Unmarked police car found abandoned after crash

Rotorua police are investigating a mysterious early-morning crash involving a police vehicle that struck a power pole before being abandoned.

Police say they do not know who was driving the unmarked silver station wagon when it ploughed into the pole on Pukehangi Rd about 5.35am on Saturday.

Inspector Bruce Horne said an internal inquiry was under way to establish who was driving and the circumstances of the crash.

Police who attended the scene found the car empty.

Mr Horne would not say whether anyone had been stood down while the inquiry was being carried out.

There were a number of questions surrounding the crash, he said.

"The officer that normally has that vehicle is an officer that is on-call and in the normal course of events would often be taking that vehicle home.

"But having said that, there's a whole lot of other questions that are unanswered at this stage."

Mr Horne said there were no obvious signs, such as blood, that the occupant had been injured, but the vehicle was undergoing forensic examination.

He was aware there had been speculation about the crash from police staff but said it was unhelpful to discuss the information.

"When a police car crashes it's never a good look, but we have to look into that," he said.

"We're having to run an inquiry to assure ourselves about what actually happened that night and we're not in a position to make a judgment on that."

The Police Complaints Authority has not been notified, but a police spokesman said that was not unusual.

The authority was notified when a police car had been in a pursuit, or when an incident involved a member of the public.