Auckland cop charged with dangerous driving after pursuit

The officer was charged after a pursuit. Photo / file

An Auckland police officer has been charged with dangerous driving after being involved in a pursuit last year.

Auckland City District Commander Superintendent Karyn Malthus said the 30-year-old police officer appeared in Auckland District Court today on a charge of dangerous driving.

A police spokesman said the pursuit took place in central Auckland in October.

The officer was charged following a review of a fleeing driver incident that allegedly occurred on-duty while undertaking urgent driving duties.

The officer was currently on restricted duties. Police were unable to comment further because the matter was before the courts.

Last month, a major review of police pursuits made no radical changes and the practice would not be banned or pared back in any way.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority ruled that the current policy "can provide the necessary balance between public safety and public protection" - however, it has made eight recommendations to "enhance police understanding" of the rules.

The review also highlights the need for further research to understand why some drivers flee.

It looked at a sample of 268 fleeing driver events. Out of this sample, 159
fleeing drivers were able to be identified. The review found:

• Nearly all fleeing drivers were male

• More than half were serious and persistent criminal offenders with multiple
previous convictions

• Around half had been in prison before

• One-third had at least one previous conviction for fleeing police

"New Zealand Police Fleeing Drivers in New Zealand: a collaborative review of events, practices, and procedures attached" is a joint review by the police and the IPCA.

The review comes at the end of The Chase - a four day Herald series looking into pursuits and the people involved.

Police have engaged in more than 30,000 pursuits in the past 10 years, during which time 79 people have been killed in crashes.

Others have been killed in pursuit-related incidents including police shootings - and hundreds, including those in the fleeing cars and the patrol cars chasing them, have been injured.