Police continue hunt for dangerous driver In Napier

The driver of a vehicle involved in a police pursuit in Napier on Friday night has not been located. Photo / File

Police are continuing to hunt for a dangerous driver who narrowly missed a bus in Napier on Friday night.

Police had been pursuing the Holden Commodore after they spotted it driving dangerously on State Highway 2 at Awatoto about 10pm but abandoned the chase in the Napier CBD due to safety concerns.

Officers had earlier tried to get the vehicle, which was believed to be dark green or silver, to pull over but the driver did not stop.

The driver was seen cutting in front of a truck at the roundabout of Marine Parade and Warren St and speeding through the streets before driving through a red light on Tennyson St where the car nearly collided with a bus that was travelling through a green light.

Acting Sergeant Grant Marshall said it was lucky the incident didn't end in tragedy as the roads were busy when it happened.

A police spokesperson said last night, police were continuing to make inquiries to locate the driver and appealed for witnesses to the dangerous driving to contact them.

"In particular we want to hear from the truck driver who was almost caught up in a crash with this driver," Marshall said.

Any witnesses with information are urged to call (06) 873 0500.

The incident was one of at least two police pursuits on New Zealand roads on Friday night.

Two 18-year-olds were arrested after a chase involving a stolen car, the police Eagle helicopter and a police dog unit in Auckland.

Earlier this month Bailey Patmore, 15, from Porirua, died after the vehicle he was in crashed north of Wellington while fleeing police.

The stolen car, carrying Patmore in the boot, had been spotted speeding north on State Highway 1, near the Terrace tunnel entrance, shortly before 3am on May 19.

The officer gave chase when the car failed to stop, but it crashed on SH1 south of the Tawa off-ramp.

On May 11, a wanted man who fled police near Hastings was arrested after a dramatic police pursuit involving road spikes and a tracking dog.

Police located a man driving a car who was wanted by police on warrants on State Highway 50A and indicated for the driver to pull over.

However, he saw police and chose not to stop so they pursued the vehicle to an area where road spikes had been deployed causing it to eventually come to a stop.

The 35-year-old then ran from the vehicle but was soon tracked and located by a police dog.

He was arrested and charged with various driving-related offences including driving while suspended, driving in a dangerous manner, failing to stop when required and a firearms-related charge.

These incidents come as new figures from police show 40 people have died in crashes following police pursuits since 2012, including six so far this year.

New Zealand police were allowed to use their judgment when a driver failed to stop and tried to elude them.

They were supposed to give up the chase whenever it became dangerous.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority wa undertaking a review of the policy, but it was not expected to release a report until October or November. The review was the seventh on the policy in 20 years.