Police criticised over fatal pursuit

File photo / NZ Herald

Police officers should have followed procedures when abandoning a high speed chase which ended in the death of a 22-year-old man, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) has found.

Troy Peter MacKay was killed in Christchurch on June 20, 2010 when his Subaru Impreza hit a tree as he was being pursued by police.

The investigation concluded the officers were justified in starting the pursuit and largely complied with policy throughout, but should have come to a complete stop and turned off their lights and siren when abandoning the chase.

The officers began to chase Mr MacKay after seeing his car being driven in a dangerous manner along Blenheim Rd in the city.

The car was seen weaving in and out of traffic before it turned on to the Christchurch South Motorway and then into Halswell Road, where it lost control and struck a tree at a speed of 150km/h.

The officers lost sight of the fleeing car seconds before the crash and decided to abandon the chase. They failed to communicate this to their dispatcher and continued to drive above the speed limit, with their lights and siren activated.

Mr MacKay died while being taken to hospital. His two female passengers, aged 29 and 18, were injured.

The IPCA found the officers' mistake was "undesirable", but had no bearing on the tragic outcome and made no recommendations.

- NZPA