Bay of Plenty police district records highest number of fleeing drivers

People dying during a fleeing driver incident is a “nightmare” for police as figures reveal more than 900 motorists failed to stop in the Bay of Plenty in the first nine months of last year.

This was the highest of any police district and the police union says “nothing is so bad that it is worth dying or killing someone else for”.

Waikato and Bay of Plenty Police Association regional director Ashley Clements said offenders were “gambling with their life”, the lives of their passengers, innocent members of the public and police.

He pleaded with people to “just stop” if police signalled them to do so.

Data released to the Bay of Plenty Times show 901 drivers fled police in the district between January 1 and September 30. The figures included 285 on Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty roads and 282 in the Rotorua police area.

Some drivers fled but were not pursued.

Close behind, Central district police saw 872 drivers fail to stop.

More than 10,000 drivers fled police across the country in 2023, with 676 crashes, and nine deaths. Last year, 7062 drivers failed to stop in the first nine months, resulting in 456 crashes and six deaths.

Clements said the increasing number of fleeing drivers was concerning.

“The actions of the drivers involved put themselves, members of the public and police staff at risk often for trivial reasons.”

His message to fleeing drivers was simple: “You are gambling with your life, with your passenger’s lives, and with innocent members of the public’s lives”.

Police are heavily impacted when fleeing driver incidents end in tragedy.

“People need to put themselves and their whānau first – think about other fleeing events that have resulted in fatalities, in many cases well after the police have abandoned any pursuit.”

Clements said drivers who were pulled over should remain stopped.

“If you’ve done something wrong, take your medicine and own it. Nothing is so bad that it is worth dying or killing someone else for.”

He said the impacts on the officers involved were often overlooked or not taken into consideration by the driver, and those impacts can and do regularly cause long-lasting issues.

Police actions in fleeing driver events, particularly those that resulted in a crash or a fatality, were “scrutinised under a microscope” with several investigations.

“Decisions that officers have to make in a split-second while under immense pressure, are dissected, challenged and considered in a sterile objective environment where every possible outcome can be considered at leisure.”

Clements said officers also often found themselves having charges brought against them and associated employment investigations.

“They were trying to do their job and in some instances, they get it wrong, despite their best intentions. The stress this can cause to an officer and their families cannot be understated.”

Clements said a fatality had lasting impacts.

“It is one of our worst nightmares – we have to go home from work to our families with the knowledge that doing our job has contributed to someone else’s loved one passing away.

“Yes, the manner of driving was a fleeing driver’s choice, but they involved us in that choice, and we will be involved forever. This can affect officers’ mental health and can either contribute to or cause symptoms of PTSD in officers.”

Bay of Plenty road policing manager Inspector Logan Marsh. Photo / Logan Marsh

Senior officer: ‘Nothing is worth that risk’

Bay of Plenty road policing manager Inspector Logan Marsh said officers involved in these incidents considered a range of factors, with safety being “at the forefront” of their decisions on whether to pursue a fleeing driver.

“The onus is always on the driver to pull over and stop.

“Our people do their very best to keep all road users safe while ensuring those who flee from police are held to account, given the significant and unnecessary risks they put themselves and fellow road users.”

Marsh said when these incidents resulted in someone being seriously injured or killed, police staff and first responders were all impacted by witnessing the distressing and completely preventable scenes caused by the driver’s decision to flee.

“We always remind people to speak with family especially younger drivers about the life-changing consequences of failing to stop for police. Nothing is worth taking that risk.”

A closer look at the figures

The police data also showed there were 1268 fleeing drivers in the Bay of Plenty district in the 2023 calendar year and 902 in 2022.

The Bay of Plenty police district ranked second-highest for the actual number of police pursuits in 2022, 2023 and last year.

The figures also show 48 drivers fleeing police crashed their vehicles in the first nine months of last year, compared with 68 the year before.

More than 3000 drivers nationwide were prosecuted for failing to stop as of September 30, 2024, including 371 in the Bay of Plenty police district.

This compared to 4482 prosecutions nationwide in 2023 including 563 in the Bay of Plenty.

Police have new powers under the Land Transport (Road Safety) Amendment Act 2023 to seize and impound a vehicle for six months if drivers fail to stop or remain stopped.

They can seize and impound a vehicle for up to 28 days if the registered owner intentionally fails to provide information about a fleeing driver and impounding the vehicle is necessary to prevent a threat to road safety.

The licence disqualification period after a second conviction for failing to stop is now between 12 months and two years and the courts can order a vehicle forfeited for good.

Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.