Two injured after police officer ignored order to abandon pursuit

A police investigation has found a Christchurch officer explicitly overrode a direction to halt a pursuit. File photo / Bevan Conley

By RNZ

A police officer in Christchurch refused to abandon a police pursuit after being directed to by a superior, after which the car they were chasing crashed head-on into a civilian vehicle, injuring two innocent people.

A police investigation found the driving officer explicitly overrode the direction from the pursuit controller to halt the chase, and in response broadcast over the radio that the fleeing driver must be stopped.

About 8pm on May 23 last year, police noticed the car, which

had been stolen and involved in earlier offending and two police cars chased it. The car went on to the wrong side of Brougham St, a major Christchurch thoroughfare,

and police

followed.

As a result, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) reported, the pursuit controller directed the chase be abandoned.

However, the lead patrol car driver overrode the order and broadcast that he driver "must be stopped".

"The pursuit controller did not challenge this response or reaffirm his direction to abandon, resulting in the pursuit continuing," the summary report said.

"Shortly after the fleeing driver crossed on to the wrong side of Ensor Rd, followed by two patrol cars, [and]

crashed into the civilian vehicle."

Reporting from the time by other media said one person was seriously injured and one moderately, but police told RNZ

two people in the civilian car were moderately injured.

"The police investigation found the actions of the two patrols in pursuing the fleeing driver onto the wrong side of Brougham St was dangerous, and the pursuit should have been abandoned when directed by the pursuit controller. It also found the officer who challenged that direction did not have the authority to do so under police policy," the summary said.

Police reiterated to RNZ that the officer should have stopped, but refused to say what action was taken against him.

"The concerns raised in relation to police actions have been dealt with through an employment process," a police spokesperson said.

The IPCA said police have taken "remedial action to address the shortcomings identified".

The authority carried out its own independent review of the police investigation and agreed with the findings.

The fleeing driver was convicted of 15 offences, including reckless driving causing injury, and was imprisoned.

- RNZ