Road rage and fights make for busy night

A machete attack, a road rage hammer assault and fighting rushed police off their feet during a busy night of crime in the upper North Island.

Police in Northland, Auckland, the Waikato and the Bay of Plenty were called to almost 1000 incidents in the six hours between 10pm on Saturday and 4am yesterday.

More than 700 emergency calls were made, said Inspector Darroch Todd of the police northern communications centre.

A Hamilton policeman was injured when he was dragged 50m after a motorist wound up his window on the officer's hand and drove off.

The officer broke free but suffered suspected broken ribs.

Half an hour later, around midnight, a man was hit on the head with a machete, suffering a suspected skull fracture, during a family party in Penrose.

The victim said there had been an argument over a game of pool. He did not want to make a complaint.

At 1am, police attended a road-rage incident in Mission Bay where two young men were struck on the head and arm with a hammer.

It was the fourth serious case of road rage involving a weapon in recent weeks.

Truck drivers Barry Fletcher and Paul Molnar were attacked in separate incidents, and a motorist was threatened with a firearm last Friday night.

Mr Todd said the busy night continued with a fight in the central city involving a knife and hammer which left a man nursing puncture wounds to his back and chest.

Again, the victim was reluctant to make a formal complaint.

Mr Todd said police also received three complaints of people throwing objects at vehicles.

Bottles, rocks and eggs were thrown at two buses.

"We have also had a total of eight pursuits during the night, with one vehicle in Tauranga driving at speed down the wrong side of the Tauranga expressway."

Mr Todd said the pursuit was immediately abandoned.

About 7 o'clock on Saturday night, a woman was knocked unconscious in a hold-up at a dairy on Great South Rd, Drury.

Police said a male Maori aged about 18 demanded money before punching the woman.

He fled in a vehicle that was later found about 2km away.