Police acknowledge the IPCA’s findings into a fleeing driver incident in Christchurch last year, where a passenger died after the vehicle crashed.

Shortly after 2am on 17 September 2023, officers stopped a vehicle in Christchurch and discovered the driver was breaching his licence conditions and the vehicle was not roadworthy.

The vehicle was issued a pink sticker, ordering it off the road, and the driver was instructed to drive it directly to a specific address.

The vehicle was instead located a short time later at a meet of antisocial road users.

Police signalled for the vehicle to stop and, when it didn’t, initiated a pursuit, however the vehicle was lost sight of.

The vehicle was located crashed into a tree in Rangiora a short time later. A back-seat passenger was found deceased.

The IPCA has ruled that while certain aspects of Police’s pursuit policy were not followed, the officers’ actions were not responsible for the crash.

Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Tony Hill says Police staff make quick decisions in high-pressure, dynamic situations every day.

“Our staff have been reminded of our policies around fleeing vehicles and pursuits.

“While some elements of our procedure were not followed in this case, the overall decision-making was sound, and we are pleased the IPCA has agreed with us that our staff did not cause this crash.

“We implore people who are being signalled to stop – please just stop. It’s not worth risking the lives of yourselves or others, and you are putting everyone in harm’s way when you choose to flee.”

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