spanned 10.8km and ended when the offenders' stolen Mazda MPV ran a red light, collided with a car turning into a rugby club and then hit a traffic light pole.

Two of the teens were then chased down and bitten by a police dog before they were arrested.

The report found that officers were justified in their pursuit, complied with policy, conducted appropriate risk assessments and correctly used a police dog.

One officer's breach - by continuing the pursuit after another officer had abandoned it - was found to be justified.

"Despite being a technical breach of policy, Officer A's actions in continuing the pursuit until the Pursuit Controller later directed it be abandoned were justified in the circumstances," the report said.

The incident unfolded when the teens were seen driving the stolen Mazda on May 26, two days after the robberies, on SH5 near the small lakeside town of Ngongotaha.

The report said the car failed to stop and an officer commenced a pursuit.

The stolen car was driving at nearly twice legal speed limits and on the wrong side of the road, it mounted a footpath, skirted traffic by driving on a grass berm and "fish-tailed" when it swerved to avoid road spikes.

The fact that there was fine weather, minimal traffic and no pedestrians were mitigating factors that supported the officers' actions to pursue the vehicle, the report found.