Police officer seriously hurt in crash

A police officer is in hospital waiting to undergo surgery after his patrol car was smashed into - possibly deliberately - by a fleeing driver in Hamilton this afternoon.

Waikato road policing manager Inspector Leo Tooman said ambulance staff told police it was a miracle the acting sergeant escaped with only a broken femur.

Mr Tooman said the officer was on his way to help look for a stolen car in the east of Hamilton at about 3.40pm today.

The car failed to stop for several officers before going through a roundabout the wrong way, up a side street and on to Woodstock Rd in the suburb of Fairfield.

"The patrol car the sergeant was driving was turning into the other end of Woodstock Rd when the offender's car collided with it in a 'T-bone' style crash," said Mr Tooman.

The 15-year-old driver tried to flee the scene and was arrested. The three juvenile passengers were also apprehended.

Initial indications show all appropriate procedures were followed, said Mr Tooman. "One of the priorities now will be in establishing if the offenders' car was driven into the patrol car deliberately, as witnesses indicated to us."

A female officer travelling in the patrol car suffered minor bruising and a number of staff were shaken by the incident, said Mr Tooman.

Mr Tooman has thanked several members of the public - including an off-duty nurse and off-duty fireman - who came to the injured officer's aid after the crash.

The officer, who will soon be undergoing surgery at Waikato Hospital, is in "good spirits given the extent of his injuries".

The Waikato Serious Crash Unit is investigating and the Independent Police Conduct Authority will be notified of the incident, said Mr Tooman. The investigation will also be peer-reviewed by an independent out-of-district crash investigator.

The occupants of the stolen car are being interviewed by police and it is not yet known what charges will be laid.

- NZ Herald staff