KEY POINTS:
A hardline attitude by police could see students involved in the Undie 500 riots facing jail terms.
Officers are considering upgrading the charges the 69 students face after the fun race from Christchurch to Dunedin ended in mayhem at the weekend.
They are due to appear in Dunedin District Court on Friday on disorderly behaviour charges.
However, each case is being reviewed by police and some may have a charge of rioting added, emergency response commander Inspector Alastair Dickie said.
Police are applying to have the alleged offenders' court dates put back so they could investigate further and review video footage of the events, he said.
Rioting is a crime under the Crimes Act 1961 and is punishable by up to two years in prison.
Every member of a riot is liable for imprisonment.
Mr Dickie told The Press police wanted convictions and to recover $12,000 in damages.
He said that in the past students had been discharged without conviction.
"We want a firm example made here because we don't want a recurrence of it. These things are not dealt with stringently enough and we want to try to avoid that," he said.
Mr Dickie said he hoped to get the support of Otago and Canterbury universities in prosecuting the students.
- NZPA
